Can I move a point *while* drawing a line?

[308]

(Using Affinity Designer Beta on Windows 7 x64)

 

I'm wondering, can I move a point while drawing a line?

 

This is possible In Freehand. Let me describe how it works there:

• start drawing a line with the pen tool, click for a second (or more) point
• drag point to get your curve (bezier handles or whatever they called)
• using a mouse: keeping the mouse button pressed, to move the active point, press Control key and drag
• once I happy with it's new location, let go of the control key, (note: with mouse button still pressed, I can still change the curve at this stage)

I'm wondering is this possible in Designer?

 

This one is one of those things: once you get used to it, you really miss it when it's not there.

It gives a huge amount of flexibility while drawing (as opposed to having to modify points afterwards).

 

Thanks in advance,

Tom

PS this is a difficult topic to search for, so apologies if I missed it anywhere

[Mark Ingram]

Moving to Questions forum.

[308]

Thanks Mark,
for the record, I'm using Affinity Designer Beta on Windows

[gdenby]

Yes, press the command key, which puts you in node control mode, Position, and/or adjust curve. Release command, continue drawing. I'm using 1.4.2 on Mac, don't know what the modifier key for Win might be.

[308]

Yes, press the command key, which puts you in node control mode, Position, and/or adjust curve. Release command, continue drawing. I'm using 1.4.2 on Mac, don't know what the modifier key for Win might be.

thanks,

Control is normally the equivalent of the Command key - but has no effect here that I can see while actively drawing the line.

It does work when you go back to a point i.e. when no longer actively drawing - is that what you mean gdenby ?

 

What I'm looking for is that the Control/Command key would work seamlessly while while still drawing.

In the bulleted points in OP, I explain how it works in Freehand (it's not the easiest to explain clearly, probably has to be read carefully).

 

The advantage of described method is that it can be moved while still actively drawing the line - much quicker, fluider, and saves a lot of time when drawing intensively.

 

Tom

[Alfred]

Ctrl-dragging on a previously placed node or control handle works for me in AD on Windows version 1.5.0.14. When I release the Ctrl key, my next click (or click-and drag) carries on from the node where I had left off.

 

Disclaimer: I've never used FreeHand, so I may have got the wrong end of the stick!

[gdenby]

If I'm understanding correctly, the Freehand method doesn't require an extra mouse click. The AD version I'm using shows the tool cursor change from pen to node control upon the press of the modifier key, but the pen tool resumes drawing after a mouse click at the next position.

[R C-R]

• using a mouse: keeping the mouse button pressed, to move the active point, press Control key and drag

If I understand this step correctly, it is the same as AD's method, except that you have to release the mouse button for the Control (Command on a Mac) key to switch the cursor to the node tool, & then click again on the node to move it, right?

 

AD's method requires that extra click, but it allows you to do anything the node tool can do to, including modifying or deleting bezier control handles, including the one from the previous node. It also allows you to grab the line segment between the previous & current node & move it, affecting both nodes bezier control handles.

 

That is a lot of functionality, none of which I would want to give up for a simpler control key move node feature.

[308]

If I understand this step correctly, it is the same as AD's method, except that you have to release the mouse button for the Control (Command on a Mac) key to switch the cursor to the node tool, & then click again on the node to move it, right?

 

AD's method requires that extra click, but it allows you to do anything the node tool can do to, including modifying or deleting bezier control handles, including the one from the previous node. It also allows you to grab the line segment between the previous & current node & move it, affecting both nodes bezier control handles.

 

That is a lot of functionality, none of which I would want to give up for a simpler control key move node feature.

 

hi R C-R,

okay, it appears what I'm describing is not available in AD.

And, yes, I believe you understand it correctly (that the mouse button has to be released, etc. in AD).

 

To be clear, this would not be intended to replace the current method, but rather be an additional (and more simplistic) way of modifying a point: simply a very quick way of correcting the position of a point, without interrupting the flow of drawing in any way.

 

If one has to draw intensively e.g. when working 'tracing' from a bitmap image (which for my sins, I have to do a lot of) it makes the drawing much easier.

Tom

[308]

The AD version I'm using shows the tool cursor change from pen to node control upon the press of the modifier key, but the pen tool resumes drawing after a mouse click at the next position.

 

which is a very good implementation :up:

[Kuttyjoe]

Wow, that was possible in Freehand?  I didn't know that.  Freehand was ahead of it's time until Adobe killed it years ago.  But nowadays, Adobe Illustrator has it, and also Photoshop has this function.  And I believe Corel implemented this in version X7.  Once you use it, you really miss it if it's not there.  It's definitely not there in AD.

[Ben]

We don't do it yet, but it is on our list of things to look into.

[R C-R]

I have a question for 308, Kuttyjoe, or anybody else that has used the requested feature in some other app:

 

Without releasing the mouse button, you click & drag to create a new node with bezier handles extending from it. At this point the pointer is still over one of the handles, right? If you then press the Control or Command key so you can move the node, does the pointer jump to over the node or stay over where the handle is or do something else?

 

Long ago, I used Freehand 7 (?) extensively with my PPC Macs, & a year or two ago I last used MX with my last Mac that would run it in 'classic' mode, but I confess I don't remember using this feature on any version, or needing to. I'm not sure how it would have improved my workflow, but unless the pointer jumped back to over the node as soon as the key was pressed, I'm reasonably sure it would have impaired it.

 

As it is in Affinity, since if I need to move a placed node I almost always also need to change its handles, I would have no use for this feature -- I need to release the button to get the Node tool anyway to change the handles (& possibly the previous node and/or its handles too).

[MEB]

Hi R C-R,

In Illustrator if you press spacebar to achieve the same, the whole "group" node and control handles move as a whole with the mouse cursor still over the handle you have dragged.

I don't remember how it worked in Freehand anymore.

[308]

Hi R C-R,

i've never created video -- would like to to 'explain' this properly, but unfortunately dont have time now to mess around with it,

so will try answer your questions:

 

Without releasing the mouse button, you click & drag to create a new node with bezier handles extending from it. At this point the pointer is still over one of the handles, right? If you then press the Control or Command key so you can move the node, does the pointer jump to over the node or stay over where the handle is or do something else?

 

1. yes, the pointer is over one of the handles

2. when you press Ctrl and drag the mouse, the pointer stays where it is in relation to the point:

a. the whole package (pointer, point, handles) moves as you drag

b. when you release Ctrl key, the only difference to position #1, is that the point is in a different place, if you now drag again, the handles can still be moved, exactly same as before step #2

 

So the only reason for this is to be able to move a point on the fly:

as I said above, particularly when 'tracing' a bitmap, this is a huge timesaver (particularly if you have to draw as lot, as I have to do on occasion)

 

I hope that's clearer, and that you can now see why it would be of use to some people.

I'll have a quick look on Youtube, see if I can find a video displaying this.

[MEB]

Hi 308,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

This isn't currently possible in Designer. It was already requested a few times but it's not available.

I'm moving this thread to the Feature Requests section as it may become lost here in the questions section.

[MattP]

The next Mac beta version may have a little 'surprise' in it for you... (and it's on the spacebar, because that's where I'm used to it being, sorry) Should find it's way onto the Windows build very shortly after too (or before, if they're feeling very proactive as it's now checked into our codebase)

[308]

Hi 308,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

This isn't currently possible in Designer. It was already requested a few times but it's not available.

I'm moving this thread to the Feature Requests section as it may become lost here in the questions se ction.

 

Many thanks MEB :up:

 

 

The next Mac beta version may have a little 'surprise' in it for you... (and it's on the spacebar, because that's where I'm used to it being, sorry) Should find it's way onto the Windows build very shortly after too (or before, if they're feeling very proactive as it's now checked into our codebase)

 

great news MattP :)

 

Tom

[R C-R]

So the only reason for this is to be able to move a point on the fly:

as I said above, particularly when 'tracing' a bitmap, this is a huge timesaver (particularly if you have to draw as lot, as I have to do on occasion)

 

I hope that's clearer, and that you can now see why it would be of use to some people.

For what it's worth, back in the day I did a lot of bitmap tracing with Freehand. But as I said, almost invariably when I did not like where I had added the next node, I did not like both its position & the position of its handles, plus more often than not the handle of the last, adjacent node.

 

Since that remains true (my tracing skills are no better now) in Affinity I do one of three things:

 

• Use good old "undo" (CMD-Z on a Mac) to delete the node & try again.

• Use Affinity's CMD keyboard toggle & releasing the mouse button to temporarily switch to the node tool, giving me complete access, not just to the last created node or its handles but to any node or handle on the path.

• Just ignore the badly done node, keep drawing, & once the rough shape is complete, go back with the Node tool & refine it, again with complete access to all node parameters.

 

For me at least, these are all very fluid, natural ways to work. They also keep me focused on the "big picture" of my shape, something I have trouble doing if I spend too much time worrying about individual nodes, & the result is it takes me much less time to create a shape I am both happy with & uses the minimum number of nodes.

 

As always, your mileage many vary.  :ph34r: