Shape Painter Tool

The Shape Painter Tool

The Shape Painter Tool was introduced in PGD 9

Are there any new shape editing tools?

The previous version (PGD 2013) introduced the Shape Erasor tool. PGD 9 now also provides a Shape Painter tool.

1. Shape Painter tool. - Previously only available in Designer Pro. The tool adds or appends to an existing shape and is found within the Freehand tool flyout bar. 
2. Shape Erasor tool. - Erases parts of objects, and can act as a vector erase tool or as a soft eraser tool 

What does the Shape Painter tool allow me to do?

The Shape Painter tool. allows you to

1. 'Paint' onto an existing shape to enlarge it
2. Add new areas to the shape
3. Adjust the shape or outline

Edits are made in a vector way. You can adjust the size of the 'nib' as well as its aspect ratio and rotation angle.

 

How do I use the Shape Painter tool?

To use the tool, simply select the tool from the freehand Tool flyout menu. If a shape is already selected, or you click on a shape to select it, then strokes on the page will adjust the outline of the selected shape. If there is no shape selected, or you click on the background to clear the selection, then new strokes will create new shapes.

If multiple shapes are selected the Builder tool will join them if the nib shape touches them during the drag. The resulting joined shape has the attributes of the topmost shape.

 

What happens to quick shapes when edited with the Shape Painter tool?

Quickshapes are automatically converted to editable shapes if the nib touches them when using the Shape Editor tool with softness set to 0.

 

Can I customise my nib size, angle and softness?

Yes. the Shape Painter/ Eraser infobar allows you to alter the nib size, angle, roundness, softness and smoothing.

There is a selection of 6 preset nib sizes on the Infobar. The nib size changes, relative to the objects on the page, as you change the zoom. In other words, as you zoom in, because the nib remains the same size on screen, it allows smaller details to be erased. While in the tool, you can press keys 1-6 to quickly select the different nib sizes or use the middle mouse wheel with the alt key pressed to change nib size..

 

How does the softness control affect what im drawing?

If the softness control is set to zero then the tool will edit a shapes vector outline allowing you to add to the shape you are editing. If the softness setting is anything other than zero, then this will always add a new feathered shape to the page.

Can the Shape Painter tool be used on photos?

Yes, but it's only useful to enlarge an already edited or cropped photo outline. Ensure the softness setting is at 0% when doing so.

 

Additional Information

The 'softness' value is a mathematical vector value, the nib strokes are fully editable vector paths. You can select, adjust or remove any earlier stroke, and for advanced users the full vector structure is exposed in the Object Gallery.