Angle

Moves, or offsets, the selected artwork in a random way. There are two different ways to specify movement: by distance and angle, or by horizontal and vertical components.

1. Angle type selector

When randomizing movement using distance and angle, the angle may be specified either as an absolute value or a value calculated by starting at a specific point and passing through a point relative to the art. When the angle is Absolute, all the objects will move in the same direction (though by differing amounts). When the angle is Relative, each object will, in general, move in a different direction. Relative angles are useful for causing art to appear to move towards or spread out from a certain spot. 

Randomino Move Relative Angles

2. Relative Angle start point

The coordinates may be entered manually, or specified by clicking the small point setter icon to the right of the coordinate inputs, which enables a tool that allows you to click at the point’s position.

3. Relative Angle end point

May be specified as either the art’s bounding box center, the art’s first anchor point (for paths only), or the art’s last anchor point (for paths only).

4. Parameter checkboxes

When randomizing movement using horizontal and vertical components, the components may be enabled independently by ticking or unticking the corresponding checkbox.

5. Objects/Patterns checkboxes

Similar to Illustrator’s native Move dialog, movement randomization can be independently applied to patterns within the objects.

Length/Radius Specification

Allows you to numerically specify the length (for linear gradients) or radius (for radial gradients) of the selected gradients.

Gradiator Panel Change Length Example

By default, the length is adjusted from the origin (i.e., the left side, for linear gradients with no rotation). To adjust the length from the middle of the gradient, enable the preference Adjust Linear Gradient Lengths From Center (see Gradiator Preferences).

Note that Illustrator places lower limits on the length of a gradient. Specifically, it cannot be less than 0.1% of the default (fitted) length. A warning message will be displayed if the gradient length could not be changed to the length specified.

Fit to Path Button

The Fit to Path button resets the length (and origin) of each gradient to the default values that Illustrator assigns whenever the path’s geometry is edited, causing linear gradients to precisely stretch across the entire bounds of the path.

Gradiator Panel Fit to Path Example

For radial gradients, the default fit is more complicated: its radius is set to half the hypotenuse of the bounding box divided by the square root of 2.

Angle Specification

By default, the Gradiator panel angle control is in Absolute mode; i.e., the value you enter becomes the gradient’s new angle (the same as the native Gradient panel). However, either through the preferences or by Option/Alt-clicking on the angle icon, you can change this mode to Relative. In this mode (indicated by a change in icon), the value specified is added to the current angle of each gradient when the now-visible Change button is clicked.

Gradiator Panel Relative Angle Section

Holding Shift when clicking the Change button has the effect of reversing the sign of the angle value (thereby causing the gradient to rotate in the opposite direction).

Aspect Ratio Specification

This control is only enabled when a radial gradient is present in the selection. Unlike the native gradient panel, you can change the aspect ratio of all selected radial gradients even if there are linear gradients also present in the selection.