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Use the Shape Bend Tool to reshape paths and Brush strokes by dragging directly on their geometry. Drag a shape’s edge to bend it, or on a Brush Shape, drag the center line to reshape the stroke and its edges to adjust its width. Corner points act as anchors while the geometry between them bends.

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Bending shapes

Select the Shape Bend Tool, then drag an edge to bend the path. As you drag, nearby corner points anchor the bend while the path between them reshapes. Use Corner Threshold and Falloff to control which points act as corners and how far the bend extends.

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Brush shapes

The Shape Bend Tool can also edit the spine and width of Brush Shapes.
  • Drag the center line to reshape the stroke.
  • Drag either edge to change the width of the stroke.
While using the Brush Tool, hold ⌘ (or Ctrl on Windows) to temporarily switch to the Shape Bend Tool.

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Bend Options

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Corner Threshold

Corner Threshold controls how sharp a point must be to act as a corner while bending. Corners remain fixed while the path between them bends. Lower values identify more points as corners.

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Falloff

Falloff controls how far a bend spreads along the path, as a percentage of the outline. Higher values allow the bend to affect more of the path. Corners can stop the bend before it reaches the full falloff distance.

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Smooth Joins

Enable Smooth Joins to keep the path smooth where the bent section meets the rest of the path. Disable it to allow the bend to create a sharp point at the join.

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View options

Use the view options to inspect the geometry and curvature of the path while working with the Shape Bend Tool.

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Show Points

Enable Show Points to display the points along the path.

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Show Curvature

Enable Show Curvature to display a comb along the path that visualizes its curvature. Longer lines indicate tighter curves, while sudden changes in the comb indicate abrupt changes in curvature. Use Comb Scale to adjust the size of the curvature visualization. Enable Comb Outline to connect the ends of the comb lines, making changes in curvature easier to see.

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Show Selection

Enable Show Selection to display the selection outline and bounding box while bending.