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Introduction to Drawing
 

Lines Fundamentals
 

Introduction

A line is a connection of two points. As such, a line starts at a certain point and ends at another. Normally, a line is considered a straight geometric shape.
 

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Introducing Lines
  1. Start Adobe Flash
  2. In the opening dialog box, click Flash File (ActionScript 3.0)

Drawing a Line

To draw a line in Adobe Flash CS4, you can use the Line Tool, then click and hold your mouse on a starting point in the Stage, drag in the direction of your choice, then release the mouse. In the same way, you can draw as many lines as you want.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Drawing Lines
  1. In the Tools palette, click the Line Tool Pen Tool
  2. On the Stage, click and hold the mouse down somewhere in the top-right section (of the white area) (no need for precision) and hold the mouse down
     
    Line
  3. Drag down to a lower point (no need for precision)
     

    Line
  4. And release the mouse:
     
    Line

Drawing Adjacent Lines

As mentioned already, you can draw as many different individual lines as you want. Instead of disjointed lines, you can draw lines that follow and touch each other so that the end of one is the beginning of the next. Such connected lines are also referred to as adjacent lines.

To draw lines that are connected, in the Tools palette, click the Line Tool. On the Stage, click somewhere, drag in the direction of your choice and release the mouse to end the line. To start the next line, click the end of the previous line or click close to where you ended the previous line, drag in the direction of your choice, and release the mouse. Continue this process until you get as many necessary lines as you want.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Drawing Adjacent Lines
  1. Make sure the Line Tool is still selected (otherwise, in the Tools palette, click the Line Tool Pen Tool).
    On the Stage, click somewhere in the lower-right section where you ended the first line and hold your mouse down
  2. Drag to the left side (no need for precision) and release the mouse
     
    Line
  3. Click where you ended the previous line and hold the mouse down
  4. Drag up just a little above the previous point (no need for precision) and release the mouse
  5. Click close to the last point of the previous line and hold the mouse down
  6. Drag a little to the right side (no need for precision) and release the mouse
     
    Line

Drawing a Closed Shape

A closed shape is a geometric object that has no beginning and no end.

To draw a closed shape, in the Tools palette, click the Line Tool. On the Stage, draw adjacent lines as we saw previously. To close the shape, click the end of the last line or close to where you ended it, drag to the starting point of the first line until you touch it, and release the mouse.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Drawing a Closed Shape
  1. To start a new drawing, on the main menu, click File -> New...
  2. In the New Document dialog box, click Flash File (ActionScript 3.0)
  3. Click OK
  4. In the Tools palette, click the Line Tool Pen Tool
  5. On the Stage, click somewhere in the upper-left section (no need for precision) and hold the mouse down
  6. Drag to the right of the upper-center section and release the mouse
  7. Click next to the end of the previous line and hold your mouse down
  8. Drag down to the middle-center section of the Stage and release the mouse
  9. Click next to the end of the previous line and hold your mouse down
  10. Drag left to the middle-left section of the Stage and release the mouse
  11. Click next to the end of the previous line and hold your mouse down
  12. Drag up to the left side of the first line and release the mouse
     
    Line

Maintenance of Lines
 

Introduction

As an object, a line can be manipulated. It can be selected, copied, moved, modified, or deleted.

Selecting a Line

To select a line, in the Tools palette, click the Selection Tool, and click the line on the Stage. A selected line is thick or thicker than the other line in the Stage:

Selected Line

To select a section of a line, in the Tools palette, click the Selection Tool. In the Stage, draw a fake rectangle that would touch the part you want to select on the line:

Selected Line

The part that is selected on a line is thicker than the rest of the line:

Selected Line

To select a series of lines, in the Tools palette, click the Selection Tool. Click one of the lines you want to select. Press and hold Shift, the click each of the desired lines, and release Shift.

To select everything in the Stage, press Ctrl + A or, using the Selection Tool, draw a fake rectangle that includes everything.

Copying a Line

To copy a line, first select it, then:

  • On the main menu, click Edit -> Copy
  • Right-click the line and click Copy
  • Press Ctrl + C

To copy a series of lines, select them and use the same approaches to copy. To copy everything in the Stage, select and use the above techniques.

After copying the line, you can paste it. To do that:

  • On the main menu, click Edit -> Paste
  • Right-click somewhere in the Stage and click Paste
  • Press Ctrl + V
 

 

 

Deleting a Line

To delete a line:

  • Right-click the line and click Cut
  • Select the line. On the main menu, click Edit -> Cut
  • Select the line and press Delete

To delete a series of lines or everything in the stage, make the selection as described earlier. Then delete.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Deleting a Line
  1. In the Tool palette, click the Selection Tool Selection Tool
  2. On the Stage, position the mouse in the right line of the second shape
     
    Line
  3. Click the line to select it
  4. Press Delete to remove it
     
    Line

Moving a Line

To move a line, first select it (you must first select it), then click and drag the line to a different location. Use the same approach to move a segment of a line, a series of line, a series of objects, or everything in the Stage.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Moving a Line
  1. On the Stage, click the second line from the bottom section to select it
  2. Drag it to the left
  3. In the Tools palette, click the Line tool
  4. In the Stage, click the left end of the bottom line and hold the mouse down
  5. Drag up and right to get to the left edge of the line above
  6. Release the mouse
  7. In the same way, draw a line that connects the right edges of the same lines

Lines

Trimming a Line

Trimming a line consists of deleting a section of it. To do this, select the section (as mentionned earlier, using the Selection Tool, draw a fake rectangle that includes only the section you want to delete), then press Delete.

A Line as a Path

As an object that starts from one point to another, or that connects two points, a line is technically referred to as a path. On a straight line, a path goes from a starting point to an ending point. On a series of lines, each path goes from one point to another.

In Microsoft Windows, a path is also considered as going from a starting point to the end point of one or a series of lines. This means that, on a series of lines, a path is considered as going from the starting point of the first line to the end point of the last line. If the shape is closed, the path is its whole border.

The Anchors of a Line

If you click the Subselection Tool in the Tools palette and click the shape in the Stage, each line would be shown as starting from a round dot to another:

Segments

Each of these round dots is called an anchor point or just an anchor.

When you draw a line, it automatically receives two anchors: its starting and its ending points. If you draw a series of adjacent lines, in each combination of two lines, each line has an anchor on an end, and both lines share a commn anchor.

On an existing line (or a series of lines), at any time, you can add a new anchor.

Practical LearningPractical Learning: Ending the Lesson
  1. Close Flash
  2. When asked whether you want to save, click No
 
 
   
 
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