Operation Manual

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Drawing and painting
Last updated 11/30/2015
shapes appear as compound paths, but their component paths can be edited on a path-by-path basis and do not need
to share attributes.
A Three simple paths B Compound path C Compound shape
About paths
As you draw, you create a line called a path. A path is made up of one or more straight or curved segments. The
beginning and end of each segment are marked by anchor points, which work like pins holding a wire in place. A path
can be closed (for example, a circle), or open, with distinct endpoints (for example, a wavy line).
You change the shape of a path by dragging its anchor points, the direction points at the end of direction lines that appear
at anchor points, or the path segment itself.
A Selected (solid) endpoint B Selected anchor point C Unselected anchor point D Curved path segment E Direction line F Direction point
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points: corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path abruptly changes
direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. You can draw a path using any
combination of corner and smooth points. If you draw the wrong kind of point, you can always change it.
A Four corner points B Four smooth points C Combination of corner and smooth points
A corner point can connect any two straight or curved segments, while a smooth point always connects two curved
segments.