Introduction to Vector Graphics - 2

Adding and Editing Nodes

To edit the nodes we need to change to the Vector Object Selection Tool - . Click on this and we have a different Tool Options window. The button we are interested in is the Node Edite. When you click on this your vector will change to your line with a node at each end. If you put your cursor over each one, you will see that one node is where you started your line, and the other is the ending node.

If you are having problems with the Tool Options window hiding your vector object, you can keep the Tool Options window closed and access the Note Edit mode by moving your cursor over the line, right click to bring up the Context Menu, and then selecting Node Edit in this menu.

We are going to add a node along the line - hold down the Control (Ctrl) key and move your cursor over the line. It will change to include the word "ADD".

Click the left mouse button to add a node. Now you can grab this new node and bend the line.

Getting more interesting...?

Staying with this, right click the new node. This will bring up an Editing menu - slide down to Node Type -

Select - Asymmetric. This is what you should see -

More fun - 2 more things to grab and move around. The ends of the control line through the node allow you to bend and pull the curve that you have put in the line by changing the node to asymmetric. Experiment with this and see just what happens as you move the control ends around. You may want to pull the center node down to the middle of your window.

To exit from Node Editing, right click in the image window to bring up the context menu - then click on Quit Node Editing.

Then you can remove the selection by right clicking in the image window again to bring up this menu - then click on Select None.

You can add more lines as extra vector objects on the same layer. They will remain separate, and can be changed without affecting the other vector objects. To remove the nodes from a vector object, click on the Select None button in your top toolbar, or in the Selections Menu - Select None. To re-select a vector object, open the layer that the vector is on by clicking the + beside it. Then click on the vector layer with the name of your vector object - hey presto, it's selected ready for you to work with.

I've added a second line to the graphic -

And this is what the Layer Palette looks like.

You will notice that the selected vector object has the name in bold. Aye, what's that you say? Your one has "Line" for both! Ahh, you can right click on a layer, select Rename, and rename it, remember.

Now look at the Properties Window - from the layer pop-up menu select Properites, or click on the Properties button in the Tool Options panel. You will see that the Properties window for a vector layer is different from the Properties window for a raster (normal bitmap) graphic.

There are some changes that you can do to the line. You can change the color, change the width of the line, and change the end shape (Cap). You can change the stroke style to a gradient or a pattern, and add a texture to it. Go on, play with them and watch your vector object change before your eyes.

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