ANCHOR POINTS in Animate
VICTREE MEDIA XV
SUMMARY
YeePee - A Popeye Parody is a Popeye Parody that utilizes the Pen tool to create a unique and engaging drawing experience. The Pen tool is a crucial element in drawing, used to rig characters and create a rigged figure. It allows users to add anchor points directly and adjust shape anchor points using the Subselection tool. The Pen preview feature allows users to preview the creation of shapes and turn on or off object drawing mode in the properties panel. Other features include stroke settings, object properties, join path pointer, continue path pointer, initial anchor pointer, and sequential anchor pointer.
Preferences for the Pen tool include setting undo level, auto-recovery, interface theme, stage border, color, coding, text, rigging, and drawing-related options. The Pen preview feature allows users to see the preview of the shape being created and adjust stroke settings. The Join Path pointer allows users to create a new path from an existing anchor point on a path. The Sequential Anchor Pointer indicates that the next left-mouse click will create an anchor point with a line connecting it to the previous anchor point.
To use the Pen tool, users can click on the Pen tool icon or use shortcuts such as double-clicking to discontinue, Free Transform tool, Shift, and Esc. To draw a line, connect it to the first anchor point when a small circle appears, and to convert segments between straight and curved lines, press Alt and drag up and down with the Subselection Tool.
If you want to know in detail about the Anchor points, read them down below:
Introduction:
You may recall me saying about anchor point using as a rigged figure. Wait! What was that? You do not know. Well, no problem, because what is the Anchor point, and what it can be purposefully used. Today you will learn about the Anchor point, the Pen Tool, and we will start with the Info Panel.
Info Panel:
Info Panel provides information about its position, size, color hexa code, etc. You can change the position and size right from the info panel. The X and Y of the second part tells where the cursor currently is. When you select a color picker, and hover over any color, it tells the RGB code and transparency. Side 1, side 2, and Width inform you about the stroke.
Anchor Point:
The anchor point is a point, in which the shape or layer rotates around, scales around, and translates (Positions) around. Quick way to recenter or move the anchor point around is by utilizing Convert Anchor Point Tool.
Convert Anchor Point Tool converts a corner point without direction lines to the corner point with independent direction lines, and Add Anchor Point tool indicates that the next mouse-click will create an extra anchor point. It is used when you need to manipulate the shape even more, and Delete Anchor Point Tool indicates that the the next mouse click over an anchor point will delete it. You can use the anchor points in rigging a character: for example, in my Popeye Parody animation, Olive Oyl pressing a bell. It is used to reduce the anchor points, curves and pointers in a drawing.
USES
1) Hit the Convert Anchor Tool icon or use the shortcut.
2) Click on Delete Anchor point icon or use the shortcut.
3) Hit the add Anchor point tool icon or use the shortcut.
4) Hit the Add Anchor Point Tool icon or use the shortcut.
5) Alt is for duplicating the stroke.
6) Ctrl is for Free Transform Tool.
7) Shift is for constraining the proportions.
8) If Add Anchor Point is selected, Alt is for selecting Delete Anchor Point tool.
9) If Delete/Add Anchor Point is selected, Ctrl is for selecting Free Transform tool.
10) If Delete Anchor Point tool is selected, Alt is for selecting Add Anchor Point tool.
11) You hover over an anchor point and hold the left-click mouse button to make the curve point.
12) To make pointy into curve, you hover over an anchor point, and drag right or left by holding the left-mouse button.
Pen Tool:
Pen Tool is not a tool for drawing with a pen, but it is a very powerful tool, especially it is useful for drawing without a mouse, and it is one of the tool that does not do what the name says. It is used to draw straight/smooth and curve lines. The Pen Tool will continue the line from where your last point ended, and on my YeePee - A Popeye Parody, the mansion was drawn using Pen Tool, before I had a drawing tablet. There are three ways to complete a part or a shape, and add anchor point icon is to indicate that the next mouse click will add an anchor point to an existing path.
Note: Only one anchor point can be added at a time, and joining Path may or may not result in a closed path.
The existing path is redrawn based on the additional anchor point, and if you want to curve a straight line: for example, you will not be able to do as it only has two points. You can directly add an anchor point from Pen Tool when Delete Anchor Point tool icon shows up, and it is to indicate that the mouse click on an existing Anchor Point will remove it. You can adjust anchor points of a shape with Subselection tool, and second, you can use retract bezier handle that appears when the mouse is over an anchor point whose bezier handles are displayed. You might be thinking, "Gus! The Pen tool in Illustrator is so much easier, but I do not want to make things there and then, import that here."
To that I would say, you can change preferences, and it provide us options to set undo level, turn on or off auto-recovery after ten minutes, alter interface theme to be dark or light [I prefer darkest], hide or show stage border, change color for groups, symbols and other elements. You have preferences for coding, text, rigging and drawing-related options. However, what we are focusing on is Pen preview, which allows you to see the preview of how the shape is being created, and you can turn on or off object drawing mode in the properties panel, when Pen Tool is selected. Rest you can play around with stroke settings, as Pen Tool works on strokes, and for object properties, you have expand to fill, create into object drawing mode, break apart, convert into symbol (That we will cover later), create your drawings as a Paint Brush. You can make it smooth and straight, and change its position and size. Join Path pointer is similar to Connecting Path/Close Path pointer: exvept that the mouse must not be over the starting anchor point of the same path, and the pointer must be over either of the terminal points of a unique path. The line may or may not be selected, and continue path pointer extends a new path from an existing anchor point on a path. For this pointer to be activated, the mouse must be over an existing anchor point on a path, and this pointer is only available when you are not currently drawing a path. The anchor point does not have to be one of the terminal anchor point of a path, and any anchor point can be the location of a continued path. Initial anchor pointer is the first point that you see when you select the Pen Tool. This pointer indicates that the click on the stage will create a starting anchor point, which is a beginning of a new path, and all new paths begin with an initial point. Any existing drawing paths are terminated, and Sequential Anchor Pointer indicates that the next left-mouse click will create an anchor point with a line connecting it to the previous anchor point. This pointer is displayed during the construction of all user-defined Anchor Points, excluding the starting point of a path.
USES
1) You can click on Pen tool icon or use the shortcut.
2) Double-click will discontinue.
3) Ctrl is for Free Transform tool.
4)Shift is for making line straight.
5) Alt is for Convert Anchor Point tool.
6) Single-click to add more straight lines.
7) Double-click on the last point to discontinue.
8) Shift is for constraining the angle to rotate in 45°.
9) You can also use Esc for discontinuing your drawing.
10) Dragging up is going to curve the drawing downwards.
11) Dragging down is going to curve the drawing upwards.
12) Go to Edit -> Preferences -> Edit Preferences or use the shortcut.
13) Connect the line to the first anchor point when a small circle appears on the anchor point.
14) While, you hold the left-mouse button and then press Alt, it is going to curve only one side of the handle.
15) To draw a straight line, first you will click on the starting point, and then click anywhere on the ending point.
16) To add an anchor point, the path must be selected, and the pen tool must not be over an existing anchor point.
17) To draw a curve line, you click at the ending point but do not release the mouse-button, instead you drag it up or down.
18) Click on the middle point, which is the anchor point, not the handle, unless you want ot continue drawing from the handle.
19) To convert segments between straight and curved lines, you will press Alt and then, drag up and down, with Subselection Tool.
20) Ctrl and clicking outside the drawing, connect the line to the first anchor point when a small circle appears on the anchor point.
21) Click the left-mouse button retracts the bezier handles and causes the curved path across the anchor point to revert to straight lines, right from the pen tool.
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I am highly content that I have such an awesome and talented blog writer who makes it extremely easy for anyone interested in this diverse software to learn a lot of hidden things. Your ability to break down complex tools like the Pen Tool and its features, such as anchor points, stroke settings, and the Pen preview, is remarkable. The way you detail each function and provide clear, actionable steps truly empowers readers to enhance their creative skills. Thank you for making these tutorials so accessible and engaging!
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