- Ready, Set, Draw!
- Throw Me a Curve
- Stepping Out of the Box
- When Shapes and Lines Intersect
Throw Me a Curve
The Line tool works for straight lines, but when you want to draw illustrations, curves or zigzags, turn to the Pencil tool.
When you select the Pencil tool (remember the shortcut–just press "Y"), a new Option appears that isn't available for the Line tool. The Pencil Mode option allows you to choose between Straighten, Smooth, or Ink. These tools don't do exactly what you might expect–for instance, the "Straighten" tool is great for drawing...circles! And the Ink tool can be combined with either straightening or smoothing.
Figure 3.8 Drawing something close to a circle in Straighten mode ends up a perfect circle.
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Straight Line Zigzags
Contrary to what the name implies, the Straighten option does not necessarily create straight lines. Yes, when you select Straighten from the Pencil Mode option button, Flash will convert your lines into relatively symmetrical zig-zags. And a slightly wandering line becomes straight. But Straighten also converts curves to symmetrical, smooth shapes. For example, an unsteady zig-zag becomes a neat angle. And an ungainly, poorly drawn egg becomes a smooth oval.
Drawing Smooth Curves
The Smooth option removes little distortions from lines, and transforms them into smooth curves.
From Curve to Straighten–or Vice Versa
You can transform a line from curved to straightened, or vice versa. Do this by drawing a marquee around the curve with the Select tool, and then choosing Modify, Smooth or Modify, Straighten to change the properties of an existing curve.
How Does Flash Do It?
Flash converts your poorly drawn lines (OK, my poorly drawn lines) into smooth, or symmetrical curves and angles by applying some math. Remember our discussion in chapter one about how Flash uses mathematical calculations to define lines–a process known as vector graphics. These mathematical calculations are altered a bit as you draw, to help smooth and sharpen your lines.
Figure 3.9 This hand-drawn text was modified from smooth mode to straighten mode.
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Getting More Help...Or Less
If you want to apply more dramatic changes to your curves, choose Edit Preferences from the menu and in the Editing tab, change the Smooth Curves setting in the dialog box to Smooth (see Figure 3.10). Want less help? Change the setting to Rough. Don't like getting help at all with your curves? Choose Off from the Smooth Curves drop-down menu in the Assistant dialog box.
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Open and Closed Curves
Flash will assist you in connecting lines. If you use the Pencil tool with the Straighten option, you can draw almost connecting lines, and Flash will connect them.
Figure 3.10 You can enhance or disable Flash's ability to help straighten or smooth your curves.
Changing How Much Flash Helps Make Connections
To adjust the amount of help you get from Flash in connecting lines (or to turn off all help connecting lines), choose Edit, Preferences, and click on the Editing tab. You will see Must Be Close, Normal, or Can Be Distant. Can Be Distant will force your lines to connect if you only come close to connecting them.
Using the Pen Tool
The Pen tool is used to generate smooth, synchronized curves called Bèzier curves.
Who is Bèzier?
Pierre Bèzier was a French automobile designer who developed a method for generating curves by defining "control points" that regulate the curves.
The best way to "explain" the Pen tool is to illustrate it with an example. Everyone have their pens out?
To generate a wave-like curve with the Pen tool, draw a vertical line from top to bottom on the left side of the stage. With this first step, you are defining control points for one end of the curve.
Next, click on the right side of the stage, and draw another vertical line, again starting from top of the stage and drawing down. As you do, you will generate a curve between the two control points you defined, as shown in Figure 3.11.
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Figure 3.11 The Pen tool is used to define control points that generate curves.
Making Waves
Generating curves with the Pen tool can be a bit unpredictable. My trick is to draw something close to the curve I want, and then modify the lines. And modifying drawn lines just happens to be the next section of this chapter! So read on....
Modifying Drawn Lines
To change the direction, shape or length of an existing line, use the Select tool. When you click on the end of an existing line, the Select tool displays as a right angle. Click and drag to move the end of a line. As you begin to drag the end of the line, the cursor displays as a circle, as shown in Figure 3.12.
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Figure 3.12 Use the Select tool, not the Pencil, Pen, or Line tool, to modify an existing line.
If you use the Select tool to click in the middle (not the end) of an existing line, the cursor displays as a curve icon. Click and drag with this icon to change the curve of a selected line, as shown in Figure 3.13.
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Figure 3.13 Click and drag on the middle of an existing line with the Select tool to change curves.