Set and release anchor points

When you apply a brush stroke to a path whose length and stroke width differ from the length and height of the stroke definition box, the stroke will be stretched or squashed, and its aspect ratio will be changed. For example, if you make a stroke in the shape of an arm and apply it to a long path, all parts of the arm will be equally stretched. To maintain the appropriate proportions in the hand, while letting the arm stretch with the path, use the anchoring feature.

Setting anchor points

Modifying a path to anchor the points can differ depending on whether your path is based on an image or not.

To anchor head and tail sections of an image path

1. Select the points on the path you want to anchor. (For more on how to select points, see Selection tools.)

2. On the Object menu, point to Stroke, and then click Edit Stroke Definition.

3. In the Edit Image Stroke dialog box, type or select the following information:

   • Anchor head section length and Anchor tail section length   The two ends of an image stroke can be anchored so that it is not stretched to fit the destination path. Slide the pointer up or to the right to increase the size of the anchored section and down or to the left to reduce the size. You can also click the slider to enter a numeric value.

To anchor points in a nonimage path

1. Select the path you want to anchor.

2. On the Object menu, point to Stroke, and then click Edit Stroke Definition.

3. In the Edit Stroke window, select the path and use one of the following options:

   • To anchor the nodes to the path's starting point, right-click, and then click Anchor to Start.

   • To anchor the nodes to the path's ending point, right-click, and then click Anchor to End.

   • To anchor the nodes to an arbitrary point along the path, first anchor the points to the starting or ending point, and then drag the anchor marker along the red arrow to the position you want with the Anchor Point  tool.

Releasing anchor points

To release existing anchor points

1. Select the path you want to modify.

2. On the Object menu, point to Stroke, and then click Edit Stroke Definition.

3. In the Edit Stroke window, select the anchor point or points you want to release, right-click, and then click Release Anchor. You can also release all the points associated with an anchor by selecting the Anchor Point tool, right-clicking, and then clicking Release Anchoring.

Selecting anchor markers and anchor points

To select an anchor marker

1. In the Edit Stroke window, from the Toolbar, select the Anchor Point tool.

2. Use the Anchor Point tool to select an anchor marker.

When you have selected an anchor marker, you can change its position by dragging it along the reference backbone (or red arrow).

Selecting anchored nodes

To select points associated with an anchor marker

• Click an anchor marker with the Anchor Point tool. All the points associated with the anchor marker are then selected.