- Introduction
- Changing Drawing Settings
- Drawing with the Line Tool
- Drawing with the Pencil Tool
- Drawing Shapes with the Rectangle and Oval Tools
- Using the Polystar Tool
- Selecting Strokes with the Arrow Tool
- Selecting Strokes and Fills with the Arrow Tool
- Making Selections with the Lasso Tool
- Zooming In and Out with the Magnifying Glass
- Moving Around with the Hand Tool
- Displaying Rulers
- Using Grids and Guides
- Modifying Grid and Guide Settings
- Using Snap Align
- Changing Stroke and Fill Colors
- Creating Custom Colors
- Editing Strokes with the Ink Bottle
- Editing Fills with the Paint Bucket
- Editing Strokes and Fills with the Eyedropper
- Creating Gradients
- Using the Fill Lock
- Using Paint Brush Modes
- Drawing with the Pen Tool
- Drawing Curves with the Pen Tool
- Modifying Shapes with the Arrow Tool
- Modifying Shapes with the Sub-Selection Tool
- Using the Free Transform Tool
- Using Transform Options for Shapes
- Cutting and Pasting Graphics Between Layers
- Working with Graphics on Different Layers
- Distributing Graphics to Layers
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Using the Polystar Tool
Working in much the same way as the Oval and Rectangle tools, the new Polystar tool allows you to easily create complex vector shapes. You can use this tool to create polygons and stars with up to 32 sides. Choose between creating a polygon or a star. Both styles have characteristics that can be adjusted in the Property Inspector before you draw the shape. Both the polygon and star style can have up to 32 sides, with the star style having an additional star point size that can be set. Experiment with several options to get the kind of shape you want.
Draw a Polygon or Star Shape
Click and hold the Rectangle tool in the Toolbar, and then point to Polystar Tool.
The pointer becomes a crosshair that you can drag anywhere on the Stage.
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Figure
3.10Click Options in the Property Inspector.
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Press Command+F3 (Mac) or Ctrl+3 (Win) to open the Property Inspector.
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Figure
3.11Click the Style popup, and then select Polygon or Star.
Enter a value for the number of sides. You can create an object with up to 32 sides.
For the Star style, you can specify an additional option for your point size. You can enter a value ranging from .10 to 1.0 points.
Click OK.
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Figure
3.12See Also
See "Editing Strokes with the Ink Bottle" on page 102 for information on editing an object.
Understanding Selections
When you create vector graphics in Flash, they are comprised of distinct elements that can be selected separately or as a whole with a variety of selection tools. The type of editing you need to perform determines which tool you use. For example, a simple rectangle drawn is comprised of four line segments that surround the contour of the shape and one fill in the center. Each of these five parts can be selected in tandem or individually with the Arrow Selection tool. Likewise, any stroke that intersects another stroke or fill splits them into distinct elements that can be selected separately.
In Normal selection mode, holding down the Shift key adds to the selection any additional elements you click on. You can change this option in the General tab of the Preferences window so that it isn't necessary to use the Shift key to perform this function. Double-click any stroke to select other strokes connected to it or double-click a fill to select it and any strokes that touch or intersect it. To select an entire shape (strokes and fills) or just a portion of it, you can drag a selection rectangle with the Arrow tool or draw a freeform selection area with the Lasso tool. These methods work best for very complex shapes with many intersecting strokes and fills, or if there is only a portion of the shape you need to edit.
The Sub-Selection and Pen tools allow you to select the entire shape (strokes and fills) simultaneously, making its anchor points and Bézier handles visible for editing. Use this method when you need to edit the contours of the shape with precision.
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Figure
3.13