Help understanding "Black Dragon" content example

[Davi211]

Hi,

I have been plaing aroud with Affinity designer for my first time and I was going through each content example.

I feel like I have been able to get around on how most of the things have been done. However, there is one thing that I cannot understand.

The Black Dragon sample has a single layer for it's body scales and it looks like the scales where adjusted with a curve to follo perfect cicles and curvature of the body.

A part of me cannot imagine doing every scale by hand an endup like this. Is there a tool that allows you to child curves to a parent and deform them all together? 

 

Many thanks for your time

 

Here some pics as reference: 

https://imgur.com/KF5RfZq

https://imgur.com/YiEuqwy

https://imgur.com/fxpzfe1

[sfriedberg]

The 2nd image you linked is a clue.  It looks to me like a set of varied size scales was arrayed in a circle (with a tool), then the scales in the unwanted portion of the circle were removed.  I'm pretty sure there was a lot of manual adjustment to blend adjacent partial-arc segments of the body.

[DWright]

I do not know the exact method that the artist used to create the scales but one way is to create the scales as symbols then place a doughnut quickshape for the curve reference then place one of the created symbols on top of the quick shape and then using ;power duplication; tool to copy the scale and apply a position transform then as the duplication the new scales will have the transform automatically applied and in this way the scales can be placed along a curve will little need to realign them.