VectorStyler
    • Categories
    • Unread
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Register
    • Login

    Support a Blob type of vector brush

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Features and Ideas
    38 Posts 6 Posters 16.2k Views 5 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • Devil DinosaurD Offline
      Devil Dinosaur @Bitten
      last edited by Devil Dinosaur

      @Bitten
      Hi,
      Like said above, what you need is the "Path Brush Tool". It's located on the left main tool bar, third icon from the top, then the last of the menu that opens to the right. It's pressure sensitive and seems to be what you want. You may check some other tools of this section.

      0_1758151429412_path brush tool.png

      Fred.
      MacBook Pro (M1) - MacOs Sonoma 14

      B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • S Offline
        Subpath
        last edited by

        @VectorStyler

        I noticed two additional things:

        First:
        I miss a live preview when changing the size of the Path Brush tool.
        The brush tip size only changes after I've set a new size. This
        makes adjusting the size a bit unintuitive.

        Second:
        No matter which shape you select as the brush tip, the Path Brush
        tool always paints with a rounded tip. This makes changing the
        Brush tip somewhat useless.

        I also demonstrate both of these points in this video.

        Win 11
        CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 6-core.
        GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070.

        VectorStylerV 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
        • VectorStylerV Offline
          VectorStyler @Subpath
          last edited by

          @Subpath said in Support a Blob type of vector brush:

          When painting with the brush (not clicking) the top is always rounded.
          Only when clicking you can use the selected shape

          S BoldlineB 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • B Offline
            Bitten @Devil Dinosaur
            last edited by Bitten

            @Devil-Dinosaur Ok nice yeah I found the brush tool now and it does seem to work a lot like the other tools mentioned which is great. One big issue with it right now though as I think Subpath also calls out is that the pressure changes you make don't adjust the size of the "preview / cursor" until you release.

            What this results in is a situation where it's difficult to know if you have actually painted in a filled area on your canvas till you release the pen from screen, often showing that actually there are little gaps because pressure wasn't hard enough, This also makes it hard to do fine pen work because the preview is max brush size not the actual brush size with pressure factored in.

            So I think in summary Yes there's a brush tool that can let you draw as shapes, and an eraser to go with it but both tools seem geared for use with a mouse not pressure pen as the brush size indicator does not adjust to match actual brush size when laying down new pressure based strokes

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • S Offline
              Subpath @VectorStyler
              last edited by

              @VectorStyler

              Yes, I know that and I have already mentioned it,
              but I find this behavior a bit curious

              Win 11
              CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 6-core.
              GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • E Offline
                EricP
                last edited by

                @Subpath thanks for the tip about shape nib.

                I had tried earlier to change the shape on the toolbar when the path brush tool was active, but all it did was to replace the selected object by the shape, not change the brush nib.

                Watching your video, I now understand that the shape must be selected with no canvas object selected so it can change the nib shape. Thanks

                But using the feature, it doesn't apply the shape when dragging the path brush. It only seems to apply it when clicking on the border of an object, it then modifies the object shape with the selected tool shape.

                Not very intuitive but still useful

                S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • S Offline
                  Subpath @EricP
                  last edited by Subpath

                  @EricP

                  You're welcome.

                  I also find it strange that you can't paint with the path brush tool
                  using the selected shape tip.

                  Btw. this option to select a shape that have previously been
                  assigned the shape role is available for many tools in VectorStyler,
                  you can always check to see if a shape selection is offered in the
                  setting of a tool.

                  You can also use this to create shape presets, for example. You
                  can also do this with the parametric shapes in VS, which remain
                  editable.

                  Here a video where change a shape used in a blend

                  Win 11
                  CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 6-core.
                  GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070.

                  E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • E Offline
                    EricP @Subpath
                    last edited by

                    @Subpath thanks for these tips.

                    Yes, I've tried to change the shape of some tools like the "Shaped Bump Tool" but did not find it to work as expected. Maybe I missed how to use it properly.

                    Coming back to the Path Brush tool, I really like what can be obtained with it, to imprint some patterns on the surface of shapes.

                    I experimented a bit and tried some modifier keys with it. I was hoping Alt would turn it into a Path Eraser but it doesn't.

                    However, a cool modifier is Shift, where if you shift-click with Path brush tool on a shape (doesn't have to have a shape role), the nib takes that shape. You can repeat over and over and get some kind of fractal construction where the path embeds smaller versions of itself.
                    here is an example : https://somup.com/cTQFl7P10Y

                    S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • BoldlineB Offline
                      Boldline @VectorStyler
                      last edited by

                      @VectorStyler said in Support a Blob type of vector brush:

                      @Subpath said in Support a Blob type of vector brush:

                      When painting with the brush (not clicking) the top is always rounded.
                      Only when clicking you can use the selected shape

                      Is there a reason you don’t want to have it operate in that manner? From my perspective, I would find that option very useful. A lot of interesting things could be done if the painting aspect used the shape and was not just the default rounded.

                      🍎 macOS Tahoe 26.2, Mac mini (M1, 2020), Chip Apple M1, Memory 16 GB
                      Cintiq 27QHD Display and LG Ultra HD Display

                      VectorStylerV 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • VectorStylerV Offline
                        VectorStyler @Boldline
                        last edited by

                        @Boldline said in Support a Blob type of vector brush:

                        Is there a reason you don’t want to have it operate in that manner?

                        When paining with the path brush, an expanded outline shape is created (calligraphy and variable width included).
                        But there is no method to using an arbitrary shape in this process. It is just no way to "define" it, unless I do some hacking.

                        E S 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • E Offline
                          EricP @VectorStyler
                          last edited by EricP

                          @VectorStyler It's not the way it's working today but I agree with @Boldline it would be great to be able to "paint" with a shape

                          The way I imagine it is you drag the mouse and VS inserts+merges shapes continuously (at intervals), like if you were clicking after each small position offset

                          like this : https://somup.com/cTQF2FP1a9

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • S Offline
                            Subpath @VectorStyler
                            last edited by Subpath

                            @VectorStyler

                            I don't think any user here would want to pressure you into any kind
                            of hacking. Is just we don't know in full the mechanism behind.

                            As for me, I can live with the current situation. Once I know how
                            something works, i have no problem to act accordingly.

                            Win 11
                            CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 6-core.
                            GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • S Offline
                              Subpath @EricP
                              last edited by Subpath

                              @EricP

                              ... However, a cool modifier is Shift, where if you shift-click with Path brush tool on a shape (doesn't have to have a shape role), the nib takes that shape. You can repeat over and over and get some kind of fractal construction where the path embeds smaller versions of itself ....

                              Interesting, did not know that.

                              Win 11
                              CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 6-core.
                              GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                              • B Offline
                                Bitten
                                last edited by

                                Put a video together to better show the 3 main problems with this software still
                                https://youtu.be/Pb7otS5bovU

                                It's definitely close but right now not quite where it needs to be.

                                VectorStylerV 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • VectorStylerV Offline
                                  VectorStyler @Bitten
                                  last edited by

                                  @Bitten What kind of tablet is used there?

                                  B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • B Offline
                                    Bitten @VectorStyler
                                    last edited by

                                    @VectorStyler Wacom Movink 13

                                    VectorStylerV 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • VectorStylerV Offline
                                      VectorStyler @Bitten
                                      last edited by

                                      @Bitten said in Support a Blob type of vector brush:

                                      @VectorStyler Wacom Movink 13

                                      I will try to fix these issues as soon as possible.

                                      B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • B Offline
                                        Bitten @VectorStyler
                                        last edited by

                                        @VectorStyler Legendary! If you can get these issues fixed I can finally after 10 years of waiting graduate to a modern graphics software.

                                        VectorStylerV 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • VectorStylerV Offline
                                          VectorStyler @Bitten
                                          last edited by

                                          @Bitten The tablet support on Windows has been somewhat difficult.

                                          E B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • E Offline
                                            EricP @VectorStyler
                                            last edited by

                                            @VectorStyler I found the tablet support working quite well on MacOS. The pen "nib" blue overlay stays at contant size, but the drawing follows pressure quite accurately and in real time, which is very usable.

                                            Here with an ipad and Apple pencil used in sidecar mode : https://somup.com/cTQqlTPjuN

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                            • First post
                                              Last post