BarKeegan Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm pretty close in deciding to make a move from Illustrator to Affinity. I love the corner smoothing abilities, adding varying widths to a single line etc. But it's been a while since I had the 10 day trial and can't remember how the pen tool performs ( how the tool operates would be a real deal breaker!) Unfortunately I can't get a clear demonstration either from any of the tutorials I've watched. Basically I'm looking for the pen tool to respond according to the first video I've uploaded Illustrator Pen tool (recorded from Illustrator). So being able to control wether the next point you place in a basic vector shape is a curve or straight line on the fly, and to what degree it curves. I know some Vector programmes behave more closely to the second video I uploaded Illustrator Pen tool_basic ie, curve angle determined as soon as the next point is placed, and must be adjusted after. Thanks in advance Illustrator Pen tool.mov Illustrator Pen tool_basic.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdenby Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 The pen tool works a bit differently, but there are comparable results. Attached, a quick line I drew switching between the basic curve mode, constrained, and snapping turned off, w. 1 node tweaked on the fly by invoking the node tool control during the pen use. BarKeegan 1 Quote iMac 27" Retina, c. 2015: OS X 10.11.5: 3.3 GHz I c-5: 32 Gb, AMD Radeon R9 M290 2048 Mb iPad 12.9" Retina, iOS 10, 512 Gb, Apple pencil Huion WH1409 tablet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brunzenstein Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 The upcoming version of Affinity will leave Illustrator's pen tool deep in the dust. https://www.facebook.com/Affinitybyserif/videos/699855700189277/ jer and BarKeegan 2 Quote Mac print publishing X-Press & Adobe hostage, cooking on extrem high level, subscribing with joy to US Cooks Illustrated & Foreign Affairs, the british Spectator and the swiss Weltwoche - absolute incompatible publications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 On 25/01/2017 at 6:49 PM, brunzenstein said: The upcoming version of Affinity will leave Illustrator's pen tool deep in the dust. https://www.facebook.com/Affinitybyserif/videos/699855700189277/ Wow! Hope I'll be able to do that! Quote ♥ WIN 10 AD & AP ♥ Lenovo Legion Y520 15.6" Laptop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 BarKeegan, have you watched the Affinity Designer - Pen Power video tutorial? Although it is slightly out of date (it does not show the Polygon Pen mode) this should show you how the tool can be used in pen mode to control if the next point you place in a basic vector shape is a curve or straight line on the fly, and to what degree it curves. Basically, if you click but do not drag when creating the next node, it will be a sharp (not curved) node; if you click & drag you can control the path's curvature through that node. Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.0 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 Affinity Photo 1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarKeegan Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 On 25/01/2017 at 6:49 PM, brunzenstein said: The upcoming version of Affinity will leave Illustrator's pen tool deep in the dust. https://www.facebook.com/Affinitybyserif/videos/699855700189277/ That's impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarKeegan Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 BarKeegan, have you watched the Affinity Designer - Pen Power video tutorial? Although it is slightly out of date (it does not show the Polygon Pen mode) this should show you how the tool can be used in pen mode to control if the next point you place in a basic vector shape is a curve or straight line on the fly, and to what degree it curves. Basically, if you click but do not drag when creating the next node, it will be a sharp (not curved) node; if you click & drag you can control the path's curvature through that node. Cheers, I've watched that tutorial, but I think there's a slight difference between how I draw the next point and what you see in the tut. I click once more on the last anchor I lay down before proceeding, which in Illustrator seems to give you more 'subtle' control over the overall shape of the curve. The tut did seem to suggest though that holding the option key might give me that same control, unless I'm interpreting it wrong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 In Affinity, if you click again on the last anchor (node) with the Pen tool, you will create a new one on top of the old one. Using the CMD key is a shortcut that temporarily switches to the Node tool, which allows you to fine tune any node in the shape (by changing its location or the position, type, or angles of its control handles). The option key alone ignores snapping (both whatever is set in the snapping options on the Main toolbar & the four options in the Context toolbar). While using the CMD key to switch to the Node tool, you can also use the Option key to delete node control handles (by clicking on them), just as you would if you had selected the Node tool from the Tool panel. There are also several other options available on the Context toolbar, like for setting Pen Mode or converting selected nodes among sharp, smooth, or smart. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but you do have complete control over the curve's shape once you understand how all the options work together. Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.0 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 Affinity Photo 1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarKeegan Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 In Affinity, if you click again on the last anchor (node) with the Pen tool, you will create a new one on top of the old one. Using the CMD key is a shortcut that temporarily switches to the Node tool, which allows you to fine tune any node in the shape (by changing its location or the position, type, or angles of its control handles). The option key alone ignores snapping (both whatever is set in the snapping options on the Main toolbar & the four options in the Context toolbar). While using the CMD key to switch to the Node tool, you can also use the Option key to delete node control handles (by clicking on them), just as you would if you had selected the Node tool from the Tool panel. There are also several other options available on the Context toolbar, like for setting Pen Mode or converting selected nodes among sharp, smooth, or smart. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but you do have complete control over the curve's shape once you understand how all the options work together. I getcha, I suppose I'll have to embrace the differences. And like I said it looks like it does have loads of great features. Will miss the purity of Illustrator's pen though. Thanks for the feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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