Smart Remove Points Live Effect

Smart Remove Points is an Astute Graphics live effect that removes anchor points from a path (like the Point Removal effect) but while trying to maintain the geometry of the path. This is achieved by adjusting the lengths (but not angles) of the handles on either side of the removed points.

As with most live effects, Smart Remove Points appears in the main menu, under Effect > AG Utilities. It can also be applied directly from the Appearance panel using the “Add New Effect” button at the bottom of the panel.

Smart Remove Points Parameters Dialog

After applying the live effect using the menu item (or when clicking on the existing effect in the Appearance panel to edit it), the parameters dialog will appear:

AG Utilities Live Effects - Smart Remove Points Parameters Dialog

1. Tolerance

Specifies how much the geometry of the path can change when removing a point. The value can range between 0 and 200, with a default of 10. Low values remove fewer points (prioritizing the path’s geometry) while high values remove more points (at the likely cost of some distortion).

2. Protect Sharp Corners

When enabled, corner points along the path where the path angle changes by more than 6° are never removed, regardless of the tolerance setting. This allows simplifying smooth sections of a path by using a large tolerance without having to worry that sharp corners will be lost.

AG Utilities Live Effects - Smart Remove Points Example

3. Preview

As with all live effects, when enabled, changing a parameter will immediately update the artwork while the dialog is still open.