Symbols: Can elements to locked in position relative to other elements?

[ianrobertdouglas]

A simple example:

 

I have a line made with the pen tool and I position ellipses over it. I'd like to be able to then manipulate this as an integral symbol, which still retaining editability of the line, and without expanding, so i can change it's shape easily.

 

Can this be done?

 

So in my simple example, when I bend the line, the ellipses would be locked to it, and bend also.

 

Ideally, I would be able to remove the line at the end, after ungrouping the symbol.

[Alfred]

In the absence of a Blend Tool I can't see a general way to do this directly for arbitrary shapes, but in the specific case of circles you can work around it by choosing a font with a circular letter O and typing or pasting Os and spaces on a previously drawn curve converted to a text path.

[ianrobertdouglas]

Thank you, @Alfred. I wouldn't have thought of that, and it does indeed work for my example. Might make use of that at some point, though as you might guess, my example was to simplify the principle I'm looking to use with something considerably more complex.

 

I'm still very much learning the possibilities with symbols. Hope someone sometime puts together an advanced tutorial or exploration of that function.

[Alfred]

Hope someone sometime puts together an advanced tutorial or exploration of that function.

 

Me too! And since MattP is 'listening', I hope we get a Blend Tool in AD sooner rather than later!!

[MattP]

I'm listening, but I can only type so fast ;)

[ianrobertdouglas]

Vector delete brush, pleeease!  :D