Apple Motion 4 - Manual (Page 1065)

The Difference Between Shapes, Paint Strokes, and Masks
Shapes are primarily used to create all kinds of visual elements. They work like any other
object, except that they are created in Motion and are stored within your project file. A
single shape can be used as a background or colored graphic in a composition, or you
can create complex illustrations using many shapes. Each illustration below is composed
of shapes created within Motion.
Character drawn in Motion using Bezier tool Replicator using Bezier shape
You can create a paint stroke from scratch, or convert an existing shape to a paint stroke.
Unlike shapes that are created one point at a time, a paint stroke is created in one
continuous movement. You can use the stroke as a whole, or create unique graphic
elements that can be drawn on over time. While paint strokes share the same parameters
as all other shapes, they have additional specialized parameters.
Paint stroke with applied Sequence Paint behavior
1065 Chapter 17 Using Shapes, Masks, and Paint Strokes