The Toolbox - Curve Category

Hi again.

This time I'll explain more detail about the toolbox. As I stated before, toolbox serves as a means to create, manage and modify objects. Toolbox can be said as a main component that can be utilized to create designs. On toolbox there are various kinds of tools which can be categorized according to their unique functionality. They are, for example, curve-category tools, shape-category tools, dimension-category tools and so on. I will start with curve-category tools.

CURVE CATEGORY
Curve-category tools consists of tools to draw line and curve. You can also use Artistic Media tool to create a spray object, arabic-style line, or brush line.

1. Freehand Tool
Freehand tool is used to draw a free-line, or to shape object without boundaries (read: rules). The steps to use freehand tool are as follows:
a. Click on Freehand tool or press F5

b. Then do the following steps:

• To draw a straight line, click on any random point then move your mouse-pointer to another random point, and give another click.  
• To draw a free line, press and hold your mouse button at the starting point and move your mouse-pointer to wherever you like to shape the line.

• Meanwhile to close a free line, left-click on one tipping-point (node) of a free line and move your mouse to another tipping-point (node) and give another click.

2.Draw with Bezier
A little bit different with Freehand tool, Bezier is a tool to make both straigth and curve line. This tool also has its unique characteristic in which you must determine the next tipping-point to draw a line instead of drawing the line from the beginning..To use bezier tool do the following steps:

• Click Bezier tool

• To draw straight line, left-click on one random point then left-click on another random point to create a line. If you give subsequent left-click on another random point, the line will continues. To end the drawing process, simply click pick tool on the toolbox or press Enter.
• To draw a curve line, left-click on first random point then press and hold your mouse-button immediately at the second/other random point. The next step is to move your mouse-pointer to the opposite direction to where you want the curve line take shape and give another click.

• You can also draw a combination of straight and curve line.

3. Draw with Artistic Media
Artistic Media is a tool which distinctly unique compared to other tools on curve category in which it provides you with many interesting effects, and allows you to draw more than a common line. It produces a line with artistic flavor rather than a simple one. To use artistic media, do the following steps:

• Press and hold artistic media tool or press I.
• Move the brush freely to draw an object:

• There are five tipes of artistic media tool you can utilize. To switch between them, highlight the property bar and choose one of the tools below:
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • preset tool, to draw a ribbon-like closed-line
  • brush tool, to draw a brush line with various color and shape
  • sprayer tool, to draw a sprayed objects
  •   calligraphic tool, to draw an arabic-style or caligraphic letter
  •   pressure tool, do draw a trapezoid-like closed line

• Finally, you can adjust the shape and size of an artistic object on the property bar, by changing its value or simply choosing another variance:

Below are some example of artistic media variances:

 

 

4. Pen
Pen's utillity is akin to that of Bezier. The difference is that pen will provides you with a "visible" line as you move your mouse pointer acrross the worksheet. To use pen, do the following steps:

• Click pen tool   
• To draw a straight line, click on one random point then move your mouse-pointer to another random point and give another click. 
• To draw a curve line, click on one random point and move your mouse pointer to the second random point. While at the second random point, give another press and hold your mouse  button simultaneously, then begin shaping the curve line

To end the drawing process, press Enter.

5. Polyline
Polyline is very similar to Pen tool, at first you may find no difference between the two. Yet the difference will emerge when you draw a curve line. To use polyline tool, do the following steps:

• Click polyline tool  
• To draw a straight line, click on one random point and move your mouse pointer to another random point then give another click. 
• To draw a curve line, press and hold your mouse button then move the mouse pointer as freely as you want and try to shape a curve line.
• You can also combine between straight and free line.
• To end the drawing process, press Enter.

IMO, there is a downside of polyline tool compared to pen tool in which you can't undo the drawing process by pressing Ctrl + Z.

6. 3-Point Curve
3-Point Curve is a tool used to draw a curve line with 3-steps drawing process. To use 3-point curve:

• Click 3-Point Curve tool  
• To start drawing an object, press and hold your mouse-button at one random point and move the mouse pointer to another random point then release the mouse-button (these two points/coordinates act as the basis of the curve line). Next step is to move your mouse-pointer to the direction where you want the curve line take shape and give another click.
• Finish