Concentric Bends in a line?

[seantana]

Hey there everyone,
I was wondering if you could help me with a problem i just cant seem to solve for the life of me. I'm trying to create a sort of "rainbow" of 3-5 lines that will be exactly the same width, and also have perfectly concentric arcs or "bends" that will change the direction of the line.

Such as the curvy lines in this one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/seanskimt/lines.jpg

And the Tapered lines (bottom right) in this one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/seanskimt/lines2.jpg

And the Rainbow in this one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/seanskimt/rainbow1.jpg

Now, Ive tries stroking circles lining them up, expanding, and direct point deleting, but nothing seems to work. I feel like im missing something amazingly simple. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys!

[TORCH511]

One path, multiple lines, no worries!

You can assign more than one stroke to a path, which results in the easily being able to create the effect you are looking for perfectly:

http://www.torch511.com/attach/con_lines.jpg

There is one path going through the middle, and then I applied multiple strokes using the Appearances Palette of equal increasing weights, in this case: .15", .45", .75", 1.05" and 1.35". The result is lines and gaps .30" wide. You do not have to use equal widths. so you can have fat lines with thin gaps, or vice versa. You get the idea.

The rainbow is easy enough, you would have to Expand the object, divide and then assign the colors. Still not difficult.

[kazbear]

Another option. Create an Artwork Brush

[eco]

yep, art brush is a good idea indeed. I found another interesting approach here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTvJ-MAwSrk&feature=user this might be working for both of your requests seantana, cause it also deals with a rainbow :) have fun!

[alcbevtesting@alltel.net]

Torch,
Did you clip the object? When I tried I get flat ends to each repeat. Is it possible to keep all the copies separate without a common end? I hope it is clear what I mean here. I'll attach a quick example.

Torch - the Tut vid example I think helps clear this up a bit and it is worth watching for newcomers buty I'm still interested in your answer.

[3388]

just come to have a look
------------------------------
something special:
http://cntradeshop.com/product.asp?Classid=42&Nclassid=414

[allen_ajones]

One path, multiple lines, no worries!

You can assign more than one stroke to a path, which results in the easily being able to create the effect you are looking for perfectly:

http://www.torch511.com/attach/con_lines.jpg

There is one path going through the middle, and then I applied multiple strokes using the Appearances Palette of equal increasing weights, in this case: .15", .45", .75", 1.05" and 1.35". The result is lines and gaps .30" wide. You do not have to use equal widths. so you can have fat lines with thin gaps, or vice versa. You get the idea.

The rainbow is easy enough, you would have to Expand the object, divide and then assign the colors. Still not difficult.

Do you have a step by step post somewhere? Thank you!

[alcbevtesting@alltel.net]

It took me a while to figure this out but as you stack the strokes (alternating white and red) it becomes apparent. Try it out and practice but step by step instructions would be nice.

I'd have to dig back to figure out exavtly how I did it so the expert here is best set to answer your request.

Gary.

[Husker]

You can also do this with offset paths if you want to see through the gaps. Take a look at this screenshot and you can see 4 separate strokes in the appearance pallet. The first one is with no offset and then each subsequent one is offset by 10 points (i.e. 10, 20, 30). If you then want a solid color behind it, just add a thick stroke in back with the color of your choice. I've found this method easier than stacking different thickness strokes on top of each other.

Remember if you want to reuse this effect just add it to your graphic styles pallet and you are one click away from the same effect.

You could also turn this into a brush by expanding it and then dragging it you your brushes pallet for some really wacky effects.

http://vectorgeek.com/artwork/images/offset-paths.jpg

[Husker]

I should note that if you want to chop of the round ends, just expand the appearance and use the direct selection tool to delete the unwanted paths.