Bezigon Tool
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@Daniel Is there an app, where the control points are set manually?
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@Daniel And what key modifier is used to get the tangent case (orange triangle)?
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@VectorStyler: In FreeHand, it is Alt Right-Click or more simply - Modifier-Right Click. This can't be changed in FreeHand. However, this is not friendly. We should be able to assign our own key combination.
Whilst working through this, we stumbled upon an accidental behaviour which would be nice to have if possible. "Reset Handle Lengths" - this means you're able to click on a node at any time during the drawing and press R - to reset it to what the bezigon algorithm would have approximated it to when the node was first laid down.
https://ibb.co/pjhS4tRF - Like so.
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@Daniel I will make a new build with what I have now (may take a day or two).
And then we can improve on that.Thanks a lot for the help!
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@VectorStyler: Please hang on. To spare you some effort, we've worked out every last bit of kink. Would you rather I give you the clean code for just the sharp, cusp and smooth node - ignoring Tangent Node? I have that ready to go. But tangent node conversions are turning into a devilishly tricky problem because converting a smooth/sharp node into a tangent depends very heavily on the neighbouring nodes. And this means, both the sequence of conversion and the type of neighbouring node matters. That is proving difficult. Seriously, I am so tempted to decompile and look into the FreeHand code. But I won't! FUCK ADOBE for not doing the right thing.
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@VectorStyler What do you mean? FreeHand allows you to set every single point manually.
Those are the three types of points. Smooth, Sharp, and Tangent. And on the right you have the option to convert each of the sides a smooth node to a cusp node.
For instance say you have a smooth node, with two symmetric handles. Pressing the left hand side handle button converts that portion of the shape into a straight line. When you press the right hand side handle button, the second handle also collapses, meaning you have a square node.
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@Daniel said in Bezigon Tool:
What do you mean? FreeHand allows you to set every single point manually.
Yes, with the Node tool.
I meant if there is a way to set handles while drawing with the bezigon tool.
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@VectorStyler: Yes, FreeHand allows you to set each point manually. Plain click - Square node, Alt click - Smooth node, alt -right click - tangent node. Alternatively you can choose which nodes you want to place from the side panel shown in my previous comemnt.
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@vectorstyler: Okay, now I have both sets of clean code exhaustively tested.
Bezigon Code without Tangent Node implementation. About 200 lines of CPP code.
Bezigon Code with Tangent Node implementation and non-destructive node conversions - that is, toggling between tangent, cusp, and smooth retains the origin state. For instance, if I create a smooth node, then toggle it to cusp, and tangent, and then to smooth back again, I will return to the original state in which it was created. It is true of all 3 nodes. This is a major draw back in FreeHand too, because there was no way of predicting how changes affected the curve. Now, after 35 bloody years, it is refined. About 500 lines of CPP code. Tangent node handling makes it exponentially complex.
Question for you, dev: How should I hand you this code? What sort of documentation would you like?
We have written the code so that it is easy to integrate into any program without dependencies. But equally, everything - all the rules, conditional statements - are carefully documented within the code itself.
We have also written a test code to check the math of the code too.
What do you need from me? I have the whole history of the project including the permutation tables for all three nodes and click patterns.
Let me know. I'll package it and drop it. I am also giving the code to Inkscape and PhotoLine devs as part of MIT License. Just FYI.
I think if implemented correctly, it will the single most useful step up in the curve handling functionality in all three. The missing piece has always been the tangent node.
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@Daniel Send me the code and the tables with click patterns
