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July 2022

AxoTools adds Tangent Line tool

AxoTools now includes a new Tangent Line tool.
Tangent Line tool
To use it, move your cursor over a path near the point you want the tangent line to begin. You’ll see a guide line appear showing the tangent angle. Click on the path and drag a line, which will be constrained tangent to the path. If you press Alt or Option, the tangent point will be adjusted, if possible, to align with your cursor. If you drag to another path, the tool will draw concentric rings when it’s near a tangent point there. For best results, find the spot where the rings collapse into a solid blue ball.

tangent line tool dragging

If your Draw Settings have checked “Automatically concatenate lines” then paths at both the start and end points will be cut and concatenated (joined). While dragging, you can press the keys “J” to toggle line concatenation or “W” to automatically assign stroke widths to path remnants.
The preferences includes a new item for “Curve tangent precision” which will affect both the Tangent Line tool and the extruding process for curve fitting. The default value of 0.1 will probably work fine for most or all of your work, but you can adjust it as high as 1 for faster performance or as fine as 0.001 for the most precision.
I’ve actually wanted a tool like this for my own work since the 90s, so it’s a thrill to be able to finally offer it to other AxoTools users. The added tool is part of a free update, available for download now.
I hope you find it useful!

Worker72a Text Overflow Alert now available

wopdThe second Worker72a plugin is now available here. When Text Overflow Alert is installed, it automatically scans all  documents when opened for text frames or text paths with overflowed text, and selects it for you to inspect and edit as needed. You can read more about it on its product page or follow upcoming Worker 72a plugins on the Worker72a download page.

The plugin is on sale through August 2022, with prices as low as $3.00 for an individual license.

Look for more Worker72a plugins in the near future.

Easy isometric grids

isometric gridAn isometric grid is one of the most commonly asked-for features in AxoTools, as well as a frequent topic on the Adobe Illustrator user forum. It would be really nice if Adobe Illustrator’s Perspective Grid presets included Isometric, but that’s not an option right now. In the meantime, there are some easy alternatives.

If you’re lucky enough to have Hot Door’s CADtools, an axonometric grid tool is already built in.

For the rest of us, just do a simple internet search, you’ll probably come up with a gazillion links showing how to make your own. For example, there’s this short tutorial by envatotuts+ on “How to Create an Isometric Grid in Less Than 2 Minutes.” Essentially, you create a rectangular grid with Illustrator’s built-in Rectangular Grid tool, then project it to isometric using any of several methods.

But it gets even easier! Your internet search results will likely include many Adobe Illustrator documents with an isometric grid already built. Just download it and save it as a template to use any time you need it!

So, considering how isometric grids are so easily and readily available, it’s not likely to be added to AxoTools any time soon. Instead, you can expect new features that are really new.

Worker72a plugins now part of Graffix

Worker 72a

Worker72a is now part of the Graffix family of Adobe Illustrator plugins

Doug Habben has been writing Adobe Illustrator plugins for a couple of decades, and in 2006 began offering them to the public under the banner of Worker72a. Doug and I have been in touch for many years, trading tips as fellow part-time plugin developers. After several years of retirement from his day job, Doug decided to retire from his own business, as well, and contacted me about handling and maintaining his plugins going forward. We obviously reached an agreement and for the first time, Worker72a plugins will be available for Windows, and also run natively on the new Apple M1 processors.

wopdThe first of Doug’s plugins to migrate over is White Overprint Detector. When installed, it automatically scans all opened documents for text or path art with white overprinting strokes or fills, and selects it for you to inspect and edit as needed. You can read more about it on its product page or follow upcoming Worker 72a plugins on the Worker72a download page.

The plugin is on sale through August 2022, with prices as low as $3.00 for an individual license.

Best wishes to Doug in his “other” retirement!