Multi-Handle Mode

If one or more handles are selected, the panel switches to Multi-Handle Mode:

PathScribe Multi-Handle Mode

1. Status Line (top)

In Multi-Handle Mode, the top status line will tell you how many handles you have selected, and how many are of each type (in and out).

2. Relative Adjustments Section

The relative adjustment buttons (Increment, Scale, and Rotate) transform selected handles relative to their current lengths and/or angles. The values you enter are retained from use to use. You can either enter a value and click on the button next to it, or enter a value and type Return/ Enter . If you click the button, you can simultaneously hold down Shift to multiply the effect of the transformation by the shift multiplier, which is set in the preferences. You can also hold down the Option/Alt key to reverse the effect of the transformation.

PathScribe Panel Mutlihandle Increment

When using Option/Alt with the Scale button, the reciprocal of the scale value is used (e.g. if a handle is scaled 80%, Option/Alt will change the scale to (1/0.80) = 1.35 = 125%).

3. Absolute Adjustments Section

The absolute adjustment buttons (Set Length and Set Angle) transform handles using the values in the fields adjacent to them. As with relative adjustments, the Shift and Option/Alt keys can be held while clicking the buttons to scale or invert the transformation. However, the keys have a slightly different meaning with the Set Angle button: Shift + Set Angle reflects the handle across the horizontal axis passing through the point; Option/Alt + Set Angle reflects the handle across the vertical axis. Shift+Option/Alt + Set Angle reflects the handle across both axes (which is the same as rotating it 180°).

When a single handle is selected, its length and angle values are copied into the value fields of the absolute adjustments section. This enables you to easily “pick up” a handle’s attributes and copy it to one or more other handles. To do this, select only the handle whose attribute(s) you wish to copy. Then, holding down Shift, marquee-select the other handles and click the appropriate buttons to duplicate either the length or angle:

PathScribe Panel handle length copying

You can also hold down the Command/Ctrl key when clicking the Set Length button to change the length to zero (retract the handles). Or, even easier, use the keypress assigned in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog for “Increase Diameter” (by default, the right bracket key – ]).

4. Average Positions Button

The Average Positions button moves all selected handles to the position whose X coordinate is an average of all the selected handle X coordinates and whose Y coordinate is an average of all the selected handle Y coordinates.

PathScribe Panel handle averaging

5. Status Line (bottom)

When the mouse button is up, the bottom status line that tells you which multi-handle drag mode is active. When the mouse button is down, it gives information about the current operation and any keypresses which can affect it. Also, when you are constraining multiple handles (by holding down the Option/Alt key while dragging), the bottom status line will indicate whether you are using the proportional method of handle extension or the absolute method.