Learn to use the special sketching interface on Cintiq screens.
When using Alias to sketch in conjunction with a Cintiq tablet, you can access common sketching tools directly on your display without having to reach for the keyboard.
Pressing a pre-assigned key on the Cintiq (or the Space bar on the keyboard) invokes a hot spots interface on the Cintiq screen, which is a collection of icons, each referencing a specific tool.
The center wheel consists of tools used to adjust the brush parameters: radius, opacity, aspect, and so on. The top row of icons lets you choose a brush mode. The bottom row consists of frequently used sketching tools such as color editor and predictive stroke.
The hot spots interface will only work if the cursor is over a canvas and a Brush tool is selected.
As you drag the mouse over a tool, the tool highlights and a tooltip appears describing the tool.
The tables below list all the icons:
Icon | Purpose |
---|---|
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paint |
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erase |
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hide paint |
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show hidden paint |
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smear |
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blur |
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sharpen |
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dodge |
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burn |
Icon | Purpose |
---|---|
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size |
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min max radius |
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rotate brush |
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aspect |
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color value |
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opacity |
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zoom |
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pan |
Icon | Purpose |
---|---|
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reset brush |
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last brush |
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open/close color editor |
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twist canvas |
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predictive stroke - off |
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predictive stroke - line |
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predictive stroke - curvature |
To sketch using the hot spots interface
The Brush Min/Max Radius icon adjusts the Minimum Radius with an up or down motion, and the Maximum Radius with a left or right motion. You have to release the stylus and press down again to change from one to the other (just like the R hotkey).
While you adjust a brush parameter, you receive visual feedback showing the result of your action. The current numerical value of the parameter is displayed both in the window and on the prompt line.
The hot spots interface will only work if the cursor is over a canvas and a Brush tool is selected.