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Using Line and Shape Tools

The technique for drawing with these tools varies from object to object. Many of the objects such as Rectangles, Ellipses, and Rounded Rectangles are simple two-control point structures. Polylines, Polygons, Splines, Arcs, and Beziers can have as many points as you like. Irrespective, the process is simple.

To Draw any Line or Shape​

  • Select the tool from the corresponding tab in the Tools Palette.
  • Click to place the first control point.
  • Continue clicking until the necessary number of points are placed and the object is complete.
  • Right click to stop drawing.
  • Right click again to drop the tool.

Auto Aligning Lines and Shapes​

To ease the creation of these items, there is a very useful auto align feature which allows you to keep the dimensions of your lines and shapes square.

In most cases, holding SHIFT while you draw will cause the control points you are placing to align themselves to a 90º or 45º increment. This means that you can keep your verticals and horizontals perfectly straight.

Rectangles, Rounded Rectangles and Ellipses form special cases - holding SHIFT still keeps their second control point at 90º or 45º but this of course has the effect of holding the rectangles to perfect squares and the ellipse to a perfect circle.

Drawing_a_Rectangle_and_an_Ellipses_Freehand_compared_to_drawing_them_holding_Shift

Properties of these Basic Tools​

As is the case with all objects in RapidPath, you can view and change the properties of a basic tool by double clicking on it to open the Quick Edit screen or from within the Properties Palette.

The properties for the Lines are very similar. This is also the case with the Shapes. Regardless of type, all the basic tools have the option to be rotated or flipped vertically and horizontally by using CTRL + R to rotate and the flip toolbar to flip the objects.

The Lines Properties​

The properties of the Lines are defined by setting the style of stroke used:

Polyline_Properties_Palette

Properties
Stroke widthThe weight of the line (default is 0.75).
Stroke colorThe color of the line.
Stroke styleA variety of dashed, solid and dotted line styles are available.
Stroke capsChoose from four line end styles: flat, square, round, and triangle.

The Shapes Properties​

A shape is defined by its outline and an internal area - each handled separately. Similar to lines, the shape's outline style is set by altering the stroke settings. The properties for the internal area are set by modifying the fill used for the shape.

Rectangle_Properties_Palette

You have three controls for the fill: Color, Opacity and Style.

The_Available_Shape_Fill_Styles

The "Transparent" Color One of the color settings for lines, shapes and text is transparent. In the case of lines including shape outlines this effectively just means none. For the fill of shapes however, a transparent setting allows you to see what's underneath. Don't confuse transparent with white. As the diagram below shows, they are very different.

The_Box_on_the_Left_has_a_Transparent_Fill

The Spline-Based Tools​

The Spline and Filled Spline have an extra property. They are different because they are built around what is known as a spline curve. Spline curves are formed by placing points along a desired path - RapidPath uses a predefined curve radius and creates the curved line. (The road tool also is a spline curve).

The_Spline_Tool_on_the_Left_and_the_Filled_Spline_on_the_Right

The Bezier Tools​

One of the trickier techniques to master in RapidPath is the drawing of a Bezier. Beziers offer a powerful way to create curves with great precision.

There are two components of a Bezier curve:

  • The center Control Point sets the apex of the curve.

  • The Curve Handle allow you to set the direction and sweep of the curve.

    Bezier_with_its_Control_Points_and_Curve_Handles

For full details on how to use the bezier tool, see this page

The Arc Tools​

There are three arc-based tools in RapidPath, the Arc tool, the Pie Arc tool and the Road Arc tool. All of these tools are created from a radius, making perfect curves.

To use an arc tool:

  • Select the necessary arc tool from the Tools palette.
  • Click once to set the radius of the arc.
  • The second click is where you draw your arc by moving the cursor in the direction of the arc.
  • Click to complete the object.
  • Right click to drop the tool.

You can also specify numeric values for the radius, start angle and end angle for the arc.

Setting_the_Radius_and_Angles_of_the_Pie_Arc_Manually