Apple Motion 4 - Manual (Page 1097)

You can reopen the shape by deselecting the Closed checkbox.
To create an open shape from a closed shape
Do one of the following:
µ
Control-click a point on the shape, then choose Open Curve from the shortcut menu.
The segment before the point (in a clockwise order) is removed from the shape. This
action causes the selected point to become Control Point 1 and the remaining points to
be renamed accordingly. If the originally closed shape was filled, the Fill checkbox remains
selected. To disable the fill, deselect the Fill checkbox in the HUD or Style pane of the
Shape Inspector.
µ
Select the shape and deselect the Closed checkbox in the Geometry pane of the Shape
Inspector.
Note: The spline before the first point drawn is removed. To change the start point (the
first point drawn) of the shape, Control-click a point and choose Set Start Point from the
shortcut menu.
If a shape has more control points than are necessary, you can delete points from it to
make it easier to edit. This can be helpful if you animate the shape later on.
To delete control points from a shape
1 Select a shape with the Adjust Control Points tool.
2 Select one or more points to delete, then do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Delete.
• Control-click the selected points, then choose Delete Point from the shortcut menu.
• Press Delete.
The shape changes to adjust to the missing point. If you remove points from a closed
shape, the shape remains closed.
Before deleting point After deleting point
Warning: If you delete a point from a shape that already has a keyframed shape
animation parameter in the Keyframe Editor, that control point is removed from the
entire animation.
1097 Chapter 17 Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes