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Drawing Lines and Shapes
Drawing a line or shape
You can use any of these tools to draw lines and shapes:
• The
FREEHAND & BRUSH TOOL ("F3").
• The
STRAIGHT LINE & ARROW TOOL
• The
SHAPE EDITOR TOOL ("F4").
The
FREEHAND & BRUSH TOOL is the easiest way to draw simple lines, curves, and
shapes, and it acts rather like a pencil.
The
STRAIGHT LINE & ARROW TOOL is best if you want to draw single segment straight
lines, or add arrow heads and tails to any types of lines.
The
SHAPE EDITOR TOOL is best for drawing precise curves and lines. It is also the
main tool to edit lines and shapes.
Note: Although it is not in the Drawing Tools toolbar, you can also use the PEN
TOOL
to create precise shapes. It has limited functionality and works like the
line tool of other drawing programs. To use the
PEN TOOL, choose CONTROL
BARS
from the WINDOW menu and click the BUTTON PALETTE checkbox. Then
click the
PEN TOOL icon in the Button Palette.
The Freehand & Brush Tool
You can use this tool to draw in a freehand manner, as you would with a
pencil. It can also be used to create brush strokes, which is described later.
And it includes the option to draw variable width lines using a compatible
pressure sensitive drawing device such as a graphics tablet. While using this
tool the status line provides reminders on how to use the tool.
1. Position the pointer where you want the line to start.
2. Press and hold down the mouse button. (or draw with your graphics tablet or
other connected device).
3. As you drag the pointer around the document, your line is drawn in real time.
4. Release the mouse button to terminate the line.
Smoothing Re-fit Indicator
After you’ve drawn a freehand line you
can control how smooth the curve is
(i.e. how many control points) by
adjusting the smoothing control slider
on the InfoBar.