Selecting Shapes

Before you can change the properties of a point, shape, or path, you need to select the element; Anime Studio has several different ways to select each element type. Points and curves are highlighted red when selected and fills are displayed using a crosshatch pattern when selected.

Selecting a Shape

In addition to points that can be selected, you can also select a shape using the Select Shape tool (Q). When a shape is selected, its fill is displayed as a checkerboard pattern using the defined color, as shown in Figure 13.2. If the fill on the object is disabled and if the stroke is thick enough, then the stroke is displayed as a checkerboard pattern. The checkerboard pattern alternates with a light gray and the applied fill or stroke color.

Figure 13.2. A selected shape.

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With the Select Shape tool selected, you can alter the shape’s fill and stroke properties using the settings in the Style palette. The Style palette is covered in more detail in Chapter 15, “Setting Object Style.”

When several shapes are stacked on top of one another, you can use the Ctrl/Cmd key with the up and down arrow keys to navigate up and down the stacked shapes.

If you click the area of a fill where several objects are overlapped, the topmost shape is selected, but if you hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key and press the down arrow, the next shape in the stack is selected. If the second shape in a stack is selected, then the Ctrl/Cmd key and the up arrow will move the selection back to the top shape again.

Hiding a Shape

Once a shape is selected, you can choose to hide it with the Draw, Hide Shape (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+H) menu. This only hides the shape’s fill and stroke, but if the Show Paths option at the bottom of the working area is enabled, then you’ll still be able to see the shape’s paths. Hiding shapes will simplify the workspace, allowing you to focus on a particular shape. To view hidden shapes again, select the Draw, Show All Shapes (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+S). This makes all hidden shapes visible.

Defining a Fill Region

Custom fill regions can be defined using the Create Shape (U) tool. This tool works just like the Select Points tool, allowing you to click on points to select them or click on a curve to select the entire line. If the selected points form a closed curve, you can create a new fill, but if the selected curve is not closed, you can add a stroke style to the selection.

When selecting points and lines that make up a shape, you can enable the Lasso Mode on the Options bar to use the Lasso tool to draw around the specific points that you want to include. You can also access the Lasso tool if the Lasso Mode isn’t enabled by holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key.

Once a selection is made, you can apply the fill or stroke style defined in the Style palette by clicking the Create Shape button in the Options bar or by pressing the Spacebar. Figure 13.3 shows an arrow shape that has been divided into two shapes by adding a path that divides the arrowhead from the rest of the arrow. Then the new closed arrowhead shape can be selected and colored differently.

Figure 13.3. A custom-defined fill.

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Filling Irregular Strokes

When you use the Create Shape tool (U), simply clicking the stroke often doesn’t give you the exact shape that you want to fill. When using this tool, though, you can click a single point and then by holding down the Shift key, you can select other points to define the exact shape you want to fill.

To use the Create Shape tool (U) to define a complex shape, follow these steps:

1.	Open the Candy cane.anme file from the Chapter 13 folder on the CD. This file shows a simple candy cane object with lines drawn for shapes. If you click the candy cane’s stroke with the Create Shape tool, the entire object is selected, but we want to apply the color red to the stripes.
2.	Choose the Create Shape tool (U) from the Tools palette and click one of the corner points of the stripe you want to color red. Hold down the Shift key and then click all the points that surround the red stripe area. When a closed area is selected, the checkered fill pattern is displayed.
3.	Change the fill color in the Style palette to red and press the Spacebar to apply the new color.
4.	Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining red stripes. Figure 13.4 shows the resulting candy cane after the stripes have been filled. Figure 13.4. Candy cane with irregular fills. [View full size image]

Filling with Solid Colors

Another way to fill a shape with a color is with the Paint Bucket (P) tool. This tool works just like the Create Shape tool except you don’t need to select the shape before using the tool. Clicking a closed shape with the Paint Bucket instantly applies the defined fill and stroke to the shape. You can also click on an open path with the Paint Bucket tool to apply only stroke properties.

When the Paint Bucket tool is selected, the Options bar gives options to apply only the Fill, only the Stroke, or Both. You can also hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key to see a preview of the fill before applying it. If you don’t want to apply the fill, simply drag the mouse away from the shape before releasing the mouse button.

If a shape is contained within a shape that you’re trying to fill, then the interior shape is considered a hole and is not filled when the outer shape is clicked with the Paint Bucket tool. However, if two shapes are overlapping, then the Paint Bucket tool cannot be used to fill either object.

Removing a Fill

If you want to remove a fill from a shape, you can do so with the Delete Shape tool. With the Delete Shape tool selected, any fill that you click will be removed. Fills can also be removed by first selecting the fill with the Select Shape tool (Q). When selected, the checkered pattern will appear. If you choose the Edit, Clear menu command or press the Delete key, the fill will be removed. Figure 13.5 shows the arrow sign with the arrow fills removed.

Figure 13.5. Arrow sign with removed fills.

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