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View Full Version : Parallel wavy lines...how to?


sgillespie
10-23-2007, 03:13 PM
Hi,
I'm trying to make closely spaced parallel wavy lines. So...I'm a noob...I'm just missing something obvious, I'm sure. There must be some algorithm in Illustrator for doing this, it seems like such a simple obvious thing to want/need to be able to draw. Here's what I've tried:

If I draw a set of waves with the pen tool, duplicate it and place it nearby, it's not perfectly parallel (one side of the duplicate would have to be a tad stretched, one side a tad compressed in order to look perfectly parallel). This is also true if using the Blend tool to create a series of waves...you can tell with your eye it's not really parallel.

If I create a pair of parallel lines and make an art brush out of it, then apply brush to wavy lines, voila! 2 parallel wavy lines. Perfect. BUT! if I try to expand this to 3 parallel lines, make an art brush of it and apply to wavy curve made with pen tool, no go. The middle curve is some sort of bizarre averaged thing. I assume I'd have the same problem if I expanded this to 4 or 5 or more lines.

Please explain!! :confused:

kazbear
10-23-2007, 03:36 PM
Brush idea should work... Not sure whats going on. Check out this topic for another option:

http://www.illustratortechniques.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1153

sgillespie
10-23-2007, 04:35 PM
I knew it! It's all about knowing the logic of Illustrator. Ah...the appearances palette....foreign territory up till now. This worked <duh>. See attached for examples of how duplicating, art brushes, and appearance palette solution look. Thanks for helpful link.

kazbear
10-23-2007, 09:50 PM
That's interesting. I cant make my art brush option look like that. It always works for me.

can you post yout AI file? I would like to look at it...

nutella
10-23-2007, 10:59 PM
Same here. I can make any number of lines using the artbrush option, and they are perfectly curved and parallel.