FILTERiT 5: Wave Tool

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The Wave Tool distorts a selected object or objects according to the shape selected in the palette and the direction and distance that you drag. Dragging in the direction of the arrow shown on the cursor icon produces the selected shape. Shift-dragging maintains the object's symmetry. Alt-dragging rotates the angle of drag 90 degrees. This will be indicated by a rotation of the cursor's icon and its arrow.

Note: To use the Wave Tool with text, the type must first be converted to outlines. Use the Illustrator menu command Type> Create Outlines.

The cursor's position in relation to the center of the object, and any angle at which the cursor is dragged, will affect the final shape. The Wave Tool will add points to the selected object's path as necessary to produce the final shape. When more than one object is selected on the Artboard, they will be warped as a single object, whether grouped or not. However, The Trace option will still produce multiple copies for each selected object.

Tip: To create a spiral shape using the Wave Tool's fifth shape option, start with a short, wide object.

Cycle
Cycle determines the number of repetitions of the pattern in a single object.

Trace
When checked, Trace allows the Wave Tool to duplicate the selected object(s). When unchecked, the Wave Tool will only distort the selected object(s). When Drag Along is selected, duplicate objects will be created at a specified distance, in the unit of measure specified in the Preferences, and spread uniformly along the Wave Tool's path. Full Cycle produces the specified number of copies, all with the maximum amplitude of the effect, and evenly distributed along the width or height of the original object. In other words, The height of each copy's distortion will be uniform, but the location of the peaks will be evenly distributed along the width of the object. Unlike Full Cycle, the other Trace options produce copies that are intermediary stages between the original and the final copy. 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 Wave Tool to produce duplicate objects from the original object(s) 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 is released back to the original object(s). 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.

Note: If the Trace option is selected, be careful when applying the Wave Tool multiple times. Remember that a second drag with the tool will create the specified number of copies for all objects selected. If, for example, Trace has been set to Uniform (Round Trip) and three steps have been specified, the first drag will result in seven objects (the original, plus three copies outward from the original and three copies back.) A second drag with the Wave Tool without deselecting would produce 49 total objects (seven times seven). If Trace is set to 24 and Uniform (One Way), the first drag results in 25 objects (the original and 24 copies); the second drag results in 625 objects (25 times 25). A third drag would produce a total of 15,625 objects. In addition to a very slow screen re-draw, that number of objects in a single document could produce output problems.

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