Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8, User Manual

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Drawing Curves
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Drawing Curves
A curve is a finely-segmented polyline whose shape is determined by three or
more control points. Instead of connecting a series of straight segments, the
vertices in a curve guide the path of the polyline that approximates a smooth
curve. There are two curve types:
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A fitted curve passes through each vertex.
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A spline curve is drawn toward each vertex. An open spline curve passes
through its startpoint and endpoint.
As with a normal polyline, you can specify that a curve be open or closed and
you can assign it real world width. You can apply pattern fill to closed curves.
Unlike a polyline, a curve has uniform width throughout its length, and it
must have at least three vertices rather than two. You can convert a curve to
a polyline at any time by selecting it and changing the current type setting
in the drop-down list box on the left side of the edit bar.
You can convert a curve to a series of short lines or to a polyline that dupli-
cates the curve as it is rendered onscreen. This is useful when you want to
retain the appearance of the curve but must edit a portion of it. For informa-
tion on converting curves, see the chapter titled “Converting & Exploding
Entity Types,” which begins on page 313.