Perspective Effects

Commands in the Path | Perspective menu can be used to modify vector objects. The 1 Side, 2 Sides, and Vanishing Point commands let you slant the bounding boxes of vector objects to align with vanishing points. By applying these commands, you can make vector objects appear to be drawn in perspective views.

About the Vanishing Point

The Perspective commands apply perspective effects based on a vanishing point. There is one global vanishing point in a Canvas X document. When you use the 1 Side or 2 Sides commands, you set the vanishing point by dragging a control handle. When you use the Vanishing Point command, you can set the vanishing point by clicking in the document or entering coordinates.

Using the 1 Side and 2 Sides Commands

The 1 Side and 2 Sides commands let you apply perspective effects to vector objects by dragging control handles. To use these commands, select a single vector object or a group of vector objects. These commands are not available if multiple objects are selected, or if a paint or text object is selected.

To Apply Perspective with 1 Side or 2 Sides:

1. Select a vector object or a group of vector objects.
2. In the Path | Perspective menu, choose 1 Side or 2 Sides.
3. Control handles appear at the corners of the bounding box of the selected object. Drag any of the handles to apply the perspective effect. As you drag a handle, guide lines indicate the position of the vanishing point, which extend beyond the current view.
   • If you choose 1 Side, the side of the object’s bounding box where you drag a handle will slant to a vanishing point. You can adjust the object’s sides independently.
   • If you choose 2 Sides, as you drag a handle, the opposite sides of the object’s bounding box will slant equally toward a vanishing point located along the object’s vertical or horizontal center axis.
   • When the pointer is on a control handle, a four-arrow symbol indicates that you can drag horizontally or vertically. To change directions, point to a control handle until the four-arrow symbol appears again.
4. When you finish, press Esc to deselect the object.

1 Side perspective	2 Sides perspective

Using the Vanishing Point Command

The Vanishing Point command applies a perspective effect to one or more vector objects. The command slants the bounding boxes of selected vector objects so the objects appear in perspective based on a vanishing point that you select.

The Vanishing Point command is available when vector objects or groups of vector objects are selected. The command is not available if a paint or text object is selected.

To Apply Perspective Using a Vanishing Point:

1. Select one or more vector objects or groups of vector objects.
2. Choose Path | Perspective | Vanishing Point.
3. In the dialog box, change the coordinates to move the vanishing point, or click in the document to set the vanishing point.
   • To enter coordinates: Type coordinate values in the text boxes. Coordinates are based on the document’s rulers.
   • To set the vanishing point visually: Click Choose. Move the pointer and click to set the vanishing point. The coordinates of the point you click appear in the text boxes.
   • To restore the previous vanishing point coordinates: Click Reset.
4. Click OK to apply the perspective effect.

The Effects | Remove Effects command will not remove perspective effects that have been applied to objects.