Pencil tool -> CSP vector brush

[kj-art]

I was thinking, if we add per-node metadata for line width and opacity to Pencil/Line strokes, with optional responsiveness to stylus pressure, this might go a long way towards improving Flash's infamously bad brush feel. The Pencil tool could start to feel more like Clip Studio Paint vector brushes that retain full stroke identity, allowing brush types to be swapped or edited after drawing.

Backwards compatibility could be a mixed bag: existing Pencil strokes can be treated as new strokes with uniform metadata. But old strokes, like fills, merge together, and aren't single linear paths.

The goal is to leverage all existing Pencil functionality (tweens, interaction with fills, etc) while drastically improving brush feel, editability, and flexibility.

I'm sure there are complications this introduces (tween interpolation, fully independent strokes vs backwards compatibility, semi-transparent strokes over fills, shared boundary nodes with fills), but I feel like the robust drawing and editing advantages make this feature worth considering.

[kj-art]

Heya @kj-art

We've been trying to build a team, and as you are in technical animation, would you like to help develop or advise development for Flare?

[kj-art]

I don't mind chipping in with ideas, but I haven't coded in C++ since college 25 years ago. I'm slowly learning C# for a Unity project I'm working on, but even that's slow going. I AM anxious to finally dump Adobe, though, so I'll help where I can, and if I get up to speed. Plus, Flash with CSP's brush? That would be insane.

[charlieduzstuf]

I don't mind chipping in with ideas, but I haven't coded in C++ since college 25 years ago. I'm slowly learning C# for a Unity project I'm working on, but even that's slow going. I AM anxious to finally dump Adobe, though, so I'll help where I can, and if I get up to speed. Plus, Flash with CSP's brush? That would be insane.

I mean, we would welcome any help, no big deal if you aren't a pro at programming.

[kj-art]

Sounds good!