Tools Menu

Use these menu commands to access tools to create and colour drawings, and apply transformations to objects. These commands can also be accessed from the Tools Toolbar.

Command

Action

Other Access Methods

Brush

Draws brush stroke shapes.

With a graphic tablet and pen, change the amount of pressure to draw variable-width strokes.

Camera Transform

Allows you to select a camera transformation.

Close Gap

Finds gaps and adds vector lines to close them so that you can fill the zone with colour. Drag this tool near to an area where you think there are holes in the zones that you drew.

Press [Shift]+[Alt] to use the line ends, instead of the closest point, to close a gap.

To view strokes that you create with this tool, select the Show Strokes command.

Convert Template to Drawing

Convert a template that has been dragged from the library to an editable drawing.

  • panel pop-up menu: Convert Template to Drawing

Dropper

Selects a colour based on where you click your drawing. Toon Boom Storyboard selects the corresponding colour in the palette.

Ellipse

Draws circles and other round shapes.

  • Press [Shift] and draw circles.
  • Press [Alt] to draw from the centre.

Eraser

Trims regions from a drawing object. If you create a new zone with the Eraser tool, you can fill this zone with colour.

First Frame Transform

Determines the start position of a drawing that will be transformed in the panel over time. Transformations occur over time between the first frame and last frame of the panel.

Flatten

Reduces the selected overlapping objects in a layer into a single drawing object.

Flatten and Remove Invisible Lines

Reduces the selected overlapping objects in a layer into a single drawing object.

  • panel pop-up menu: Flatten and Remove Invisible Lines

Flip Selection Horizontally

Reverses the selected drawing object or all drawing objects in the active layer horizontally, that is, from left to right.

  • [Alt]+[H]

Flip Selection Vertically

Reverses the selected drawing object or all drawing objects in the active layer vertically, that is, from top to bottom.

  • [Alt]+[V]

Freehand Cutter

Draws cut selection shapes.

Last Frame Transform

Determines the end position of a drawing that will be transformed in the panel over time. Transformations occur over time between the first frame and last frame of the panel.

Line

Draws straight lines in the current frame.

When this tool is active you can:

Press [Shift] to draw lines at angles of 15 degrees.

Press [Alt] to snap to a nearby line.

Paint

Fills the zones of a layer with a colour.

Pan

Pans your view vertically or horizontally.

This tool helps you see the part of the frame that is obscured while you are working on another part your drawing.

  • (Tools Toolbar)
  • Hold down the [Spacebar] while you click and drag the window.

Rectangle

Draws rectangles or squares.

  • Press [Shift] and draw squares.
  • Press [Alt] to draw from the centre.

Rectangle Cutter

Draws rectangular cut selections.

Select

Selects drawing objects.

By default, the selection tool is a lasso. Press [Alt] to switch temporarily between the lasso and marquee selection tool.

Text

Adds text to a layer.

  • (Tools Toolbar)
  • panel pop-up menu: Text
  • Windows [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[T]
  • Mac OS X [Command]+[Shift]+[T]

Zoom

Selects the area of the frame that you want to zoom in or zoom out.

When this tool is active:

Zoom in by clicking the area you want to see in the drawing workspace.

Zoom in by dragging the pointer to draw a rectangle around the area you want see.

Zoom out by pressing [Alt] and clicking the area you want to see in the drawing workspace.

  • (Tools Toolbar)
  • [Alt]+[Z]
  • Windows [Ctrl]+[Spacebar] to enable the Zoom tool temporarily.
  • Mac OS X [Command]+[Spacebar] to enable the Zoom tool temporarily.
  • panel pop-up menu: Zoom