CTRL-click on the node and choose the Properties command in the context
menu. You will see the Node properties panel:
In this property panel you can control the position of the node, the alignment type, the selection status of the node and the position of the control points of the curves.
The figures in the first line are the index of the segment, the node index and the contour’s number.
To change the position of a node:
1. Select the origin point you want to use and set the coordinates of the
node. By default the origin is the glyph’s origin point . With the radio
buttons you can select the previous or next node as the origin
point.
2. Modify the coordinates of the node in the edit boxes. You can use the
spin buttons to increase or decrease the coordinates. The new
coordinates will be applied to the node when you press the ENTER key
on the keyboard or move the focus from one edit control to another or when you close the property panel by clicking on a free space in the edit field.
To change the selection state of a node: modify the state in the Selected check box.
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To change the connection mode for a node use these check boxes:
.
To edit the position of the curve’s control vectors: switch on the Control vectors check box (it will be gray if you are editing a node between
two straight segments) and modify the relative position of the previous or next control point that belongs to that node.
Use the buttons with arrows to edit the previous or next node.
Tip: when you are editing node positions in the Properties panel, press the
ENTER key to accept changes and move the focus to the editing field of the
Glyph Window. There you can use the keyboard to move the selected node
and the PAGE DOWN/PAGE UP keys to select another node for modification.
You will see the node properties change in the Properties panel as you
move the node by keyboard or mouse. Press ALT+ENTER to put the focus on
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VectorPaint Mode
VectorPaint is Fontlab’s unique set of tools that allow you to paint vector contours with tools that look and feel like bitmap tools. You can choose brushes, pens, freeform selections and even enter text. The idea of VectorPaint is that all the tools produce contours that combine with the existing glyph contours using our unique contour-processing technology. When you click on one of the tools on the Tools or Paint toolbar you enter
the VectorPaint mode. To open the Paint toolbar select it the View >
Toolbars menu:
The keyboard shortcut for the mode is ALT+3.
The type of interaction between existing and new contours depends on the selected color mode. This process is very fast and is completely transparent to you, so if you switch on the preview mode (where the glyph appears filled), the illusion of bitmap-like editing of a contour-based glyph image is very realistic.
All the paint tools can work in 4 different color modes:
Transparent Newly created vector objects that are generated by the application of VectorPaint tools do not interact with the existing glyph’s contour and appear selected for easy editing
Automatic The color of the brush depends on the point where you begin drawing. If you begin in a white area, a white brush will be selected, if in black, a black brush will be selected. Use this color mode to easily extend white or black areas of the glyph
Black Generated contours are added to existing contours, expanding the black area of the glyph. It looks like a black brush applied to a black image
White New contours are subtracted from existing contours, simulating a white brush.
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Here is an example of a brush stroke applied with Transparent, Black and White “colors”:
Note: VectorPaint tools have an option to automatically activate the Free
Transform operation when any of the painting operations is completed. This option allows you to instantly move, scale, rotate or slant the newly created shape.
Here is a list of all available VectorPaint tools with a short description of each:
Freehand
Select Used to select non-rectangular areas of a glyph. It selects not the nodes, like the Edit tool, but actually cuts lines and curves and selects black areas that can be moved or otherwise transformed
Pen Used to create new contours or modify existing ones. It is not really a “paint” tool, because it deals with contours, but it is a very natural and flexible tool used to adjust the result of the
application of VectorPaint tools
Brush Exactly that — a brush. It can be round or calligraphic. A calligraphic brush can be of any size and slant angle
Line Used to draw straight lines with a selected brush
Polygon Has two modes: point-by-point polygon drawing with easy combination of straight segments and curves, or point-by-point definition of a polygon that will be drawn by using the selected brush
Ellipse Used to draw ellipses or circles
Rectangle Used to draw rectangles or squares
Text Used to enter text (vector based) using any TrueType font installed in the system.