Tool

Name

Description

To Curves

The To Curves button (keyboard shortcut CTRL+R) converts an object such as text, a rectangle, or an ellipse into a conventional object. This lets you reshape the object by dragging its anchor points. It also converts dimension lines to groups, and converts Windows metafiles to Designer objects.

Wireframe

The Wireframe button toggles between editing the object with and without fills. Editing with a fill shows the exact results, but editing without a fill is faster.

Add/Remove Points

The Add Point button places an anchor point where you click on an object. The Remove Point button removes highlighted anchor points.

Reduce Points

The Reduce Points button enables you to remove some of the points in the graphic.

Join Points

The Join Points button connects two highlighted anchor points with a straight line.

Cut at Point

The Cut at Point button cuts through a line creating two separate anchor points with a small empty space between them.

Edit Corner/Curves

The Corner button (keyboard shortcut CTRL+5) converts the lines connected to a selected anchor point into straight lines. If applied to two selected anchor points that are adjacent, the Corner button converts the line between the two points into a straight line. The Symmetrical Curve button (keyboard shortcut CTRL+7) converts lines connected to selected anchor points into symmetrically curved lines.

Unlocked Cusp/
Locked Cusp

The Unlocked Cusp button (keyboard shortcut CTRL+6) unlocks an anchor's Bézier control points so you can move the points independently. By moving one point at a time, you can create shapes such as a curving wedge (that is, a cusp). The Locked Cusp button (keyboard shortcut CTRL+4) locks the angular relationship between Bézier control points so that when you drag one of the points, the opposite moves also as required to keep the angle between the two points the same.