Vector editing tools

Adobe Illustrator export options

Color selection

The Color selection thumbnails let you define a fill and outline color for vector shapes. You can open the Color editor for each of these colors in the following ways:

• Fill color: Click on the fill color thumbnail (top), or double-click LMB on the canvas

• Outline color: Click on the outline color thumbnail (bottom), or hold Ctrl and double-click LMB on the canvas

The set colors will then be applied to the currently selected shapes.

If the current outline color is black – i.e. luminance 0 or RGB (0, 0, 0) – it will not be applied to the selected shapes until you click on the outline color thumbnail.

Transformation

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The Transformation tool (V) can select shapes, which are then included in a transformation gizmo. This gizmo lets you perform the following actions:

Move: Click and hold LMB inside the gizmo

Scale: Click and hold LMB on any of the square handles along the gizmo to scale the object horizontally, vertically, or both. By default, scaling is done relatively to the handle on the opposite side of the gizmo. You can hold the Alt key to perform the scaling relatively to the center of the gizmo, and hold the Shift key to lock the gizmo width/height ratio

Rotate: Click and hold LMB next to any of the square handles along the gizmo, outside of the gizmo.

Node

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The Node tool (A) lets you select individual vertices (i.e. nodes) of the selected shape and edit its position and handles, as well as add and remove vertices. Once a shape is selected, the following actions can be performed:

Add vertex: Ctrl+LMB on the shape outline

Remove vertex: Ctrl+LMB on the vertex

Move vertex: Hold LMB on the vertex

Move vertex handles: Hold LMB on the handle

Move vertex handle independently: Hold Alt+LMB on the handle. Note that handles will be unlinked past this point until they are reset

Reset handles: Click Alt+LMB on the vertex. The handles will be reset to the vertex position

Move reset vertex handles: Hold Alt+LMB on the vertex. Linked handles will appear

Shape

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The Shapes tool (M) offers a set of primitive shapes, using the currentl fill color, which can be built from and edited:

• Rectangle;

• Ellipse;

• Rounded rectangle: The rounded angles have a locked radius;

• Polygon: Creates an octogon.

To draw a primitive, Hold LMB anywhere in the canvas from any of its corners. Hold Alt+LMB to draw the shape from its center.

Pen

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The Pen tool (P) lets you draw a new custom shape, using the current fill color. Two modes are available:

In Path mode, the shape is drawn one vertex at a time. The following controls are available:

Add straight in/straight out vertex: Click LMB

Add curve in/curve out vertex (aligned tangents): Hold LMB and drag

Add curve in/curve out vertex (unaligned tangents)*: Hold LMB and drag, then hold Alt+LMB

Add curve in/straight out vertex*: same as curve in/curve out vertex (unaligned tangents), but the out line needs to be placed on top of the new vertex

Add straight in/curve out vertex*: Hold Alt+LMB and drag

Close shape on next vertex: Hold Ctrl

Close shape on current vertex: Press Enter, or click LMB on the first vertex of the current shape

Freehand mode lets you draw shapes directly by dragging the pen across the canvas while holding LMB.

Vertices are automatically placed along the stroke so that the resulting path matches the stroke as closely as possible. The shape is automatically closed when the stroke ends, connecting the first vertex to the last in the stroke.

Extrude

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The Extrude tool (E) adds together a shape of a set diameter, drawn along a path using the selected drawing mode, and applies the result in the canvas following the merging mode set in the options toolbar.

The following drawing modes are available:

Freeform: draws the shape directly by dragging the pen across the canvas while holding LMB. The shape is added together when the stroke ends.

Polygonal: draws the shape one face at a time by clicking LMB to add an angle. The shape is added together when the Enter key is pressed.

The drawn shape can be controlled using these parameters:

Size: Controls the diameter of the radial shape drawn at the cursor location.

Smoothness: Controls the amount by which the drawn shape should be smoothed out and simplified when added together at the end of the stroke.

When the drawing is completed, the shape is added together and merged with the currently selected shape using one of these available merging modes:

No merging: The shape is drawn on top of the selected shape as a separate object.

Union: The shape is added to the selected shape.

Subtraction: The shape is cut out of the selected shape.

Intersection: Only the overlapping portions of the new and the selected shape remain.

Adding and removing shapes

Copy selection (Ctrl+C): Copy the selected shapes to the clipboard

Cut selection (Ctrl+X): Copy the selected shapes to the clipboard and remove the shapes

Paste (Ctrl+V): Create the copied shape currently in the clipboard, at the cursor location

Paste in place (Ctrl+Shift+V): Create the copied shape currently in the clipboard, at the copied shape location

Delete selection (Del): Remove the selected shapes

Arranging shapes

Shapes are arranged in a stack, which sets the order of the shapes in the canvas – i.e. which is on top of which. New shapes are created on top of the canvas by default, and the following controls let you change this arrangement:

Bring to front (Home): raises the selected shapes to the top of the shapes stack

Bring forward (PgUp): raises the selected shapes up by one level in the shapes stack

Send backward (PgDown): lowers the selected shapes down by one level in the shapes stack

Send to back (End): lowers the selected shapes to the bottom of the shapes stack

Send to new SVG image

You can use shapes in the current image to create a new SVG resource in the current SBS package. To that regard, the following actions are available:

Copy selection to new SVG: Creates a new SVG resource, and copies the selected shapes in place in this new image.

Cut selection to new SVG: Creates a new SVG resource, copies the selected shapes in place in this new image, and removes them from the current image.