User Guide

Chapter 4: Drawing And Vector Effects
Defining curves
Anchor points determine where path segments start and end. Tangent lines at each anchor point
control the shape of curve segments. A tangent line affects the adjacent segment.
The tangent line of a segment’s other anchor point (not shown) also affects the segment’s shape. You
can also draw straight paths by clicking with the Curve tool, similar to the way you use the Polygon
tool (see "Drawing polygons " on page 317).
To draw a path with curved segments:
1. Select the Curve tool.
2. Where you want the path to begin, do one of the following:
Click to set the anchor point and, before releasing the mouse button, drag to position its
tangent line.
Click to set the anchor point without creating a tangent line.
When you release the mouse button, the anchor point appears.
3. Where you want the segment to end, do one of the following:
Drag to simultaneously set an anchor point and position a tangent line.
Click to set the anchor point without creating a tangent line.
This finishes the first curve segment.
4. Repeat the previous step to draw additional segments.
321