Path Editing (Node Edit Tool)
Press N to activate the Node Edit tool. Click any path to see and edit its individual nodes. Works on polylines, curve paths, and freehand paths.
Path Editing (Node Edit Tool)The Node Edit tool gives you direct control over the individual vertices that define a path. Select a path, press N to activate the tool, and its nodes appear as draggable squares — click to select, drag to reposition, or click on a segment to insert a new node. For curve paths, bezier handles appear alongside each anchor so you can fine-tune curvature. The sidebar shows live status (total nodes, how many are selected, open or closed) and four path-level actions: Close/Open path, Reverse direction, Flatten to polyline, and Simplify path.
Moving nodes
Drag any selected node to move it. All nodes in the selection move together. The path updates live as you drag.
Adding nodes
Click directly on a path segment (not on an existing node) to insert a new node at that point. The new node is placed at the clicked position and the path shape is preserved.
Deleting nodes
Select one or more nodes, then press Backspace or Delete. The nodes are removed and adjacent nodes are connected by a new segment.
Curve handles (curve paths only)
Curve paths (drawn with the Curve tool) have anchor nodes with control handles. Each anchor can have an incoming handle (handleIn) and an outgoing handle (handleOut) — shown as small circles connected to the anchor by a dashed line. Drag a handle circle to change the curvature of the adjacent segment. Three handle types control how handles behave when one is moved: Corner (handles are independent), Smooth (handles stay collinear in direction, lengths can differ), Symmetric (handles are exactly mirrored — same direction and same length).
Sidebar actions
The Node Edit sidebar panel provides four path-level commands: Close path / Open path — toggles the last segment connecting back to the first node (not available for polygon entities, which are always closed). Reverse direction — flips the order of nodes; affects which direction offsets and arrayed objects follow the path. Flatten to polyline — converts a curve path to a polyline by approximating the curves with straight segments; useful before applying boolean operations that require polyline input. Simplify path — reduces the number of nodes on polylines, polygons, and freehand paths using the Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm; a tolerance slider (0.01–0.50 m, default 0.05 m) controls how aggressively corners are merged.
Adjust bezier curve handles
On bezier curve paths, each anchor node has up to two control handles shown as small circles connected by dashed lines. Drag a handle to change the curvature of the adjacent segment. The handle type controls how the two handles relate: Corner (press 1) lets each handle move independently for sharp angle changes; Smooth (press 2) keeps both handles collinear so the curve flows through the anchor; Symmetric (press 3) mirrors handles at equal length for perfectly balanced curves. Set the type with the node selected.
Use the path-level actions in the sidebar
The sidebar exposes four commands that apply to the whole path. Close path / Open path adds or removes the segment connecting the last node back to the first — this option is hidden for polygons, which are always closed. Reverse direction flips the node order, which affects the direction offsets and arrayed objects travel along the path. Flatten to polyline converts a bezier curve's segments into straight lines, useful before boolean operations; this button is disabled for non-bezier paths. Simplify path removes redundant nodes from polylines, polygons, and freehand paths — adjust the Simplify tolerance slider first, then click the button to apply.
Exit node editing
Press Esc to exit node edit mode and return to the standard selection tool. Alternatively, click on empty canvas away from the path, or switch to any other tool. All edits are recorded as undoable steps — press Cmd+Z (Mac) or Ctrl+Z (Windows) to step back through individual node moves, additions, or deletions.
After tracing over a site survey image with the freehand tool, the path can have hundreds of nodes that slow the editor. Switch to Node Edit, set the Simplify tolerance slider to 0.05–0.10 m, and click Simplify path — you will typically cut the node count by 80% with no visible change to the outline.
The Simplify and Flatten actions are only available when a single path entity is selected. If you have multiple entities selected, click one path to make it the sole active entity, then use the sidebar actions.
Flatten to polyline is irreversible beyond undo. Once you flatten a bezier curve's handles are discarded — the smooth shape cannot be recovered by pressing Esc. If you need to keep the original curve, duplicate it before flattening.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| N | Activate Node Edit tool |
| Shift+Click | Add/remove node from selection |
| Drag on empty canvas | Rubber-band (marquee) select nodes |
| Backspace / Delete | Delete selected node(s) |
| 1 | Set node type to Corner |
| 2 | Set node type to Smooth |
| 3 | Set node type to Symmetric |
| Esc | Exit node edit mode |
Frequently Asked Questions
I don't see the Close path button in the sidebar — why?
The Close/Open path action is hidden for polygons, which are always closed by definition. It only appears when a polyline, bezier curve, or freehand path is active. If you selected a polygon, the button will not be shown.
Why is the Simplify button disabled on my bezier curve path?
Simplify is designed for polylines, polygons, and freehand paths only. On a bezier curve path each node also carries handle information — simplifying would silently discard those handles and produce an unpredictable result. Use Flatten to polyline first to convert the curve to straight segments, then Simplify.
Dragging one handle also moves the opposite handle — how do I stop that?
The node's type is set to Smooth or Symmetric, which keeps both handles linked. Select the node and press 1 (Corner) to make the handles fully independent so you can move each one without affecting the other.
My offset path or repeated-object array is going the wrong direction along the path — how do I fix it?
Use Reverse direction in the sidebar. It flips the internal node order, which is the direction used by the offset and repeat-along-path tools. You don't need to redraw the path — just reverse it and re-run the operation.
Can I edit the nodes of a lawn or hardscape boundary in this tool?
Yes. Lawns and other polygon-type entities support node editing — activate the Node Edit tool and click the boundary to reveal its vertices. The Flatten and Simplify actions are available. Note that parametric hardscape wizards (decks, walkways, pools, etc.) use their own shape editor rather than the Node Edit tool.