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Modeling > Drawing curves > Drawing a freeform curve

Drawing a freeform curve


You can draw a curve of any shape using points in the viewport.


To draw a curve:
  1. Choose Modeling > Draw Curve, or press and hold L.
  2. Click in a viewport to draw the first point in the curve. Click again to add a second point and so on until you have drawn the approximate shape of your curve.
Tip: To draw straight lines, choose View > Snap to Grid.
  1. To draw an open curve, press Esc or, to close the curve, press End. Press Esc once to continue drawing another curve. Press Esc twice to exit drawing mode.
  2. The points are connected by lines.

Tip: To draw a closed path for an animation cycle where an object loops around the curve, use the End key to close the curve. If you close the curve by clicking the first point, the curve will not be closed.
  1. To create a smoother curve, click CurveGeometry in the Parameter Editor, and increase the Steps. Steps is an integer from 1 to 10.
  2. Increasing Steps adds points which are not editable and does not increase the weight of the object. In the Geometry parameters, notice that the number of points does not increase when you increase Steps.The following illustration shows the original curve and various increments of Steps.

Tip: When drawing paths, you should draw curves with as few points as possible. By limiting the number of points, you obtain a smoother curve that is easy to edit and animate. When drawing a curve to create a polygon, revolution, or extrusion surface, draw as many points as needed to obtain the contour you want because the curve steps are not taken into account when the surface is generated from the curve.

See also:

Curve parameters

Modifying Curves

Creating an arc or a circle

Creating a square or rectangle

Path animation

Object to curve constraint

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