Lines and Shapes Overview

Lines and shapes are the simplest objects you can create in your documents. The difference between the two is that a shape is a line with its ends joined together.

Drawing Lines and Shapes

You can draw lines and shapes with either the Freehand & Brush Tool (ideal for freehand drawing), the Shape Editor Tool (the usual choice) or the Pen Tool (for those used to the pen drawing facilities of other packages). For more details, see these pages:

Drawing lines

Drawing shapes

Tip

You cannot apply a fill to a line, you must join its ends together and apply the fill to the resulting shape.

Changing the Shape of Lines and Shapes

For details of changing the way lines and shapes look in your document, see the following pages:

Moving a point on lines and shapes

Changing curved lines and shapes

Setting the length and angle of a straight line segment

Straightening curved line segments

Adding points to lines and shapes

Breaking lines and shapes apart

Deleting points on lines and shapes

Changing the thickness of lines and shape outlines

Changing the brush stroke design

Changing the stroke shape

Changing The Ends and Joins of Lines and Shapes

You can change the ends of lines and the way segments are joined together. You can use butt caps, round caps or square caps on the ends of the lines and you can use round joins, miter joins or beveled joins for the junctions between segments in lines and shapes.

For more information, see these pages:

Changing join style

Changing line ends

Adding Arrowheads and Dash Patterns to Lines and Shapes

You can add a dash pattern to any line or shape outlines (but see Note). You can also add arrowheads and tails to your lines using the Line Gallery. For more information, see the following pages:

Adding arrowheads to lines

Adding dash patterns to lines and shapes

Note:

You cannot apply a dash pattern or arrowhead to a line with a brush or stroke shape already applied.

Movies (not working in this version)

Drawing lines with the Shape Editor Tool

Drawing lines with the Freehand & Brush Tool

Drawing lines with the Pen Tool

Editing lines with the Shape Editor Tool

Editing lines with the Freehand & Brush Tool

Editing lines with the Pen Tool

Editing line widths, ends and joins

Smoothing lines and shapes

Joining and breaking shapes

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