Draw any outline with a pen

WhereThe top bar: the row of words that begins File, Edit.

DoDownload p2-02-start.blend from Files above and open it. Then choose File > Save As and save it under the name below, in a folder of yours. Open an exercise file and keep the start file safe (P0-07) shows how.

Typemy-drop.blend

You should seeThe 3D view shows only the grid: nothing is in the file. The words at the top left of the 3D view begin Front Orthographic, so the view looks straight at the front.

It worked whenThe title bar, the strip above File and Edit, begins my-drop.

WhereThe sidebar: the CAD/CAM tab, then the section bar, the row of small word buttons at the top of that tab.

DoClick the CAD/CAM tab, click Draw in the section bar, then press Pen. Nothing is drawn yet.

You should seeA line of words just under the header, the row that begins View, Select, Add: the tool’s line. It begins with the tool’s name, “Pen”, then names the plane, “Plane: Front”, and the snap. The Pen runs until you finish the outline. The status bar, the line along the very bottom of the window, begins “Pen:” and lists its keys, among them “Enter finish”, “C close”, “Backspace remove” and “Esc cancel”. So at any time Backspace takes the last point back, and Esc throws the outline away and ends the Pen: press Pen to begin again. The numbers beside the pointer show where it is: you need not match them. The key Shift+Q starts the Pen too, with the pointer over the 3D view.

It worked whenThe tool’s line holds the words “Plane: Front”.

WhereThe 3D view. Each small square of the grid is 1 mm, and the stronger lines are 10 mm apart. The tip stands 5 squares to the right of the 3D cursor and 18 squares above the red line.

DoPut the pointer on the 3D cursor, move it 5 squares right and 18 squares up, where the picture marks the tip, and click.

You should seeA point where you clicked, and a thin line that follows the pointer from it. A click makes a corner point. The tip is the first point of the outline.

It worked whenA point stands in the 3D view where you clicked.

If it goes wrongThe tip is in the wrong place: Press Esc: the outline is thrown away and the Pen ends. Press Pen again and click again.

WhereThe 3D view: leave the pointer where it is.

DoType 10, press Tab, type 240, then press Enter.

Type10, then Tab, then 240, then Enter

You should seeA side 10 mm long, going from the tip down and to the left. 240 degrees points down and to the left: 0 points to the right, 90 up, 180 to the left and 270 down, turning anticlockwise. The line under the header showed Length and Angle while you typed. The side’s end is a second corner point, the widest place of the drop on the left.

It worked whenA straight side runs from the tip to a point on the left.

If it goes wrongNothing happens when you type: The pointer is over the sidebar and not over the 3D view. Move it over the 3D view and type again.

WhereThe 3D view: the bottom of the drop stands 5 squares to the right of the 3D cursor, on the red line.

DoPress the left button on the red line, below the tip, keep it down, drag 3 squares to the right, then let go. On a touchpad, hold the button down with your thumb and move with a finger.

You should seeA point on the red line with a short line through it, one end on each side. The small round ends of that line are its handles: they bend the outline smoothly through the point instead of making a corner. A click makes a corner, a drag makes a smooth point. If you made a corner by mistake, Backspace takes that point back: then press and drag again.

It worked whenA smooth point stands on the red line, with a line through it.

WhereThe 3D view: the right-hand corner stands level with the left one, 10 squares to the right of it.

DoClick level with the left corner, on the right of the drop, where the picture marks it.

You should seeThe outline bending from the smooth point up to the new corner, with the thin line following the pointer back towards the tip. This corner is level with the first one, so the drop is the same width at both.

It worked whenA fourth point stands on the right, level with the one on the left.

WhereThe 3D view: leave the pointer where it is.

DoPress C.

You should seeThe last side, from the right corner back to the tip, is drawn, and the outline turns solid orange: it is closed and selected. The tool’s line goes back to the header’s small buttons. Enter would have finished the drawing without closing it.

It worked whenThe outline is one unbroken line, and the words at the top left of the 3D view end with CJ Pen.

WhereThe sidebar: click the Item tab, the strip of tabs at the right edge of the sidebar, below CAD/CAM.

DoClick the Item tab and read Dimensions:. Then click the CAD/CAM tab to come back.

You should seeDimensions: reads X 10.0 mm, Y 17.9 mm, Z 0 mm. The outline is 10.0 across and 17.9 high; Z is 0 because a drawing has no thickness. Dimensions: measures along the drawing’s own axes, so the height shows as Y.

It worked whenDimensions: reads X 10.0 mm and Y 17.9 mm.

WhereThe 3D view: move the pointer over it.

DoPress Ctrl+S.

You should seeBlender writes your copy at once, with no question, because the file already has a name. An asterisk, *, in the title bar marks changes that are not saved, and it goes now. Save your work and get it back (P0-12) says more about saving.

It worked whenThe title bar begins my-drop and carries no asterisk.