Draw at a set distance in Adobe Illustrator

InkScribe is an Astute Graphics tool for Adobe Illustrator that is similar to the native Pen tool, but with additional capabilities, combining aspects of the Direct Select tool and the Anchor Point tool. With an associated panel for controlling various functions, InkScribe can not only draw paths but it can edit them without having to switch to another tool or even press a modifier key. Additional features include drawing with constrained length values, creating connector points, and Smart Removing anchor points.

If you have yet to try InkScribe you can start a free 7 day trial (no card details required).

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How to draw at a constrained value in Illustrator:

To start drawing at constrained distances you’ll need to open the InkScribe Preferences. The easiest way to do this is to open the InkScribe Panel (Window > Astute Graphics > InkScribe) and then use the 3 bar flyout menu and select InkScribe Preferences…

The preferences window may seem overwhelming for new users, but it is fully customisable to your needs. You can set it up to work in many different ways and full information and guidance on using this tool can be found in the InkScribe documentation.

To set the required drawing distance, enable the “Constrain distance by Factor” and enter your value. Click OK to confirm and close the Preferences.

Now as you draw you can hold down the Option/Alt key to enable the Constrain Distance option, and the annotation will display the total length of the path. For example, if the factor is set to 15 px, then the new segments could be made 15 px, 30 px, 45 px, etc. but not in-between values.

This Constrain Distance also works for handles. As you drag the cursor to create a handle, as you would with the native Pen Tool, holding Option/Alt will constrain the total handle length to multiples of your value.

This option will remain enabled until you reopen your preferences window to disable the option. For more information on this and all the Astute Graphics Tools and Features visit the Documentation website.