Transform a layer or selection into a trapezoid

[bjurasz]

I know how to resize a layer, how to rotate a layer, and how to shear it (make it a rhombus).  What I can't figure out is how to turn that layer into a trapezoid.  What I want to do, for example, is grab each top corner and push them both in towards the center.  The bottom length will be greater than the top length, but top and bottom stay parallel to each other. Any way to do this?  Thanks.

[Callum]

Hi Bjurasz,

 

Welcome to the Forums :)

 

I have included a video and step by step instructions below on how to do this.

 

 

1. Convert your object to Curves and then select the Node Tool.

 

2. Using the Node Tool select the top two nodes of your object and then go to the Transform tab.

 

3. Select the Anchor point in the attached screenshot.

 

4. Adjust the size between the two nodes by making the number lower in the W: field.

 

5. Do the same for the bottom two nodes but make the number in the W: field larger.

 

This should give you a trapezoid!

 

Please let me know if you have any issues :)

 

C

trapezoid video.mov

[R C-R]

This should give you a trapeze!

I guess a Nottingham trapeze must look a lot different from an American one.  :lol:

[Callum]

Thanks for pointing that out must not of had enough coffee when I wrote that  :D

[R C-R]

I usually blame such things on auto-correct.  ;)

[bjurasz]

Thanks!  Back from vacation, can try soon.

[Glennweb]

This is a terrible solution What if you have objects that are complex and don't just have a set of top or bottom points. How to trapeze transform and object to a 3rd plain? 

[Alfred]

49 minutes ago, Glennweb said:

How to trapeze transform ...

Back to trapezes again!

49 minutes ago, Glennweb said:

... and object to ...

Why would anyone object? 

49 minutes ago, Glennweb said:

... a 3rd plain? 

A 3rd plain what? Or did you perhaps mean ‘plane’?

[MEB]

Hi bjurasz,
What application are you using - Affinity Photo or Designer? Are you trying to transform a vector or a raster object (image)?

[Glennweb]

Its pretty simple. I need to distort a group/layer/object/path/curve or whatever you want to call it. Exactly like below. You could not possibly be designing anything of note without the ability to do this??? I am not talking about a free envelope tool. Just to distort without the output being forced into a raster image as is the case in Affinity Photo. And @Alfred you can deflect by pointing fun at my copy or you can provide constructive feedback. 

I specifically purchased this suite as a replacement for Fireworks (20yrs old). 

Look at this video for reference. If there is way, please tell me as without this I am now seriously considering buying a mac to use Sketch.

 

 

[Glennweb]

PS, As a designer of 20yrs odd. I know many many other Web Designers who are still working away in Fireworks who would love to find a replacement. Fireworks has been kept alive with its many plugins (svg import/export, automatic layer exports, node power selections, selection to path etc etc). But Fireworks has bad font rendering ever since MS sued adobe for using its font alias engine. And now Fireworks CC is officially not offered as download option anymore in Creative Cloud. The software has so much potential. And I could do without certain features. But non destructive free transform is not one of them, and to be honest I am also really missing selection to curve. Those 2 and I would be happy. I am racking my brain trying to think of how I can export the curve to another vector tool, do a free distort, and then bring it back again as a svg. Just to get around this roadblock. Also, where do we get to vote for features, and see a roadmap etc?

[Alfred]

50 minutes ago, Glennweb said:

And @Alfred you can deflect by pointing fun at my copy or you can provide constructive feedback.

My apologies, @Glennweb. I was merely trying to point out — in a lighthearted way — that some aspects of your description of the problem weren’t as clear as they might have been, thus making it harder to provide the constructive feedback that you’re looking for. The rest of your follow-up post make things much clearer, so thanks for that!

The short answer is that there’s no vector mesh warp, perspective or envelope tool yet.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, Glennweb said:

You could not possibly be designing anything of note without the ability to do this???

Just a side note about this particular comment: I hope you realize that there are a lot of vector designs that a great many people would consider worthy "of note" even without the use of a vector mesh warp, perspective, or envelope capability, so this comment may be seen as an insult to those creations or their creators.

[Glennweb]

On 9/19/2019 at 1:26 AM, R C-R said:

Just a side note about this particular comment: I hope you realize that there are a lot of vector designs that a great many people would consider worthy "of note" even without the use of a vector mesh warp, perspective, or envelope capability, so this comment may be seen as an insult to those creations or their creators.

Agreed. I apologise to those people. But it certainly is a major block for my personal design creation workflow. 

[KishZera]

this thread is over three years old, but I now have the same need for a vector mesh warp or perspective shear.  Does such a tool exist by now?

[Old Bruce]

14 minutes ago, KishZera said:

this thread is over three years old, but I now have the same need for a vector mesh warp or perspective shear.  Does such a tool exist by now?

In Designer there is a new Warp Group in the Layers Menu which allows us to warp Vector items, Fonts are vectors too.

[KishZera]

that sounds very promising. I think I upgraded recently and am now on version 1.10.5.1342

My Layer menu looks like this (no warp):

[Old Bruce]

2 minutes ago, KishZera said:

that sounds very promising. I think I upgraded recently and am now on version 1.10.5.1342

Oh, I am very sorry that I neglected to give you the one very important piece of information. This is in the upgraded version. Version 2. You will have to purchase an upgrade. Check out the Affinity site and look at the changes.

Note that you actually updated, not upgraded, to 1.10.5.

https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/