Adding Bend and Noise Effects

The Bend Points tool lets you bend the selected points around the midpoint of one of the edges of the selected set of points. If you bend the points far enough, they’ll form a circle. Bending a square forms a trapezoid shape. Figure 12.8 shows three shapes in various stages of being bent.

Figure 12.8. Bending shapes.

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Dragging up and down with the Bend Points tool causes all vertically aligned points along the midline to remain still while the rest of the points bend outward and down or up from the center depending on how you drag with the mouse. Dragging to the side with the Bend Points tool causes all horizontally aligned points along the midline to remain still while the rest of the points bend upward and downward from the center depending on how you drag with the mouse.

Figure 12.9 shows a simple example of dragging down with the Bend Points tool. Notice how the text with its many points bends nicely about a center point, but the rectangles don’t bend at all since they only have four points. The bend causes the rectangles’ points to move outward.

Figure 12.9. Logo created with the Bend tool.

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The Noise tool causes the selected points to move randomly in different directions; the end result will be slightly different from the original. If you drag with the Noise tool continuously, the points continue to move consistently in the same direction as long as you drag. If you drag and release the mouse button and drag again, the points are moved repeatedly in different directions each time you drag. Figure 12.10 shows the text from the previous figure dragged once with the Noise tool.

Figure 12.10. Text altered with the Noise tool.

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