FILTERiT 5: Craft Tool

[ Index ] [ Tools in General ]

From sample file tool_craft_01.ai

Dragging the Craft Tool on the Artboard will distort or duplicate (when the Trace option is active) selected objects within the target area, which is identified by a circle. Objects at the edges of the target area are not distorted as much as those in the center. The Craft Tool will add points to a path as it is distorted. The Craft Tool gives you four options from which to choose.

Free Distortion
Selected paths within the target area will be distorted in a straight line from their original points to the point where the mouse button is released.

Dynamic Distortion
Objects will be distorted along the path that the mouse is dragged. The distortion path's length is typically several times the Craft Tool's Area Radius.

Pinch Distortion
When dragged upward, selected objects within the target area are distorted away from the target area's center. When dragged downward, the objects are distorted toward the center.

Twirl Distortion
The Craft Tool can be dragged either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the target area's center point. Selected objects within the target area will be distorted around the center point.

Note: To use the Craft Tool with text, the type must first be converted to outlines.

Resistance
This level, which ranges from 1 to 5, determines how large a difference there will be between the center and edges of the target area. The higher the number, the less that selected objects at the edges will be distorted.

Area Radius
The target area size is determined by the Area Radius. You can change the size of the target area by clicking the up and down arrows, entering a number directly in the field, or by alt-dragging on the Artboard.

Trace
When checked, Trace allows the Craft Tool to duplicate the selected objects within the target area. When unchecked, the Craft Tool will only distort the selected objects. When Drag Along is selected, duplicate objects will be created at a specified distance, measured in pixels, spread uniformly along the Craft Tool's path. When using the Twirl Distortion option, the distance is measured in degrees. Uniform will space the specified number of duplicate objects evenly. Accelerate spaces the duplicate objects farther apart at the end of the drag, while Decelerate spaces them closer together at the end of the drag. The One Way option for Uniform, Accelerate, and Decelerate allows the Craft Tool to produce duplicate objects from the original objects to the point where the mouse button is released. When the Round Trip option is selected, another set of copies will extend from the point where the mouse button was released back to the original. This, in effect, produces two sets of copies: one from the original to the farthest point, and another from the farthest point back to the original. The Dynamic Distortion setting for the Craft Tool supports only the Drag Along option.

Tip: The Craft Tool's Trace option, which produces duplicates of the selected objects, can be used in conjunction with Illustrator's transparency capability to produce motion blur effects.