Is there a way to create linear spirals?

[_Steven_Scotten_]

Another spiral question that's been nagging me: does Illustrator provide any way to create a linear (Archimedes) spiral? I'm trying to create a spiral where the distance between the windings is constant. It looks like Illustrator only makes logarithmic spirals, where the angle of the windings is constant but the distance between grows bigger with each successive winding.

If not, are there third-party plug-ins or solutions of any kind?

I suppose I could write the curve in Postscript, but that seems like work. :)

[_Steven_Scotten_]

Very creative solutions, thanks!

I actually dug out Freehand but its Spiral tool wouldn't do more than 200 windings. Good for future reference but not so much for this project. What I ended up doing was stealing this Postscript code:

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=387813&postcount=7

And imported it into CS4 after tweaking the code in a text editor. I got about 500 windings before Illustrator reported running out of memory (Activity Monitor said I still had 6GB free). I was hoping for more, but 500 is quite a lot. I think this will do very nicely!

[NTC Ann]

Hi. I am trying to understand these messages but am a bit confused. I am trying to create a spiral that looks like a tornado... bigger on top and smaller on the bottom. Is there a simple tool inside Illustrator that I can create one with? Thank you for any help.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Take a look at http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b87878/0
To make a tornado-like shape you have to start off with a curved funnel-shaped object with no fill or stroke. Revolve it 360° and then map the graphics onto it. Flat spirals are not a good way to start for this one :-)

[Palm Equipment]

Why is there still no improvement to the spiral tool in Illustrator? Where is our linear spiral option?

[SJRiegel]

Adobe Illustrator Scripts by Hiroyuki Sato

Scroll down a little on the page - there is a script to create an archimedes spiral

[Palm Equipment]

Thanks SJRiegel, I know of the script. I also run CS4 so I can run old Scriptographer scripts. I wish Adobe would make their shape creation tools better. People have been using these scripts since 2010 ... how difficult is it to wrap the most useful of them into the existing tools?

[Ton Frederiks]

You can request that here:

Adobe Illustrator Feedback

[stunamii]

Use a script. Many out there already
https://www.illustratorscripts.com/scripts/archimedes-spiral/