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julies34011742
julies34011742
Participating Frequently
January 3, 2019
Question

custom arrowheads that stay the same size and follow the shaft trajectory

  • January 3, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 6247 views

Hi,

I want to create a custom arrowhead that stays the same size no matter what stroke weight is applied to the arrow. Usually, I want the arrowhead to have the same attributes as the shaft. Sometimes, though, I want the shaft to be dashed while the arrowhead stays solid.

I also want the arrowhead to follow the trajectory of the shaft if I change it.

Is there a way to accomplish these two things? So far, I've tried adding the arrowhead to the arrowheads.ai file so it appears in the drop-down menu in the Stroke Panel, Brushes, and I believe the Graphic Styles panel.

Thanks,

Julie

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    4 replies

    rcraighead
    rcraighead
    Legend
    January 8, 2019

    Will this work for you? PDF FILE Dropbox link.

    A start arrow could be added to the brush. Just move the left "Stretch" line to the right.

    Edit: As an afterthought I created a dashed-line version. Will need tweaking.

    julies34011742
    julies34011742Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 8, 2019

    This looks promising! I'm working my way through. I'm lost at assigning the brush to a stroke. I don't have the same options that you have. I must be missing a step or two. Your Appearance Panel:

    My Appearance Panel (using the bottom arrow; the other arrows are my experiments with the arrowheads.ai file):

    Thanks for keeping at this!

    Julie

    rcraighead
    rcraighead
    Legend
    January 8, 2019
    1. Assign the custom Art Brush to the "Stroke".
    2. In the "Appearance" Panel Select ONLY the Stroke Attribute.
    3. Go to Effects Menu and choose "Path>Outline Object" (you'll see the Effect in the Appearance Panel under the Stroke Attribute).
    4. Do the same for "Offset Path" (make sure it is BELOW "Outline Stroke" in the stacking order).
    5. Click "Offset Path" and change the "Offset" to change the line width.

    FYI… When creating custom brushes I always save the original artwork in a single Static Symbol. That way the original art is available to edit, by double-clicking the Symbol icon in the Symbols Panel. Option+Drag to the Brush icon in the Brush Panel to update the brush. Brush artwork CAN be dragged OUT of the Brush panel but any strokes or Blends are expanded… not too useful for editing.

    Did you download the Illustrator PDF from the previous post? It is fully Illustrator compatible. Just open it in Illustrator and you can review and edit the Arrow Appearance. Here it is again. Dropbox - ArrowBrush.pdf

    Jacob Bugge
    Community Expert
    Jacob BuggeCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 4, 2019

    Julie,

    How about the good old double stroke way (far from any dangerous sense)?

    1) Create the path with the basic Stroke Weight that goes with the right arrowhead size;

    2) In the Appearance palette (flyout) Add New Stroke;

    3) Still (with)in the Appearance palette click the original Stroke to select it, then add the arrowhead to that Stroke only;

    4) Still (with)in the Appearance palette click the added Stroke to select it, then change its Stroke Weight as desired.

    tromboniator
    Community Expert
    tromboniatorCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 5, 2019

    If I've understood you, this results:

    rcraighead
    rcraighead
    Legend
    January 4, 2019

    I think the answer to your question "Can I thicken the line without enlarging the arrow?" is no. But… maybe this will be a partial solutions:

    1. Make an "Art Brush" and use "Stretch Between Guides".
    2. Duplicate it and update the art for each line width you need.

    Maybe someone will find a more elegant solution for your.

    Edit: One other idea is to assign an "Offset Path" Effect to a second line attribute in the Appearance panel and bump up the Offset to create a fatter line. Not sure its any better than the first idea, but it only needs one brush.

    julies34011742
    julies34011742Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 4, 2019

    I think you're right about the stroke weight and size of the arrowhead. I wish we could choose what the arrowhead does.

    As for stretching between guides, thank you for this idea. I'll try it out. I was hoping I wouldn't have to create separate arrows for each stroke weight, as I use a lot of increments. Plus, I often need arrowheads at both ends. And dashed shafts of various qualities. ...

    tromboniator
    Community Expert
    tromboniatorCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 4, 2019

    If I understand you correctly, this is the sort of thing you want. In essence you want to apply two separate strokes to one path, which is fine, it's just probably more involved that you're hoping for. It requires familiarity with the Appearance panel, and Graphic Styles.

    1. Draw the arrowhead, pointing to the right, with a 1 pt. black strok..

    2. In back of (or beneath, if you prefer) the arrowhead put a rectangle with fill but no stroke that goes from the point of the arrowhead leftward as far as you want a gap between the arrowhead and the shaft of the arrow.

    3. Give the rectangle an opacity of 0%.

    4. Select the arrowhead and the invisible rectangle and make an Art Brush. In Brush Scale Options select Stretch between Guides, move both Guides to the left of the arrowhead, and set Colorization to Tints.

    5. Draw a path with a 1 pt. black stroke.

    6. With the path selected, go to the Appearance panel, to the menu in the upper right corner. Select Add New Stroke (black).  With that still highlighted, go to the Brushes panel and click on the arrowhead Art Brush. Be sure that the brushed stroke is above the plain stroked path in the Appearance panel.

    7. With the path still selected, go back to the Appearance panel. Click on Opacity at the very bottom of the panel, click the box for Knockout Group until the check/tick mark appears. This should give your path the appearance you want.

    8. Drag the path onto the Graphic Styles panel (Window > Graphic Styles to make it appear) and name it if you care to.

    You may now draw any path you like and, with it selected, click on the new Graphic Style to apply it. To change the stroke of the arrow shaft, go to the Appearance panel and click on the lower (plain) stroke and adjust as needed. To change the color, you will need to select each stroke separately.

    I think that covers it. If it's confusing or you think I've left something out, please ask for clarification. I believe this can be adapted for arrowheads at either or both ends, and no problem with dashed lines. Just get friendly with the Appearance panel.

    Peter

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 3, 2019

    So you have created it in the Arrowheads file and it doesn't work?

    julies34011742
    julies34011742Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 3, 2019

    Right. The arrowhead changes size when I change the stroke weight of the shaft.

    julies34011742
    julies34011742Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 3, 2019

    Also, the arrowhead does not follow the trajectory of the shaft if I change it. It remains pointed to the right, due east, no matter what the shaft is doing.

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