Vectric — Supercharge your CNC

Node Edit Mode

Node Editing lets you reshape existing vectors by working directly on their nodes and the spans between them — moving, adding and deleting points, converting spans between lines, arcs and beziers, and smoothing or aligning nodes.


Watch tutorial: How to use Node EditingWatch tutorial: Tutorial

Entering and Leaving

Select the vector(s) you want to change and press N to enter Node Editing; press N again to leave. Groups prompt to ungroup, and text prompts to convert to curves, before their nodes can be edited.


Working with Nodes

Hover over a node or a span to highlight it, then click to select it or Shift+Click to add to the selection. Drag a node or span to move it, or nudge the selection with the arrow keys. Right-click a node or span for its context menu, and right-click empty space to clear the selection.


Keyboard Actions

Hover over the target node or span and press:

  • L / A / B — convert the span to a line, arc or bezier.
  • I — insert a point into the span at the cursor; M — insert a point at the span midpoint.
  • D / Delete — delete the selected node(s), or the span when both its end nodes are selected.
  • S — toggle whether the point is smooth.
  • P — make the point the start point of the contour.
  • C — cut the contour at the point.
  • X / Y — align the selected nodes to the X or Y of the first selected node.
  • E — extend an open contour from its start or end node.
  • J — join open contours ( Shift for a smooth join, CTRL to move the ends together).

Tip

Only vectors whose nodes can be edited stay selected when you enter the mode — other objects are dropped from the selection.