With the Tilt and Extrude parameters in place, imagine a Spiral Shape Tool which didn't simply "extrude" the shape along the Extrude value, but repeated the shape along the extrusion length. Now imagine further that, over time, other Shape Tools were added. That would blow the doors off any 2D Extrude Tool in any of the existing mainstream 2D drawing programs. That's an example of adding functional elegance to a program in which a small addition compounds the functional power of existing features. And it does it in concert with the power of all the already existing shape-specific adjustable parameters of the Shape Tools. In other words, it does the same thing as those ordinary "extrude" tools in other programs, but does it in correct geometric proportion for any 3D orientation. Entering a length (or expression) into the Extrude field offsets a copy of that scaled shape and moves it vertically by the value entered multiplied by the cosine of the Tilt angle, and draws the connecting "extrusion" lines between the two. Entering an angle (or expression that yields an angle) into the Tilt field scales the shape vertically by the sine of that angle. You adjust its various parameters (inner and outer radius, number of teeth, etc.) It works as it always has for drawing a "cog" viewed "straight on." But now, in the Control Bar are the two added parameter fields. So, for example, you use the Cog Shape Tool to draw a cog. ![]() ![]() Now imagine this: Suppose all of the Shape Tools simply had two additional parameters, labeled "Tilt" and "Extrude." Corresponding numeric input fields also appear in the Control Bar for numerically specifying those parameters. The existing Shapes palette already provides a plethora of common shapes, each with special handles by which to adjust their own appropriate parameters. That simple "sine and cosine" proportional principle applies not just to isometric, but to any orientation in any axonometric drawing method. Each of the visible edges of the cube are foreshortened by the cosine of that same angle. Each of the three visible sides of the cube are foreshortened (scaled in one direction) by the sine of that angle. That angle is the specific angle imprinted on every isometric drawing template: 35☁6" (thirty-five degrees, sixteen minutes). Therefore, each side of the cube makes the same angle with your line-of sight. The cube is drawn as if oriented such that the diagonal between its nearest and farthest corners is parallel to your line-of-sight. The reason why the perimeter of that cube forms a hexagon is simple 2D geometry. In this specific context, what I would envision is an enhancement to Affinity's Shape Tools.įirst, a little explanation: Consider that most familiar example of an "isometric" cube. I want to see innovatively better implementations. I'm frankly tired of the same old kindergarten stuff. But as always, I don't want to see Affinity merely mimic the functionally trite tools of other programs. I quite agree that an Extrude Tool would reduce that tedium. Just draw any shape on one of the iso grid planes, duplicate it, move it along the perpendicular axis the correctly proportional distance, use the Pen Tool in Line Mode to draw the edges of the extrusion, and delete the "hidden" edges. In other words, you would have to do other transformations and calculations in order to correctly call the result "isometric."Īffinity Designer does not as yet have such an "extrusion tool." But constructing such an extrusion is fairly trivial. ![]() Those extrude tools can be used to help draw objects in an isometric (or other axonometric) orientation, but to do so you would first draw the shape being extruded as if it were already parallel to one of the iso planes. ![]() So those two screenshots are just arbitrary obliques. However, nor are the specific examples shown "isometric," because the original squares to which they have been applied are drawn "in-the-flat." In any axonometric orientation (of which isometric is just a special case), if the face of the extrusion were viewed "straight on", no perpendicular extrusion of that face would be visible. They are straightforward 2D drawing tools. The kind of "extrude" tools depicted in maxmax's post are not 3D modeling tools.
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