Apple Motion 5.1.1 - Manual (Page 836)

Chapter 20 Shapes, masks, and paint strokes 836
3 Continue clicking to draw additional points to define the shape you need.
While drawing a shape, you can move and adjust the control points you’ve created before finishing
the shape. You can adjust any control point except the first one you created, because clicking the
first point closes the shape.Press Shift while making a curved point to constrain its tangents to
45-degree angles. As you create new B-Spline control points, keep the following in mind:
•
The control points you draw influence the shape of the curve from a distance. They do not lie
directly on the surface of the curve.
•
To create more detailed curves, create more points. However, it’s best to use the fewest
number of points necessary to create the amount of detail you need. Shapes with an excessive
number of points can be difficult to edit later on.
•
In many instances, it is easier to create a loose group of control points first and then adjust
them afterwards to create the precise curve you need in a later step.
4 When you’re ready to finish your shape, do one of the following:
•
Click the first point you drew to create a closed shape.
•
Press C to close the shape, joining the first point you created to the last.
•
Press Return to finish an open shape at the last point you made.
•
Double-click anywhere in the Canvas to define the last point of an open shape.
Note: You can press Esc to cancel the entire operation and delete the shape.
Immediately after finishing a shape, the Shape HUD appears and the Edit Points tool is selected,
which lets you edit the shape you’ve just created.
Modify the smoothness of B-Spline control points
Each control point on a B-Spline path affects the curvature of the shape nearby. By default, these
curves are very rounded, but you can adjust the degree of roundness, even creating sharp corner
points by adjusting the control point weight handle.
1 Create a shape using B-Splines.
2 With the Edit Points tool selected, Command-drag a control point.
A weight handle appears.
3 Drag the weight handle away from the control point to sharpen the path or towards the control
point to smooth the path.
Draw masks using the Freehand Mask tool
Like the Paint Stroke tool, the Freehand Mask tool lets you create a mask shape in one
movement, rather than drawing the shape in a point-by-point fashion (like a Bezier or B-Spline
shape). For best results, use a stylus and tablet when using the Freehand Mask tool. For more
information on drawing masks, see
Masks and transparency overview on page 888.
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