Rotating, skewing, and scaling objects
In the part editor and the image editor, these capabilities are part of the Selection tool (also known as the Arrow tool) (keyboard shortcut: V). In the Parts view of the character document window and in the Comic view of the comic document window, there is no set of selectable tools, but these capabilities are all present.
Transforming selected objects
The blue transformation frame and its associated blue handles can be used to scale, rotate, or skew selected objects around a transformation origin. The origin is represented by a blue crosshair in a circle. It defaults to to the center of the transformation frame (in the part editor) or the dominant part’s pivot point (if the selection consists of parts or groups of parts: see Part pivot points ), but can be dragged to any other location in the editing area. For all three transformation operations, the location of the transform origin affects how the transformation is applied. For example, when rotating objects, they all rotate around the transformation origin. The selection frame also has scaling handles, a rotation handle, and horizontal and vertical skewing handles.
Selection frame with various handles labeled. The transform origin is being dragged.
Transforming parts and paths works by applying the transforms to the points that make up the paths in those objects. Points are transformed at all levels of containment within the selection. However, when operating on images, it transforms the whole image, which is like transforming the four corner points of the image bounds and then drawing the image inside the resulting quadrilateral. When transforming text balloons, only the location of the balloon is affected. The text in the balloon remains upright, and the shape and size do not change.
Scaling selected objects
You can scale selected objects around the origin by clicking in any of the eight scaling handles on the transformation frame. The handles in the middle of the four sides scale in one dimension only. The handles on the corners scale in two dimensions. By default, two dimensional scaling is proportional, but if you hold down the Command key you can scale non-proportionally, meaning the horizontal and vertical axes will be scaled by different amounts.
Note that when you scale objects in a Parts document, it only scales the geometry of the object, meaning just the points move. The line weight and blur settings stay the same, so they do not resize with the object. This is because in the character document, you are intended to design the object at its "normal" size, so extreme scaling changes shouldn't normally be done. Also, it would become confusing to have all the line weights take on unusual fractional values, and in the case of nonproportional scaling, it is not possible to have horizontal like weights or blurs that are different from vertical line weights or blurs on the same object.
An original and scaled part in a Parts document
However, in a Comic document, scaling is done graphically instead of geometrically. This means it does affect line weights and blurs, although it still does not work on these things nonproportionally if you scale it that way (and we don't recommend nonproportional scaling most of the time). The reason we made parts scale this way in comics is so that they can be resized for more visual variety, so that you can do a close up or a long shot, to use cinematic terms, and the art will still look good.
An original and scaled part in a comic
Rotating selected objects
You can rotate selected objects around the origin by positioning the mouse on the circular handle that sticks out from the bottom-right corner of the selection frame. On this handle, the mouse displays the rotation cursor.
The rotation cursor indicating that clicking and dragging will rotate selected objects
Skewing selected objects
You can skew selected objects by positioning the mouse on one of the parallelogram-shaped handles sticking out of the right and bottom sides of the selection frame. The mouse cursor will change to indicate horizontal or vertical skew. Horizontal and vertical skew produce different results. Skewing has an effect like turning a rectangle into a parallelogram. When skewing selected objects, all points within the objects move in one dimension only, horizontally or vertically. Points that are on the same side of the origin as the location you clicked move in the same direction the mouse is moved in that dimension, while points on the other side move in the opposite direction.
The skewing cursor indicating that horizontal skewing will take place