Flash 8 Cookbook

1.17. Freehand Drawing

Problem

You want to draw directly on the stage using your input device (mouse or graphics tablet).

Solution

Use the Pencil tool (Y).

Discussion

If you don’t want to deal with the intrinsic constraints of the simple drawing tools (the Line, Oval, and Rectangle tools) or the painstaking perfectionism of the Pen and Subselection tools, consider the Pencil tool. When using the Pencil tool, as you drag the mouse (or stylus on a graphics tablet), Flash draws a vector path on screen.

In most vector applications, the freehand drawing tool works much better with a graphics tablet than with a mouse. However, Flash’s automatic smoothing and shape recognition system is much more forgiving than those in most drawing applications. Flash has three different Pencil drawing modes: Straighten, Smooth, and Ink. The Straighten Pencil mode excels with the straight lines. If you want to draw freehand, but you want straight line segments, use the Straighten mode because it will automatically convert the paths to the nearest straight line segment approximations. Yet if you want to draw smooth paths, you will likely find that Straighten mode will yield effects counter to what you are trying to accomplish. For smooth lines, use the Smooth Pencil mode. Use Ink mode when you want to most closely represent what you have drawn. Because precision is necessary with Ink mode, it is best left to users with graphics tablets or those adept at drawing with a mouse.

The Pencil Mode option appears at ...