This used to be a real handy feature back in my McDraft days:
You push a “control” key and hold it in, then begin to move the mouse to draw or move a feature. If the first new position point represents a change in the X (or Y)direction, any mouse movement that generates a change in the Y (or X) coordinate is ignored until the line/feature is finished being drawn, then goes back to “normal”. This also helped to precisely position “duplicates” at offsets form the original, but with no variation in the X (or Y) alignment of the objects. Do any PC graphics applications offer this feature now? Are there any work-arounds for existing apps such as Paint?
I believe the newer versions of Photoshop all support it. At least the line and pencil tools.
“Paint” will let you do this if you hold the “Shift” key held down.
Paintshop Pro has had that feature for ages.
Well, I know when I am trying to drw straight line in EXCEL I can hold down the SHIFT key, I dunno what other applications that may work for.
Shoeless, may you always have only cool, soft sand to walk upon! Thanx.
In the drawing tool of MS Word 97, shift is used as a constraint. Holding it down while drawing with the oval or rectangle tool results in a circle or square. Holding it down while drawing a straight line snaps the line to angles in steps of 15 degrees relative to the page.
