Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Understanding Paths
When you draw an object, you create one or more lines called a
path
.
A path is made up of one or more curved or straight lines, known as
segments
. The start and end points for a segment is called an
anchor
point
. An anchor point is a bending point to modify the line segment.
A path can be open or closed. An open path has open-ended endpoints,
such as a line, while a closed path has connected endpoints, such as a
circle. Paths can have two types of anchor points: smooth points or
corner points. A smooth point connects two curved segments to create
a smooth line, while a corner point connects two straight or curved
segments to create a path direction change. You can draw a path using
both smooth and corner points. The outline of a path is called a stroke,
which you can format with different characteristics. You can specify
stroke weight (thickness), color, or a dashed pattern. The interior of an
open or closed path is called a fill, which you can also format with a
color or gradient.
You can change the shape of a path by dragging its anchor point. A se-
lected anchor point or endpoint appears as a solid square, while an un-
selected one appears as a white square. When you select an anchor
