Enhanced functions and improvements for vector brushes

[PaRunk]

Hello Affinity Team,

I really like the vector brushes in Designer. But what I noticed is that the settings in the brushes unfortunately only work if you use a graphics tablet. I find this a disadvantage compared to users who only work with a computer mouse and are forced to buy a graphics tablet.

Would it be possible to adjust this so that it can be used with a computer mouse?

I also find the function Pressure works differently than in the option window Strokes. There you can set your curve to get a very special style, save it (unfortunately only for the document you are currently opening) and use it even when using the mouse.

I would also like to have a few more settings in the vector brushes.

First of all there is the possibility to adjust soft edges, as it is also possible in the pixel brushes. At the moment I always have to add a mask with a soft edge to the strokes to get the desired result.

And as a second setting option to reverse the drawing direction. At the moment you have to set each brush so that the starting point is on the left and the end point is on the right. The Invert function is intended to change the starting point to the end point and the end point to the starting point.
At the moment I have to create each brush twice to always have a mirrored version.

[Old Bruce]

4 hours ago, PaRunk said:

second setting option to reverse the drawing direction.

After Drawing, with the curve/line selected using the Node tool or the Pen tool go to the Context toolbar and hit the Reverse Curves button.

 

[PaRunk]

Hello Old Bruce,

Thanks for your answer.

Yes I know this function. But it is much too complicated if I have to change more than just one contour. Therefore an additional function for reversing would be much better.

Above all, I know the function with the invert line from Illustrator. There it is possible to change the direction of the brush.

[Hokusai]

Does Designer have Vector brushes? I see them but they don't do anything when I select them and then draw something. I'd love to be able to use a brush with a fude (Japanese brush) look. Maybe as @PaRunk said, they are only available if I use a graphics tablet? I don't use a tablet and draw everything using a mouse. If this is the case, I'd love to be able to use them without a tablet! I also second PaRunk's suggestion for being able to change the direction of the brush! Thanks!

[Alfred]

26 minutes ago, Hokusai said:

Does Designer have Vector brushes? I see them but they don't do anything when I select them and then draw something. I'd love to be able to use a brush with a fude (Japanese brush) look. Maybe as @PaRunk said, they are only available if I use a graphics tablet? I don't use a tablet and draw everything using a mouse. If this is the case, I'd love to be able to use them without a tablet! I also second PaRunk's suggestion for being able to change the direction of the brush! Thanks!

Although there are various ‘Controller’ options for brushes in Designer, if you’re using a mouse you’re going to be somewhat limited when it comes to varying the stroke width or opacity. When drawing with a graphics tablet you can easily achieve variable width and/or opacity by choosing pressure as the controller, but if you’re using a mouse or trackball you’ll have to draw first and then tweak the pressure profile afterwards.

[Hokusai]

Hi Alfred,

Thanks for the reply. I knew that you can change the settings for the brushes and that using only a mouse is limited but I was looking more for vector brushes like the one that Old Bruce showed in his example. 

Best regards,

Hokusai

[PaRunk]

Hi Hokisai,

the brush used by Old Bruce is located in the brushes acrylic paint But almost all brushes that exist in designers are not real vector brushes, but in reality image brushes. PNG images are used as a template, these are then placed on a path. Depending on how you make the settings. Usually the images are distorted along the path.

The only brushes that can be called real vector brushes are the even brushes.

I'm not sure if these are even included by default as templates. Otherwise you have to create them yourself.

Alfed's suggestion to first draw the line and then adjust the print line only works if you use the pencil or pencil and then white the desired vector brushes. I find this a bit cumbersome, but at the moment it is the only possibility if you want to use the vector brushes with the mouse.

With the actual vector brush the subsequent adjustment is not possible.

The real vector brushes, as they exist in AI and Corel, are currently not available in Designer. But I and other users in the forum have asked for them.

[Hokusai]

Hi PaRunk,

Thanks for clearing that up. Sorry,  I thought the conversation was about vector brushes (pure vector brushes) and so I thought that I must have missed them being introduced at one point. That's my fault. When I saw the one that Old Bruce posted, I thought it was a vector brush or a vector stroke but I was mistaken.  I'd love to be able to use pure vector brushes and vector strokes to create fude style lines. The raster brushes are nice but I work mostly in pure vectors and I'd love to be able to use vector ones in my work. I'd also like to be able to make my own vector brushes or at least modify ones that are included. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who'd like to see them added. Hopefully sometime in a not so distant future release we'll get them!