Share
 
 

Tangent editor

Use the Tangent Editor dialog to edit the tangents of selected points in a Bézier curve.

Click Curve Tools tab > Segments panel > Edit Tangents to display the Tangent Editor dialog. This dialog contains the following:

  • Tangent — Select an entry in the list to specify the tangent you want to edit, then click one or more buttons to change its direction:
    • Before and after edits both tangents. This is the default option.
    • Before edits the tangent approaching the point.
    • After edits the tangent after the point.

      Tangent before

      Tangent after

  • — Click to display the Position dialog. Use the dialog to manually enter coordinates and locate items in the graphics window. This option is not available if you have a Tangent option of Before and after.
  • — Click to display the Direction dialog, which enables you to edit the direction of an item.
  • Azimuth/Elevation — Click to display the Azimuth/Elevation dialog, which enables you to enter the azimuth and elevation angles.
  • Straighten — Click to change the tangency direction to form a straight line span.

    With the tangent Before and After selected, converts the tangents on point 4 from this:

    to this:

  • Align tangent — Click to align the selected tangency direction with the other tangent at that point. This option is not available if you have a Tangent option of Before and after.

    With the tangent After selected, converts the tangent on point 4 from this:

    to this:

  • Free — Click to free the tangent direction. This maintains the point location and fits a smooth curve through the selected points.
  • Magnitude — Select an entry in the list to specify the tangent you want to edit, then enter a value in the adjacent box to change its magnitude. Alternatively, use an option to edit the value:
    • Free — Click to free the tangent magnitude. This maintains the point location and fits a smooth curve through the selected points.
    • Scale — Edit the tangent magnitude by scaling the current value using the slider or entering a scaling factor.

Was this information helpful?