Using Director > Vector Shapes and Bitmaps > Editing vector shapes |  |

Editing vector shapes

To edit vector shapes, you use the Vector Shape window. You change vector shapes by moving, adding, or deleting control points and changing the way they control curves. You can also change the way a vector shape is placed on the Stage by moving its registration point using either the Vector Shape window or Lingo.

To adjust the outline of a vector shape:

1 | Open a vector shape in the Vector Shape window.
2 | Click the Arrow tool and make any of the following changes:
| To move a curve or corner point, drag it to any location.
| To move multiple points, Shift-click or drag a selection rectangle around all the points you want to move and then drag any one of the selected points.
| To drag a single curve within a shape, select the Arrow tool and drag the curve. If the curve is filled, you can click anywhere within the filled area and drag the curve.
| To adjust a curve, select a curve point and drag a control handle.
| By default, the two control handles remain at a 180° angle from each other. If you want to drag one control handle independently from the other one, hold down Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) when you drag it. To constrain the control handles to vertical, horizontal, or a 45° angle, hold down Shift as you move them.
| To change a corner point to a curve point, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) and drag away from the handle to extend a control handle.
| To change a curve point to a corner point, drag the control handles directly over the curve point.
| To delete a point, select the point and press Backspace or Delete.
| To move the window view without using the scroll bars, click the Hand tool and drag anywhere inside the shape.

To add a point in the middle of a shape:

1 | Open a vector shape in the Vector Shape window.
2 | Click the Pen tool.
3 | If the shape is closed, move the pointer over a line until it changes and then click the mouse button. If the shape is open, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) and move the pointer over a line until it changes; then click the mouse button.

To add a new point that is connected to a certain end point:

1 | Click the Arrow tool and select an end point.
2 | Click the Pen tool and then click the location where you want to add the next point.

To join two curves:

1 | Select a vertex in each curve.
| If you select two endpoint vertices, you will join them. If you select points in the middle of the curve, you will join the start of the second curve to the end of the first curve.
2 | Choose Modify > Join Curves.

To split two curves:

Select two adjacent vertices and choose Modify > Split Curves.

To change the registration point:

1 | Click the Registration Point tool.
| The dotted lines in the window intersect at the registration point. The default registration point is the center of the cast member.
| The pointer changes to a cross hair when you move it to the window.
2 | Click to set the new registration point.
| You can also drag the dotted lines around the window to reposition the registration point.
3 | To reset the default registration point at the center of the cast member, double-click the Registration Point tool.

To change a vector shape cast member's registration point with Lingo:

Set the `regPoint` or `regPointVertex` cast member property. You can test the `centerRegPoint` property to determine whether Director automatically recenters the registration point when the cast member is edited. (If you specify a value for `regPointVertex`, any values in the `regPoint` and `centerRegPoint` properties are ignored.) See `centerRegPoint`, `regPoint`, and `regPointVertex`.

To close or open vector shapes:

Select or deselect the Close box at the left side of the window.

If the shape is closed, Director draws a line between the last and first points defined; if it is open, Director removes the line between the last and first points.

To close a shape with Lingo:

Set the `closed` cast member property to `TRUE`. See `closed`.

To scale a vector shape:

Control-Alt-drag (Windows) or Command-Option-drag (Macintosh) to proportionally resize a vector shape.

You can also enter a scaling percentage for a vector shape using the Cast Member Properties dialog box. See Setting vector shape properties.