In the previous articles of the "Creating Shapes" section, you've learned how to draw and edit the geometry of the three different kinds of shapes: Faces, Players & Masks. Here, we'll present basic shape movements and transformations. These operations apply to all types of shapes.
Selecting shapes
Selecting a shape
To select a shape, you can click on it in the layers panel on the left or directly in the canvas. Once selected, it will turn yellow.
When shapes are not selected, they bear the color of the group they are assigned to (except if they are masks, then they stay black.) It can be changed by clicking on the color symbol in the Layers panel.
Note: if a shape is hidden, it can’t be selected (neither in the canvas nor in the layers panel). If a whole group is hidden, you can still click on it in the panel to make it active, but its shapes won’t be selected.
Selecting multiple shapes
To select multiple shapes at the same time, you can use basic key combinations like [CTRL/Cmd] + click to pick some shapes, [CTRL/Cmd + A] to select all shapes, [Shift] + click to select an array in the layers panel, or a classic lasso selection. When using the lasso selection, know that a shape needs to be completely covered by the rectangle in order to be selected entirely, or else it will only grab some of its vertices!
When you make a selection of multiple objects, a bounding box appears around them (from HeavyM 2.4).
You can refer to the view toolbar, at the top of the work area, to know how many shapes you have in your selection (the number next to the yellow icon).
Note: if you click on a group in the layers panel, all the shapes it contains will be selected. But be aware that you can’t select multiple groups at once.
Selecting overlapping shapes
When you create a mapping with a lot of shapes, there’s a chance some of them will overlap completely. When you click on a pile, it will always select the one that is at the front (the highest in the layer list). If you want to reach a shape that is below, the layer tree comes in handy!
Note: sometimes, when similar shapes are placed exactly one above the other, you might not notice that there are multiple ones in your selection. That’s when the elements of information in the view toolbar and the layers panel will be helpful.
Arranging shapes
Shapes can be stacked and their order has an importance. Indeed, shapes are stored in groups and ordered in a layer pile, which also impacts the rendering in the projection: very basically, what's on top of the pile will be displayed in front of what's below.
By default, when you create a shape, it is added in the currently active group. If you want to order your shapes, you can drag & drop items directly in the layer list, or use the features in the options or right-click context menus.
Specifically, you can use the items from the “Arrange” submenu to change the order of shapes in a group: “Move to Front” puts a shape above all other faces in its subgroup (masks are separated from faces and players), whereas “Move Forward” ([CTRL/Cmd + ↑]) just sends it above the next shape above in the group (and “Move to Back” and “Move Backward” ([CTRL/Cmd + ↓]) will do the opposite).
Note: know that Masks are always at the top of a group. They can be arranged between each other but they are separated from faces and players. Indeed, in a group there are two implicit subgroups, which you can display by ticking the option "Layers Panel: show Shapes and Masks subgroups" in Edit → Preferences → General → Interface.
Moving shapes
From the Canvas
Shapes can be moved when they are selected. You can use your mouse to grab and drag your selection to drop it to a new location. In the case of a multi-selection, you can directly grab anywhere inside the bounding box, no need to grab one of the shapes specifically.
In addition, by holding [Shift] when you drag a selection, you’ll be able to constrain the movement in a vertical or horizontal translation only. A grey line representing the axis on which your selection is translated will appear.
Of course, you can also use the arrow keys to move selected faces precisely (hold [Shift] at the same time for a bigger increment.)
Note: when placing faces, the Magnet mode, that helps you snap points together, will be extremely helpful to prevent unwanted blank spaces. It is accessible from the magnet icon in the toolbar or the shortcut [CTRL/Cmd + M].
From the Properties (2.13)
You can also set the coordinates of a selected shape directly in the Properties Panel. There, you can input precise pixel values for X and Y.
- X represents the distance in pixels between the left side of the Canvas and the left side of the bounding box of the shape.
- Y represents the distance in pixels between the top side of the Canvas and the top side of the bounding box of the shape.
Note: be careful when using curves, at the moment tangent handles are included in the bounding box.
Resizing shapes
From the Canvas
- Select the shape(s) you want to scale.
- Hover your pointer close to one edge of your selection.
- If there's one shape in the selection, the edges are all lines between 2 vertices.
- If there are multiple objects in the selection, the edges are the 4 sides of the bounding box.
- When a double arrow cursor appears, left-click and drag your pointer (while holding your click) to resize.
- If you drag the cursor towards the center of the selection, it'll shrink it.
- If you drag the cursor away from the center of the selection, it'll enlarge it.
- Release your click to stop the transformation.
This performs a uniform transformation, relative to the center of the selection's bounding box.
If you want to resize your selection on one dimension only, hold [Shift] when dragging the resize cursor along the x or y axis.
Note: the previous paragraphs describe the tools from version 2.4.0. If you're using a previous release of the software (up until 2.3.1), use [Alt] + drag or [Alt] + arrow keys to resize a selection.
From the Properties (2.13)
You can also set the dimensions of a selected shape directly in the Properties Panel. There, you can input precise pixel values for W and H.
- W represents the width of the bounding box of the shape, in pixels.
- H represents the height of the bounding box of the shape, in pixels.
- If the button with the link icon is toggled on, it means that the Width/Height ratio is preserved when changing one of the dimensions. The other dimension is then automatically calculated in order to keep the same aspect ratio.
Note: be careful when using curves, at the moment tangent handles are included in the bounding box.
Rotating shapes
There are two ways to perform a rotation in HeavyM. You can either:
- Perform a rotation from a menu: simply make your selection of shape(s) and right-click Transform → Rotation to rotate the selection at a predefined angle.
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Perform a rotation with the rotate cursor:
- Select the shape(s) you want to scale.
- Hover your pointer close to one vertex of your selection.
- If there's one shape in your selection, any point of your shape will do.
- If there are multiple objects in your selection, use one of the four corners of the bounding box.
- When a round arrow cursor appears, left-click and drag your pointer around (while holding your click) to rotate.
- Release your click to stop the transformation.
This perform a rotation around the center of the selection's bounding box.
Additionally, hold [Shift] when dragging the rotate cursor to perform a rotation in 15° steps.
Note: the previous paragraphs describe the tools from version 2.4.0. If you're using a previous release of the software (up until 2.3.1), use [CTRL/Cmd + R] or [CTRL/Cmd + Alt + R] (rotation mode) to rotate a selection.
Duplicating shapes
You can use the usual right-click or shortcut commands to copy [CTRL/Cmd + C] / cut [CTRL/Cmd + X] / paste here [CTRL/Cmd + V] / paste in place [CTRL/Cmd + Shift + V] or duplicate [CTRL/Cmd + D].
If you use "paste here", the selection will be pasted where your mouse pointer is located. With "paste in place", the selection is pasted at the same coordinates as the original one (no matter the Map).
From version 2.4.0, you can also press [Alt] while dragging a selection to duplicate it.
Performing symmetries
Symmetries in HeavyM allow you to make a reflection of the shapes you have selected, with respect to a vertical or horizontal axis (all the while keeping the original shapes).
Simply select the shapes you want to mirror, and then right-click Transform → Symmetry or use the shortcut corresponding to the desired type of symmetry. Here are the four types:
- Mirror Up [Ctrl + Shift + ↑]
- Mirror Down [Ctrl + Shift + ↓]
- Mirror Left [Ctrl + Shift + ←]
- Mirror Right [Ctrl + Shift + →]
Note: a symmetry might affect the left-right direction of your effects.
Deleting shapes
To delete shapes, simply make a selection and hit [Delete/Backspace] or use the item in the right-click menu or the option menus in the Layers panel.