Question about node handles ...

[Eagle Works]

Hello all ..

Hope you are all safe and sane wherever you are!

In working with handles, I usually run into some issues. Nothing serious.

I am looking for techniques, shortcuts, or other ways of simplifying my flow.

If I am to trace an outline with the pen tool, first job for me is to start working with the handles to get the curves to look like I want.  Changing the nodes from sharp to smooth or smart, or the other way. A lot of back and forth.  That is the nature of this beast!

Another way for me to get bit map traces is to use Inkscape to create the .svg..  Of course, sometimes the return is so full of nodes, the task is sometimes more than it is worth, and I just draw from scratch with the pen tool.

Sometimes what I want to do is drag both handles of a node in or out at the same time.  The only way I know how to do this is press both the right and left button of the mouse at the same time.  Now I use a Logitech Trackball and this is not the easiest thing to do.  I was wondering if someone had a better way of doing that?

Another thing, I have a long broad curve with one node in the middle.  It can take some effort to try and get both handles exactly even on the curve.  It may look good, but when you zoom out, you can see it might be a little off.  Is there some way to make sure that both handles are equidistant from the curve?  Some command that I could set to a shortcut?

OK, enough for now.  Any tips, tricks, etc. on working with handles?  Maybe a hidden tutorial?

Thanks for listening ...

 

 

[Gear maker]

31 minutes ago, Eagle Works said:

Any tips, tricks, etc. on working with handles?

Hi Eagle, this may sound silly...  I do a lot of pen work (hours a day) and 95% of the time I do not drag out the handle when making the node.  I found I always had to go back to tweak the handles later anyway.  So I just click to place a node where I think it should be then on my second pass I will move the path which often puts it exactly where I wanted it thus creating the appropriate handles.  If it doesn't then I start with the handles.  I find the Smart nodes makes this job even harder so I stay with the Smooth.

Frequently I will look at the set of nodes and decide to select some or all nodes and convert them into Smooth nodes before I start.  That way the handles created are evenly spaced from the node.

Usually I want the handles to be tangent to the path.  And no there is no tool that helps do that.  Unless that handles are 0, 45 ,90 degrees to the path.  And I guess I do try to do that by placing the node at the extreme right, left top or bottom.  Unfortunately I can't use the opt/alt key to aid in doing small movements because this breaks the bond between the two handles.

On my mac if I hold down the shift and ctrl keys when dragging a node it keeps the node centered between the handles, if the node was centered to begin with.  I don't know what keys a PC uses for this.

If I have a long curve that just won't get to be exactly where I want it I look to see where it deviates the most and put another node there.  That usually allows it to match exactly with minimal tweaking.

I use a logitech vertical mouse and love it.

I have tried to use Inkspace or other software and have never had good luck.  I'm doing the drawing for enjoyment as a hobby,  it feels like cheating, so I don't do it.  If I had time constrains I might feel differently.

[Jowday]

6 hours ago, Eagle Works said:

Hope you are all safe and sane wherever you are!

U2 🙂

Quote

If I am to trace an outline with the pen tool, first job for me is to start working with the handles to get the curves to look like I want.  Changing the nodes from sharp to smooth or smart, or the other way. A lot of back and forth.  That is the nature of this beast!

Not much help here in Designer; in CorelDRAW fx you can assign single keys to "sharp node", "cusp node" (i.e. C or S) and change the node type easily. We should be able to toggle node type alt-clicking them or using the CorelDRAW keyboard shortcut. But no. Serif should implement both. ASAP.

As inspiration for Serif: CorelDRAW made it easy to assign keys to several actions like turning node into a smooth node just pressing S or even toggling the node type via the same key. Once you get accustomed to drawing and quickly pressing S, C, whatever once with the left hand there is no way back.

Quote

Sometimes what I want to do is drag both handles of a node in or out at the same time.  The only way I know how to do this is press both the right and left button of the mouse at the same time.  Now I use a Logitech Trackball and this is not the easiest thing to do.  I was wondering if someone had a better way of doing that?

The shortcut is ridiculous and causes muscle strain if you use it a lot. But this is what we have. It is too clumsy to use often (I also have a vertical mouse besides a classic mouse) so I don't (didn't).

Quote

Another thing, I have a long broad curve with one node in the middle.  It can take some effort to try and get both handles exactly even on the curve.  It may look good, but when you zoom out, you can see it might be a little off.  Is there some way to make sure that both handles are equidistant from the curve?  Some command that I could set to a shortcut?

Shift click while dragging node and you will see a | when both handles are equidistant from the curve.

Quote

OK, enough for now.  Any tips, tricks, etc. on working with handles?  Maybe a hidden tutorial?

Serif is a RTFM company. So read the online help and study the keyboard shortcuts. I simply gave up and switched to CorelDRAW on my private computer, using Illustrator at work as usual. But Serif should listen to the many complaints and requests and implement some fixes. It is not rocket science, it IS basic usability and should be fixable without breaking the it- architecture. Until I see the fixes released I don't expect them to come! And that's why I just spent the money on CorelDRAW.

[Dazmondo77]

as Gear maker says :shift and control should work -

CorelDraw - not for me - just a bloated sack of sh*t - looks like now it's back on the mac it's still sitting on ancient code - seen too many repro nightmares, although I know of a printer in Matlock that prefers it over CC - for me its AFFINITY (and a few work arounds for the time being) 

[Jowday]

14 minutes ago, Dazmondo77 said:

CorelDraw - not for me - just a bloated sack of sh*t - (...) for me its AFFINITY (and a few work arounds for the time being) 

Arh, haha, now that bold statement... well... poppycocks. 

Sounds like a choice based on economy to me. If you can't get the one you love, you gotta love the one you get.

[catlover]

I don't want to put my foot in this discussion -I'm not a professional.
But in a former life I had to use Corel Draw  professionally.
I always preferred it to other drawing software - and I was given the opportunity to test just about all of them,
from AutoCad (which I also used professionally)  to Illustrator and everything in between.
That said, each and every one of them had plus and minus points. And usually on the "ease of use" side.
Now that I'm retired I cannot afford a program for which I have to cough up +600 Euros or pay a hefty subscription/ransom fee.
So be it...
Which gets me to Affinity products. Which I can afford.
IMO those folks are extremely customer-friendly. Rare is the occasion when
I posted a question and did not receive an answer.
Sure, there are times when valid suggestions are not followed up on.
I put that down to having a small developer team.
And, let's be honest, any UX designed by an " educated UX designer " will also be the product of his/her prefered way of doing things.
**************************
As for tweaking curves : I'm sure you all know of this feature, if not, give it a try : when tweaking a node put the cursor directly anywhere
on the curve and pause it there. A tiny little crossline will appear across the curve. You can now pull the curve any which way you want to tweak it.

There : I've said my piece. 

Stay safe , keep healthy 

C.L.

 

[Jowday]

13 hours ago, catlover said:

And, let's be honest, any UX designed by an " educated UX designer " will also be the product of his/her prefered way of doing things.

That is not honesty; that is you not knowing how they work and what the purpose of their role is. At. All.

I am now working closely with six full time user experience designers in my daily work. I have to book them weeks in advance for whatever meeting or activity because they are mighty busy interviewing users and making user tests in labs. No preference of theirs is relevant. We are not dealing with amateurs, feelings, fanboys or individual preferences. We are dealing with what the end users expect and understand. 

They didn't graduate from the Youtube University. They are all graduates from an IT University and they work professionally with end users, product owners and developers. Now what really makes a difference here is that the developers preferred methods do not count. They code and their role is to built the most effective and cost-effective it-architecture and implementation of what we need built for the end users. The user experience designers do their thing. I do mine. The sum of all this work is great because specialists are used in each phase of the development cycle and the UX is simply a key specialist in IT development.