Objects in your document are constructed from bezier curves (dealt with more fully in the Beziers section). In brief, a bezier curve can represent any line because a line is simply a straight curve. A chain of bezier curves can represent any curvy line. Therefore a collection of beziers can be used to represent any shape, because any shape is simply a collection of lines and/or curves. Convert to Beziers breaks objects down into their component beziers.
Examples of how beziers are used to construct objects are as follows:
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Object |
Bezier Construction |
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Line |
Single bezier whose control points sit on its start- and endpoints |
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Rectangle |
Four straight chained beziers at 90 to each other |
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Circle |
Four chained beziers. Each bezier’s control points are on top of each other. A line drawn from the start point to the control points to the endpoint would form a rightangled isosceles triangle. |
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Text |
Each letter is constructed from chained bezier curves to represent a TrueType character. |
When an object, like a rectangle, has been converted to beziers you can use the Edit Node Cursor or the Properties Sheet (which will now be the Bezier Properties Sheet as opposed to the Rectangle Properties Sheet) to move the start- and endpoints and the control points of the beziers that formerly made up the sides of the rectangle.
When text is converted to curves you can treat each character like any other filled polygon. In this way you can assign different line and fill colours to the converted text and you can even use different fill styles and textures.
Text that has been converted to curves can also have its nodes and control points edited using the Edit Node Cursor and the Beziers Properties Sheet.
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Other Commands |
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FastKey: Quickmenu: |
E B Convert to Beziers |