Node tool's smooth handle imperfection [1.7.0.184]

[Rudolphus]

Really like the additions to Node tool, e.g. smoothing handle function. There's just small imperfection (maybe a bug, if not take this as a proposal):

A) Situation where it works how expected

- before  and after  

B) Situation with weird result

- before  and after  

Is it correct result? Should not it be like this?

 

[Sean P]

Hi Rudolphus,

Would you be able to record a video showing how you're recreating this please? When I do the situation with a weird result, I find that the middle node isn't smooth (a filled round circle), instead it remains Sharp (a filled square) so doesn't have a node handle to grab.

Thanks!

[Rudolphus]

Sorry, I'm off my computer, so let's try it without video:

1.Using Pen tool create a curve with 3 cusp nodes and 2 straight line segments;

2.Go to Node tool and drag one of the straight segments to make it oblique;

3.Now if you select the middle node you can see the "before" state of weird situation = a cusp node with one handle;

4.Try to click on the handle with both left and right mouse buttons. That should smooth the handle but you get the "after" state = icon of node changes to smooth (which is nonsense, just try to move the handle and cusp node icon is back) and handle stays unchanged.

Hope this helps, if not I will try to take the video next time at comp.

[Rudolphus]

For the sake of clarity I am including a video:

[Sean P]

Thanks for that Rudolphus! I've reproduced this and passed it on to development!

[JET_Affinity]

For those not familiar, the behavior result that Rudolphus is depicting here…

…is reminiscent of FreeHand. Unlike most drawing programs, FreeHand did not just provide two node types ("smooth" and "cusp" or "corner" and "curve"). It also provided a third node type called a "Connector Point." A Connector Point was a node with just one handle, the length of which affected the curvature of the next (outgoing) segment. But that single handle always maintained tangency with the end of the preceding (incoming) segment. Its purpose was to always ensure perfect tangency between a straight segment and a curved segment, no matter what you subsequently did to those adjacent segments. Particularly important in drawing font glyphs, but just as useful in accurate general illustration.

Most vector illustrators are not even aware of it, because it was never a feature of Illustrator.

So the behavior which Rudolphus is suggesting could be useful for the same purpose. But since Affinity also only provides the two most common types of nodes, the tangency would not be maintained if the two associated segments are thereafter altered. The node is still just an ordinary smooth node with one handle retracted.

But it would be a great thing if the concept of FreeHand's Connector Point were "resurrected" in a modern drawing program. It's just one of many "long lost" superiorities of that program.

JET

[Ben]

I'll look at fixing this when I get chance.  It's due to the fact that the cusped node has two handles internally, but the other is coincidental with the node.  We just ned a special case to extend out the handle to the preceding line tangent, then smooth.

[Rudolphus]

Thank you! Anyway, I really like the idea of a "connector point" that JET_Affinity mentions. But this sounds more like a feature request than bug... 

[Ben]

The smoothing bug will be sorted in the next Beta.

 

Connector points will be considered in the future.