Blending steps in a radius

[Wayne_Michael@adobeforums.com]

I am attempting to blend a rectangular shape so that it can be repeated in steps around a circle. After selecting two copied shapes that are positioned half way around a circle, I go to Blend Options, choose Spacing in Specified Steps, and try making a blend using either Orientation. The steps repeat in a straight row, not in a radius as I need. How is this done?

[Teri Pettit]

Wayne,

It is not clear what you mean by "that are positioned halfway around a circle." Has the circle been set to be the spine path for the blend? In order to use the Align to Path orientation, it has to know what path you want the blend steps to be aligned to.

Try this:

Position your two rectangles that you want to blend together some distance apart, horizontally aligned. Blend between them, with specified steps, but straight orientation.

Draw your circle that you want them to wrap around. Take the scissor tool, and cut it so that it is an open path.

Select both the circle and the rectangle blend, and use the Object>Blend>Replace Spine command.

Now double-click on the Blend tool, and change the orientation to Align to Path.

Since the starting point and the ending point of the spine are at the same place, the first blend object will go underneath the last one. So you may need to alter your number of steps to take this into account.

[Wayne_Michael@adobeforums.com]

Teri,

Thank you so much. It essentially worked for me. What I should have made clearer is the two rectangles were halfway around the circle FROM EACH OTHER. Anyway, everything worked as you suggested. The only thing is that the beginning rectangle and the last rectangle around the circle next to it are much closer to each other than all the rest (90 of them) which align perfectly. Since this is not highly technical stuff I'm doing, just deleting one, selecting a few others and nudging them would do the trick, but for the fact it appears that blends cannot be ungrouped, nor altered with the Direct Selection tool...any suggestions?

[Larry_G._Schneider@adobeforums.com]

Wayne,

Try Expand from the Object menu. It will make a group of objects which can then be moved with the Direct Select Tool.

Larry

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

This is good. I'm learning something from this thread.

[Wayne_Michael@adobeforums.com]

Teri,

Nevermind, I solved that little problem by eliminating the slight space I had created when slicing the circle...now it all aligns perfectly...thanks again.

[Teri Pettit]

Wayne,

I knew you meant that the two rectangles were halfway around some circle from each other. What wasn't at all clear (and still isn't) is what relationship the circle had to the Blend itself. I couldn't tell whether or not you had done any steps to tell Illustrator that the circle was the path that you wanted to position your blended objects around. That is, was it selected when you did a Make Blend? Or had you already done a Replace Spine step? If so, before or after you changed the blend options? Etc.

The best way to cut a circle or any other closed path that you want to position a blend around is to click on the anchor point where you want the blend to start and end at with the Scissor tool. Doing it that way shouldn't leave any gaps.

For those who are interested in the details:

The reason to make the blend in a straight horizontal line before attaching it to the circle (or any other curved spine path) is that the way it does the alignment is to take the whole straight-line blend, and wrap it around the path, almost like the blend were an art brush aligned to the path. So if, for example, you made your blend by clicking between two rectangles that were at opposite diagonals of the page, then when you wrapped it around a circle or along any other path, each rectangle would be slanted diagonally relative to the circle. (Try it, it's easier seen than described.)

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

I tried it earlier and found it to work very well. I've been playing with it since.

Thanks Teri!