How do you make a curve?

Kurisutaru · Post by **Kurisutaru** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 9:08 am

I've been trying to make my own 'dizzy' or 'drunk' type font for a comic I'm drawing. [the woozy looking text] but I have yet to even find the option to make a curve! All I end up with is straight lines.
How do you add a point that can curve? I use add point and on curve and all but I still am stuck with straight lines. And I can't find anywhere that tells how to add em.
The only way I been able to get a curve is by importing a darn bmp x.x

vanisaac · Post by **vanisaac** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 10:20 am

In order to get your contours to curve or bend, you need to have what are called off-curve points. In order to demonstrate this, I want you to make a simple square in one of your characters. Then, select one of the points and right click on it. Click "off curve", and you will see that your square has now turned into a 90 degree arc. If you then right click and select "on-curve", you will get your original square back. You can accomplish the same thing (turning a point to off-curve) by selecting a point and typing "f", or right clicking while you are drawing your contour. Just open up a font like Times New Roman and just see how they make their curves. Those round points that aren't on the contour are the off-curve points with which curves are created.

Erwin Denissen · Post by **Erwin Denissen** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 3:28 pm

From the manual:

Draw a new contour

First select Contour from the Insert menu. A left mouse click creates a point on the contour and a right mouse click creates a point off the contour for a bézier curve. Creating points while holding down the Ctrl key generates straight lines (horizontal or vertical). After you have created your contour you press the Apply button.

Bhikkhu Pesala · Post by **Bhikkhu Pesala** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 4:02 pm

See this thread for tips on making smooth curves.

Kurisutaru · Post by **Kurisutaru** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 10:22 pm

....so thats what I was dooing wrong, I was picking on curve rather then off curve.............

...........wait.............shouldn't 'on curve' make it curve? wouldn't that make a bit more sense?

'off' curve should turen 'off' a curve?

vanisaac · Post by **vanisaac** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 6:22 am

The logic behind the on/off curve distinction is that on-curve points are on the curve. The off-curve points are located off of the curve, and pull the curve towards it in a precisely mathematical way - as a quadratic bezier curve. An entire contour is actually a curve, as long as it does not cross itself, but you might want to think of them as on and off "contour" points if that makes it easier for you.