Before learning to create and manage guides in Linearity Curve, it's essential to define first what a Guide is and why it's crucial when working with a vector tool.
Guides are straight lines that help you precisely align text and vector objects on your canvas. They're displayed on top of your design to help you follow the structure you defined for your project. However, they do not interfere with your document's layers and will not be displayed in the exported document.
There are three different types of guides available in Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator):
- Horizontal and Vertical Guides are created by dragging them out directly from the Ruler.
- Object Guides can take any shape (line, circle, etc.) and are created with the Guide Toolbar that appears when the Guides Panel is activated.
- Smart Guides are straight vertical or horizontal lines that appear automatically when objects are moved on the canvas if the snapping option Smart Guides is enabled.
By default, all Guides in Curve are active and visible, but you can hide them by going to View > Show Guides.
Object Guides
The Object Guides in Curve can be created by accessing the Guides Panel. Click on the Guides icon on the right of the Artboard’s title in the Layers Panel, and a new panel will open.
The Toolbar will automatically transform and display only the Selection and drawing tools as Rectangle , Polygon , Oval , Star , Line , Spiral .
How to create a new Object Guide
Select any of the tools in the Guides Toolbar to start drawing your Object Guide. The guide can have any shape you need, as a simple straight line, or a more complicated square, circle, polygon, or spiral.
Once you draw the guide, place it in the desired position on your canvas, and then navigate back to the Layers Tab by clicking the back button.
The Object Guides will be automatically locked. You can also activate the Snap to Guides feature from the Menu bar under View > Snap to Guides to better align the elements in your document.
Note:
The Object Guides will always be displayed on top of your design, and the Elements within the Guides Layer will always be locked when drawing on the other Layers.
Duplicating an Object Guide
Navigate to the Guides Layer, select the guide you want to duplicate, and drag and drop your Guide while pressing the
Hide / Show Object Guides
Click on the Hide / Show icon next to the Layer’s title to hide or show all of that layer's Guides.
Click on the Hide / Show icon next to each Guide to hide or show that specific Guide.
Note:
Any Smart Guide on your Artboard will be hidden simultaneously when hiding the Guides from the Layers.
Horizontal and Vertical Guides
Linearity Curve shows the Rulers by default, which are attached to each Artboard in your document, allowing you to use them as a reference point.
Create a new Horizontal or Vertical Guide
Guides are straight vertical or horizontal lines that you can add to your Artboard from the Ruler.
Note:
Adding guides is only possible when the Ruler is activated.
To add a new Guide, click anywhere on one of the Rulers and drag it onto the canvas to set a new Guide. A blue-colored Guide becomes visible and will help you orientate during your design process.
- To create Horizontal guides, click and drag on the Ruler on the left border of your Artboard.
- To create Vertical guides, click and drag on the Ruler on the top border of your Artboard.
How to delete a guide
To delete a guide, click and drag the guide's handle and drop it outside the canvas. The guide will disappear.
Smart Guides
As you move and snap any elements to your document, Curve will automatically display light blue lines against nearby elements as Smart Guides that will help you snap to a nearby path’s center or edges.
Activate Snap to Guide
You can also activate the snapping options for your own Guides. This option is very useful for aligning your vector elements to the Guides and helping you be as precise as possible.
Go to View > Snap to Guides from the Menu Bar to activate the snapping option.
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