Vector Pen
Drawing persistent editable paths, editing points, and choosing a 2D ribbon or a 3D swept cross-section with stroke and fill.
Reference
- Tool
- Vector Pen
- Panel
- Tool Options
- Section
- Vector path
The Vector Pen draws paths made of anchor points with bézier handles. A path is stored as its points, not as pixels, and is re-flattened and re-drawn every frame from those points — so a path never loses precision, and every point stays editable for the life of the shot.
Points live in 3D. A path can bend across planes, sit at a depth, and be orbited around; tapping a point brings up an X/Y/Z gizmo so it can be dragged through space rather than only across the screen.
Vector layers
Vector paths live on a vector layer, added from the Scene panel:
- Vector layer (3D) — a layer on a plane in the scene.
- Vector layer (2D) — a layer that faces the camera.
On the timeline, a layer's paths are listed under a Vector Shapes row.
Drawing a path
Draw (freehand) draws with the pen and fits the result to an editable curve. Pen (tap) places one point per tap; dragging as the point is placed pulls out its handles for a curve.
Whether a newly placed point is Smooth (curve) or Corner (line). Unavailable while Input is set to Draw (freehand), which fits its own curve.
Three controls sit at the foot of the section while a path is being drawn: a control that removes the last point placed, a Close control that joins the last point to the first, and Done, which commits the path. Once a path is closed, the same control reads Open and un-closes it.
Editing points
Tap a point to select it. The controls below act on the selected point, and are unavailable until one is selected. Selected point at the top of the group names what is being edited, or prompts for a point to be tapped when nothing is selected.
The path's width at this point. Width is stored per point and interpolates linearly along the segment between two points, so a stroke can taper.
Opacity at this point, shown as a percentage. Interpolates along the segment in the same way as width.
Rotates the stroke's cross-section about the path's tangent at this point. Applies to both 2D and 3D strokes: it turns a 3D tube's profile, and flips a 2D ribbon.
Corner or Smooth. Converts a point that has already been placed, either way, as often as required. The state is shown by the control rather than applied blind.
A control beside them removes the selected point from the path.
The Open control un-closes a closed path. When a point is selected, the loop is cut at that point's seam, so the break lands where it is wanted rather than always at the path's original start.
Selecting several points
Switches the pen to marquee selection. Drag across the canvas to select every point inside the marquee. Dragging any selected point moves them all.
With more than one point selected, a block of batch operations appears, headed by the number of points selected. Each group holds a pair of fixed-step buttons rather than a slider, so a value is nudged by repeated taps:
| Group | Effect of one tap |
|---|---|
| Scale | Scales the selected points by a factor of 1.1, in or out |
| Rotate | Rotates the selected points by 10°, either way |
| Width | Raises or lowers the width by 3 |
| Opacity | Two buttons, 40% and 100%, set the selected points outright |
Stroke shape
Reference
- Panel
- Tool Options
- Section
- Vector path ▸ Stroke shape
A path is drawn either as a flat ribbon or as a solid tube swept along its length.
2D flat draws a flat ribbon at the path's width. 3D tube sweeps the path into a solid using the cross-section below.
The profile swept along the path. Five sections are offered — round, square, chisel, polygon, and a hand-drawn custom profile. Shown only in 3D tube mode.
The number of sides on the polygon profile. Shown only when the polygon section is selected.
Returns a custom profile to a circle. Shown only when the custom section is selected.
The custom section draws its profile inline, in the panel, rather than on the canvas. Drag inside the square editor to sketch a closed profile; a sketch is accepted once it has at least three points, and is then swept along the stroke exactly as the built-in profiles are. Because a hand-drawn ring can be concave, its end caps are tessellated rather than fanned, so a profile with a notch or a star point closes correctly.
Stroke and fill
Reference
- Panel
- Tool Options
- Section
- Vector path ▸ Appearance
A path has an outline and an interior, and either can be turned off — a shape can be fill-only or outline-only.
Draws the path's outline. Its colour well is unavailable while the toggle is off. The outline takes the brush colour.
Fills the path's interior, with its own colour well. Its colour well is unavailable while the toggle is off.
A fill requires a closed path — use Close first. The fill spans the loop in 3D, so it remains correct when the path bends across planes rather than lying flat.