Where's the twist tool in illustrator CS

[Erik_Gorczynski@adobeforums.com]

There used to be a convenient "Twist" tool located in the same group as the Rotate tool in Illustrator 10 which seems to be missing in CS. The Warp version of Twist isn't as easy to use as just arcing around the outside of a selected object to twist the edges a bit.
(Using Mac OSX, Adobe CS Premium -Education Version).
Thanks for any help!
E.

[Teri Pettit]

The Illustrator product managers decided to remove this tool, primarily because it generated too many tech support calls due to users expecting it to be reversable when by nature it can't be.

To see what I'm referring to, in AI 10 (or earlier) draw a star, then use the Twist tool to drag it both clockwise and counter-clockwise. As long as the mouse stays down, you can go back through the straight position, and neatly switch from one direction to the other. Then let up on the mouse.

Now using the Twist tool a second time, try untwirling it in the opposite direction. You can't straighten it, and you get a very distorted mess if you try going beyond straight to the opposite direction.

This is not a bug. It is an inevitable consequence of what the twisting math does. Like many mathematical operations, it is not reversable. The only reason it works to go back and forth while the mouse is down the first time is that it still has the original path available, and it is reapplying a new twist angle to the original path, not applying a reverse twist angle to the twisted path. Yet the behavior frequently got reported as a bug. After all, users would reason, I can rotate an object and then rotate it back straight, why can't I twist an object and then twist it back straight?

So the Twist tool was removed, and only the Twist live effect remains. The Twist live effect is neatly reversable, since like all live effects it always has the original art to start over with.

If you want the twisted anchor points to become permanent, you can do an Expand Appearance. Of course, then it will no longer be reversable.

I do recognize, though, that the user interface to the Twist live effect is much less convenient than the old tool was. Not only does it not have an interactive tool drag, it doesn't even have an interactive angle control! In my opinion before removing the tool, the product managers should have required the Twist live effect to enhance the UI in its option dialog, so that it included both a "clock dial" angle control like the Transform effect has, and an interactive object proxy for manipulating within the dialog, like the Free Distort effect has.

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

I wold think that what Teri has written about this Effect is the way to go and there should be another look at the way this seems to have been implemented.

I vote for further enhancement and may go to the feature request with this tomorrow.