1.3. Creating Figure Types
A new figure can be built using the figure builder window. Click 'Create Figure Type' in the File menu to open the figure builder window or click the Edit Figure button to edit the selected figure. Click 'New' in the figure builder to start a new figure.
Figures types are built from lines or circles, called segments. There is a limit of 255 segments per figure. After building a figure type, it can be saved as an STK file to share with others or added to the animation editing area with a specific name - both from the file menu. It can also be added directly to the animation by clicking 'Add To Animation' in the File menu and giving the figure a unique name, which will identify it in the figure selector. While building a figure, actions can be undone using the undo and redo buttons in the edit menu.
Information about the selected segment is displayed at the bottom of the window. This includes the total number of segments, the segment type, thickness, length, angle and whether the segment is static or dynamic (see Remove / restore handle below).
The controls for building a figure are to the left of the window and are as follows:
Add a circle
Add a circle segment to the figure type. After clicking the button, click any of the handles to select the joint it should pivot on and then click anywhere to set the length and angle of the segment.
Add a line
Add a line segment to the figure type. After clicking the button, click any of the handles to select the joint it should pivot on and then click anywhere to set the length and angle of the segment.
Change segment kind
Toggle the selected segment between a line and a circle. All other segment properties will remain unchanged.
Change circle fill
Toggle the selected segment between the three types of circle fill. These are; solid white, clear (no fill) and solid. The solid fill will be the same colour as the figure when changed in an animation, but the white fill will always remain white (as it was in Pivot v2). The button is only enabled when the selected segment is a circle.
Duplicate
Duplicate the selected segment. After clicking the button, click on any of the handles on the figure to select the joint the new segment should pivot on.
Change segment thickness
Change the line thickness of the selected segment by 1 pixel. Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking and the thickness will change by 5 pixels for more rapid adjustment. I line of zero thickness will be invisible when unselected and when used in the animation.
Remove / restore handle
Make the selected segment 'static' or 'dynamic'. A static segment will not have a handle at its end point when the figure has been added to the animation editing area. All segments are dynamic by default. A static segment will appear grey when not selected and a greyish blue when selected. This is useful when building detailed figures to reduce handle clutter.
Set origin joint
Set the end-point of the selected segment as the origin joint. The origin joint is the point that all other segments branches attach to and shows the orange handle for moving the figure. Changing the origin joint is particularly useful when repositioning the handles of sprite image figures and for joining figures at a specific point.
Split segment
Split the selected segment into two segments by adding a new joint at the segment centre. The resulting two segments will have the same properties as the original segment but will be half the length.
Delete segment
Delete the selected segment. If the segment has other segments attached to its end-point, then those segments will drop down to the pivot-point of the deleted segment. Hold the Ctrl key while clicking to delete the whole branch - the selected segment and all segments connected to it.
