Apple Motion 3 User Manual
Page 1059
Chapter 12
Using Shapes and Masks
1059
These controls are identical to the Apply Pen Speed (Shape behavior) parameters. For a
description of the Pen Speed parameters, see “
Geometry Pane Controls
The Shape Inspector’s Geometry pane controls allow you to change the shape type, to
close or open a shape, and to individually adjust the position of a shape’s control points
using value sliders.
Shape Type: Use this pop-up menu to change the type of control points that are used
to define the shape. For example, if you originally created a Bezier shape, you can
choose B-Spline from this menu to change each Bezier control point into a B-Spline
control point. Changing the shape type does not move the control points, although the
shape is changed, sometimes dramatically.
 Linear: All control points are joined by hard angles, and the resulting shape is a
polygon. The control points of a Linear shape lie directly on its edge.
 Bezier: Control points can be a mix of Bezier curves and hard angles, creating any
sort of shape. The control points of a Bezier shape lie directly on its edge.
 B-Spline: Control points are all B-Spline points, with different degrees of curvature.
B-Spline control points lie inside, outside, or on the edge of the shape, and are
connected by the B-Spline frame.
Note: To toggle the display of the B-Spline frame, choose View > Overlays > Lines.
You can change a shape’s type at any time. Changing a shape’s type changes its form.
For example, a single set of control points produces the following three shapes,
depending on the selected Shape Type.
Closed: If you select an open shape, this checkbox is turned off. Turning this checkbox
on connects the first and last points of an open shape. If you select a closed shape, this
checkbox is selected. Turning this checkbox off disconnects the first and last points,
turning it into an open shape.
Control Points: Click the disclosure triangle to display the position parameters for the
shape control points. Use the value sliders to adjust the position of a control point.
Linear shape
Bezier shape
B-Spline shape