Convert Nodes: Shortcuts (Designer)

[pbass]

[Designer]

 

Hi,

 

Is there another way to convert nodes, other than going to the Pen or Node Tool's Contextual (horizontal) Toolbar, and pressing buttons? Like, shortcuts for:

Convert to Sharp or Smooth node? Or Reverse Curve?

 

I already have keyboard shortcuts for Close and Break Curve – whose toolbar buttons are right beside the Convert ones. But those are the only Pen or Node Tool shortcuts I could find in the Prefs.

 

Two related things I would love:

- A way to 'pull' Control Handles out of a sharp node (or pop them back in to make a sharp point),

via some modifier key(s) with the node tool. (Like: after-the-fact editing of a path, not while drawing it.)

 

and

 

- When you're manipulating one of a node's Control Handles, 

for a certain modifier key(s) to cause its opposing handle do the exact same thing – i.e., stay in perfect symmetry/mirror image. Including, on a non-smooth node, the control handle angle.

That would be _so_ handy! (It's available with 3rd party Illustrator plugins)

 

Thanks for your attention!

 

- pbass

[wayneTheSinger]

Quick keys for converting points:

• When in node tool, option click converts smooth nodes to sharp.
• to convert sharp to smooth, press p to swap to pen tool, hover over the node until you get a little line icon rather than a cross and then click the sharp node you want to convert and pull out and it will swap back to smooth node...

here is a video to demonstrate

https://cl.ly/2U29293k2D3F

• And to pull a handle out of a sharp node so that, whilst still sharp, the lines leaving the node are curved - pull the line next to the node until handles appear... to pop them back in again - option click the node...

see video

https://cl.ly/0u0E0s0N393Q

[megalofauna]

Same question as OP. I'd love a way to click-convert to smooth or smart node points. 

[Aammppaa]

Since you are on Windows the shortcut uses Alt instead of Option.

You can see all the available mouse modifiers in the status bar at the bottom of the Designer screen.

• Alt + Click on node = Convert to sharp node
• Hold Right Mouse and Left Click on node = Convert to smooth node
• Alt + Click on Handle = Remove handle
• Drag + Right mouse = Resize both handles

 

 

[megalofauna]

2 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

• Hold Right Mouse and Left Click on node = Convert to smooth node

Fantastic! Just what I needed. Thank you, Aammppaa.

Related question: is there anyway to change the trigger above? I'm having a heck of a time mastering that trick without invoking the context menu (on right click). 

[Aammppaa]

Nope - sorry. Affinity uses right mouse as a modifier for various commands on PC. I hate it, as do many others! But not sure whether it will ever change.

Doesn't matter if the context menu pops up, it should be to the side of the mouse, so just left click anyway.

[Gear maker]

2 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

Hold Right Mouse and Left Click on node = Convert to smooth node

Aammppaa, I was trying to do this, but when I press and hold the right mouse button while on a node I get the context menu then clicking the left button it cuts by shape.  If I'm not on a node when I press and hold the right mouse button then move the mouse over the node to press the left button it disregards the first click, the second just selects the node.  Does this only work on Windows as I'm on a mac?  I've always wanted to be able to convert sharp to smooth.

[megalofauna]

23 minutes ago, Aammppaa said:

Nope - sorry. Affinity uses right mouse as a modifier for various commands on PC. I hate it, as do many others! But not sure whether it will ever change.

Doesn't matter if the context menu pops up, it should be to the side of the mouse, so just left click anyway.

Cool. Thanks for the info. 

[ziplock9000]

On 3/28/2020 at 3:27 PM, Gear maker said:

Aammppaa, I was trying to do this, but when I press and hold the right mouse button while on a node I get the context menu then clicking the left button it cuts by shape.  If I'm not on a node when I press and hold the right mouse button then move the mouse over the node to press the left button it disregards the first click, the second just selects the node.  Does this only work on Windows as I'm on a mac?  I've always wanted to be able to convert sharp to smooth.

Yes this needs to be fixed, it's a bad UI/UX design.

You should be able to hover over a node in node mode and press numbers 1-3 (or whatever keys) to change the node type. Having to use the right mouse button which is designed for context menus and then left click is a bit hacky.

[Amdival]

I'm trying to follow this discussion to figure out how to smooth a node.

This whole Right Click to smooth a node makes absolutely no sense to me. It (of course) brings up a menu; there is no other functionality.

 

 

[Alfred]

49 minutes ago, Amdival said:

This whole Right Click to smooth a node makes absolutely no sense to me.

If it doesn’t work for you it makes no sense to try to figure it out, since you can simply choose the Node Tool and press the appropriate button on the Context toolbar.

[Amdival]

32 minutes ago, Alfred said:

If it doesn’t work for you it makes no sense to try to figure it out, since you can simply choose the Node Tool and press the appropriate button on the Context toolbar.

Yes, it does make sense to try to figure it out. The software says Drag+RightMouse; I'd like to know what that means.

I found this discussion searching for a shortcut for these functions to avoid having to use the Context Toolbar.

Using the Pen tool works fine though.

[Alfred]

14 minutes ago, Amdival said:

The software says Drag+RightMouse; I'd like to know what that means.

My apologies. I misunderstood what you were getting at.

’Drag’ means ‘Move the mouse while pressing and holding the left mouse button’, so ‘Drag+RightMouse’ means ‘Move the mouse while simultaneously pressing and holding both the LMB and the RMB’. Ugh!

[keiichi77]

click + right mouse drag just doesn't work with wacom pen. It is not the first time I find a click+right click function what doesn't take graphic tablet users into account and it doesn't work or even totally impossible to perform using wacom pen.
I really don't understand.

 

 

[Amdival]

On 4/30/2022 at 9:53 PM, keiichi77 said:

click + right mouse drag just doesn't work with wacom pen. It is not the first time I find a click+right click function what doesn't take graphic tablet users into account and it doesn't work or even totally impossible to perform using wacom pen.
I really don't understand.

 

 

Insightful comment!
 I didn't realize I was missing out on some functionality because I was using a Wacom Tablet. It would seem they would design UI for graphics software with tablets in mind.