Aspire 9 How to change a point to a smooth point?

[Dave Van]

Is there something different in Aspire 9 that won't let me change a point do a smooth point? I traced a piece of clip art and all the nodes are black. It didn't trace perfectly so there are sharp points. I used the "fit curves to selected vectors" tool but it still won't let me change any of the black nodes to blue. What am I missing? Thanks! -- Dave

[mtylerfl]

You should be able to change the "black points" to smooth "blue" ones by doing the following when in Node Edit mode...


1) Hover your mouse cursor over the point and press the letter "s" on your computer keypad

Or

2) Right-click on the point and select Smooth Point

Or

3) Lasso-select a bunch of points, then press the letter "s" to make all of the selected points smooth all at once

[Dave Van]

Thank you! I agree with all your suggestions. Looks like the procedure hasn't changed between V8.5 and V9. That's really what I wondered.

The operative word is "should". It should work that way. I've been node editing that way for years. This is the first file I've worked on since upgrading from V8.5 to V9. I don't know if something happened or if it was just that one file. I'll try again in the next couple days and if I still have problems I will download again to see if that helps. Thanks again for your help!

[Rcnewcomb]

Dave,
If the node is connected to an arc the "smooth" option isn't available. Change the arc to a bezier or line and then you will have the option to smooth a point.

[martin54]

I have had something similar happen a couple of times, black node didn't seem to select until I had zoomed in a bit, don't know if it has anything to do with the snapping distance as mine is set to quite a small value

[Adrian]

With the fit curves tool there are some vectors that won't convert to Beziers. It's an internal tolerance issue that has been around for a while. Deleting a couple of nodes or changing the size of the shape by a thousandth or so normally corrects it.

[mtylerfl]

Dave,
If the node is connected to an arc the "smooth" option isn't available. Change the arc to a bezier or line and then you will have the option to smooth a point.

Yes, good point Randall! I should have alerted him about that that, too.

[c1nel1]

I have been having trouble with node editing also. Got use to the way node editing preformed in Aspire 4 and it's not the same in either 8 or 9.
I have both Aspire 4 and 9, when node editing in Aspire 4 I have no trouble deleting a single node without enlarging. But in 9 it seems random until the vector is enlarged. I've sent this into support and they said they would look into it.
Has anyone else had the same troubles?
Clay

[Adrian]

Make sure that the node you're trying to delete/change is not a node where the handle is overlapping/very close to it. That can lead to issues as you think you're on the node but you're not you're on the handle instead and zooming in increases the gap.

[Dave Van]

Wow - your suggestions are a tremendous help. Zooming helps, and I did have a line connected to an arc. Changing all to bezier curves helps. And it's a good reminder to watch for nodes that look like points. That wasn't my problem here but I have run into that in the past. I'll bet snapping and tighter tolerances do make clicking on nodes more difficult in Aspire 9. All of life is a balancing act and I think Vectric does an amazing job of balancing technical proficiency with user friendliness. Thank you all for jumping in here! -- Dave

[JayGee]

BEST PRACTICE: Check ALL file with high magnification BEFORE you use the file, whether it is free, a paid item, or something you built yourself. Handles sometimes get twisted around and form a loop, which will drive your system to do things you do not want it to do.

I did this for a friend on a file he used which totally tore up a board. It was a purchased item and had so many problems that it took me quite a time to correct. Once he got it back it worked as it should have.

Also, importing files can be hazardous! You don't always know for sure where the file has been built, which system it was tested on, or which processor was used during the test. Importing such a file into Aspire - you should always give the file a good once-over look to assure that you have eliminated problems before they even start.

Aspire also has a handy tool to check your vectors - listed under the Edit Objects option titled "Vector Validator".
It will list for you any problems of "Zero-length Spans", "Overlaps", and 'Intersections". Use this tool on EVERY FILE YOU ARE GOING TO USE, BEFORE YOU USE IT TO MILL.