power duplicate a curve?

[spinhead]

created a curve [blue--happens to be square to begin with] and modify with the node tool [orange]
power duplicate is not activated
tried to modify a square shape instead of a curve, but can't match the new shape [orange]

[edit]

apologies for the vague rambling. health problems lately sometimes prevent me from even realize how incoherent I am.

Here is the question: does power duplication work with curves?

I want to create the blue shape [a square converted to curves] and modify it into the orange shape [no parallel sides, slightly taller and wider] and then power duplicate to repeat that modification [change side angles and lengths, ie. change the orange shape the same way I changed to blue shape, which is I believe the entire point of power duplication] and create a visual pattern. see the attachment for an example.

it appears, no matter how I try, that power duplication doesn't work with curves, and I cannot figure out a way to modify any shape [as in non-curve Photo shapes] to create the orange from the blue.

so: does power duplication work with curves?

[/edit]

Edited June 10, 2022 by spinhead
clarify question/challenge

[walt.farrell]

Sorry, but I'm not sure what it is you're trying to do, nor why you mention power duplicate.

I'm pretty sure, though, that if you start with a Rectangle shape, you're always going to have the horizontal edges parallel to each other, and the vertical edges parallel to each other. You would have to convert it to a Curve to get away from the parallel edges.

 

[v_kyr]

If it should be a shape form then try the diamond tool instead ...

 

For a modified rectangle (as a curve then like your the orange looking one) just ...

1. Select it (it's curve layer)
2. "Alt- or Option-drag" it to a new wanted position
3. Now use Ctrl- or Cmd-J for power duplication.

Should usually work the same way as with shapes too.

 

[spinhead]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Sorry, but I'm not sure what it is you're trying to do, nor why you mention power duplicate.

 

Duplicate. Transform. Duplicate again repeatedly to create a pattern.

[spinhead]

2 hours ago, v_kyr said:

If it should be a shape form then try the diamond tool instead ...

.Should usually work the same way as with shapes too.

 

The diamond shape is simply a special instance of a parallelogram. My shape has no parallel sides.

Power duplicating a curve does not work, which is why I'm asking the question in the first place.

[Paquettegi]

Spinhead, I do not see that you asked a question so it is difficult to discern what it is you are trying to do.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, spinhead said:

tried to modify a square shape instead of a curve, but can't match the new shape [orange]

By "square shape" do you mean you created the shape using the Rectangle 'quick shape' tool? If so, you need to convert it to curves before you can use the Node Tool to move any of its nodes.

[spinhead]

Please see the edit of the original post. Short version: can curves be power duplicated, in Photo OR Designer?

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, spinhead said:

Short version: can curves be power duplicated, in Photo OR Designer?

Yes.

[JimmyJack]

 

PD can only do size, position, rotation and skew (transform panel stuff). You can't PD the manipulation of elements of a shape (i.e. moving nodes).

It can't do this:

3 hours ago, spinhead said:

But it can do this:

3 hours ago, spinhead said:

See....

[spinhead]

46 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Yes.

my question was the short version. I was hoping the answer would include how to do it, since the operation I've used successfully for regular shapes doesn't seem to be working.

also @JimmyJack says no it can't. please prove him wrong by 'splaining me how to do it.

[spinhead]

26 minutes ago, JimmyJack said:

But it can do this:

um, yes, that's one I created, so I already know how to do that part. trying to nail down for sure whether curve node adjustments can be power duplicated, and if so, how, since my usual method with shapes isn't working with node-adjusted curves.

[JimmyJack]

6 minutes ago, spinhead said:

whether curve node adjustments can be power duplicated

Nope.

[NotMyFault]

One option could be:

1. create curve for square
2. break curve on every node / corner to get lines of 2 nodes
3. now do 4 iterations (one for every edge curve of 2 nodes), use move tool and power duplicate
4. finally, re-combine curves (if required). May use macro.

it may be sufficient to break into 2 curves of 3 nodes to reduce effort.

you even could use a copy of the square, but make one half of it invisible by gradient (then rotate for second).

Another option:

• export as svg, use excel or python to transform nodes (it’s all basic math)

[firstdefence]

51 minutes ago, NotMyFault said:

One option could be:

1. create curve for square
2. break curve on every node / corner to get lines of 2 nodes
3. now do 4 iterations (one for every edge curve of 2 nodes), use move tool and power duplicate
4. finally, re-combine curves (if required). May use macro.

it may be sufficient to break into 2 curves of 3 nodes to reduce effort.

you even could use a copy of the square, but make one half of it invisible by gradient (then rotate for second).

Another option:

• export as svg, use excel or python to transform nodes (it’s all basic math)

Draw the irregular shape with the pen tool and you get a single curve, if you want a precise shape, you could create a shape first, transform it as you want, lock that layer and use it as a snap guide to trace with the pen tool, all you have to do then is power duplicate, move, rotate, scale and power duplicate until you're happy with the pattern.

[walt.farrell]

6 hours ago, spinhead said:

whether curve node adjustments can be power duplicated,

No, only object transformations can be power-duplicated. So, you can create an object (Curve), and adjust its Nodes, and then move/duplicate the complete object, and that will power duplicate. You cannot move a Node and get that to power-duplicate.

[spinhead]

7 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

1. now do 4 iterations (one for every edge curve of 2 nodes), use move tool and power duplicate
2. finally, re-combine curves (if required). May use macro.

(1) results in the attached, definitely requiring (2) for which I cannot imagine a macro that would correct the gap for, say, 500 iterations.

because my goal is the enjoyment of the process for the sake of entertaining relaxation, automation using svg isn't a good solution for me.

[spinhead]

6 hours ago, firstdefence said:

Draw the irregular shape with the pen tool and you get a single curve, if you want a precise shape, you could create a shape first, transform it as you want, lock that layer and use it as a snap guide to trace with the pen tool, all you have to do then is power duplicate, move, rotate, scale and power duplicate until you're happy with the pattern.

this would seem to require changing all 4 corners at the same time, which would not allow

1. lean the top of the left side farther left
2. lengthen it some arbitrary amount, from some arbitrary anchor point
3. lean the top of the right side some independent distance farther right
4. lengthen it some arbitrary amount, from some arbitrary anchor point
5. modify the top to match the endpoints of the new farther-outward-leaning-and-longer sides

same with bottom two corners. or if I'm working with a hexagon or something shaped like my left hand or Antarctica, I don't see it working.

[thomaso]

16 hours ago, spinhead said:

Here is the question: does power duplication work with curves?

I want to create the blue shape [a square converted to curves] and modify it into the orange shape [no parallel sides, slightly taller and wider] and then power duplicate to repeat that modification

Yes, but different than probably expected …

[spinhead]

@thomaso very nice. is the blurring of later layers a video artifact or a result of the duplicated perspective?

plan on trying this right now but interested in your answer

[spinhead]

ah, sadly it's from the perspective duplication. I need to be able to control the line width, either constained to a single width or scaling with the object.

[javiersc]

Si se usan las caracteristicas de la herramienta transformar como los limites para poder deformar el cubo, digamos que no es una perspectiva como la entiendes pero creo que se puede lograr una distorción controlada por los parametros del software.

Use la base del rectangulo sin convertirlo a lineas, no le veo sentido, eso se puede hacer al final

los valores de orginen son X y Y y los incremento 1px de unidad en cada duplicado con command +J cambio los valores y el color lo cambio a HSL, donde cada paso de duplicado modifico a mano el valor de H 3grados cada vez

igual se cambia Ancho y Largo (width and Heigth)1px

se rota 1 grado y se modifica el varlo de la distorcion 1 grado

un circulo tiene 360 grados y el valor H controla el color donde 0 es rojo y 240 el azul

es lento pero creo hace algo parecido a lo que desean hacer, espero sea util, sería bueno saber si se pueden ligar en un comando como en adobe la historia de pasos y hacerla un comando doble para ser mas rápido

Edited June 12, 2022 by javiersc
upload more images

[spinhead]

@javiersc Voy a tener que probar esto cuando mi cerebro funcione un poco mejor.  Muy nublado hoy.  Gracias por un concepto muy interesante para seguir.

[firstdefence]

On 6/10/2022 at 6:12 PM, spinhead said:

ah, sadly it's from the perspective duplication. I need to be able to control the line width, either constained to a single width or scaling with the object.

As a note, using the perspective shift options; either as a live filter or from the tools bar, will rasterise the curve, this is why it gets weird and blurry, you are distorting pixels not curves.

Adding any filter into the mix will ultimately rasterise the artwork. 

[iconoclast]

As far as I understand, spinhead wants to power duplicate curves with ongoing distortion. Right? That is a thing I would like to do too. But as far as I see, Power Duplicate works only with transformations (Scale, Rotate, Move) done with the Move Tool and the Transformation Panel. It doesn't work with transformations done with the Node Tool and others. Could be a very interesting suggestion for future versions of Designer. Also an ongoing change of colour and opacity could be cool.

Edit: By the way, you can get an ongoing scaled outline thickness if you create the outline as a layer effect and set it to"Scale with Object". With the limitation that FX-Outlines don't accept transparent curve objects, as it seems.

So as an alternative you can forget the FX and simply Expand the Stroke, so it will be scaled with the transformation anyway.