How to Bend a simple Shape? (Rectangle)

Hello everybody!
I’m almost sure that at the end I’ll let out a big “aaahhhhh!!!” for not realizing how. Or not… :thinking:

I’ve been trying to do this for a few days from now and so far I haven’t found a practical way to do it, even after several searches here on the forum and on YouTube.

Basically, I need to bend a shape. (Rectangle)
Almost identical to the one mentioned in this topic.

I’m trying to replicate an image that was scanned poorly.
I need to bend the rounded rectangular shape.
Is it possible to do it in a simple way like in text or just using the “Edit Nodes” and “Deform” tools?

I believe I saw a video (which I can’t find now) where it showed in the bottom bar (below the layers bar) where there is currently the option to select “Move” “Size” “Rotate” “Shear”, the “Bend” option.
Could I have an allocinogenic effect of Easter sweets or did it exist in previous versions? :innocent: :grin: :wink:

couple ways, covert to path and then node edit, or use 16 point warp on the rectangle. Must be a dozen other ways as well.

I would draw a circle, cut into an arc, then offset (both sides). It will create a slot with rounded ends. Make the arc length 1 diameter shorter than required for the slot and it shouldn’t even need any editing. Then duplicate and rotate for the copies or use circular array.

(Actually, I’d do this entire design in CAD, but that’s not very helpful. :slight_smile: )

Those are the both ways I know too but I am thinking there is a easy way to do it. But maybe not. Thanks for your reply.

This is other way I am wondering about.
Between this way and “editing nodes” I’m undecided which is faster.
Thank you for this additional option.

Now that it is possible to add the radius also to curves, is a circle with offset and 4 lines as well as a little node editing, the fastest, in my opinion. But to trace your picture here on the site was no problem either and even faster

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With a little CAD training, you’d probably approach this the way one would in a CAD package.

NOTE: This is the slow brute-force way. There are faster ways through this.

Measure the ID and the OD of the 4 arcs and draw two circles. Drawing one, and offsetting it to get the second one might be fast.


Draw the second circle, offset from the first circle. I picked 8mm (pretty close to 5/16").
Turn off “Delete original objects” to keep both circles.

Then, measure the distance between the ends of the arcs. I’m going to pick 19mm (pretty close to 3/4")

The Array tool would be faster for this, but I’ll do this by drawing a square and copying the small circle into the corners of it. You can also draw one slot and apply the array tool to that… or the mirror tool. There are many faster ways through.

Grab the rectangle tool on the Left Bar, Hold the Shift key, and it forces a square when you draw with it. Put it anywhere in the workspace.

Click the Lock button to lock the ‘aspect ratio’ and change one of the numbers to 19mm (or whatever you measured).

I’m going to offset the square outward (half of 8mm… 4mm) so the circles line up with the edges of the 19mm square.

Click ok. and Draw circles from the corners of the new square.

Click the Oval tool, hold Shift to make the Oval tool make a circle. If it’s messed up, just change the numbers in the box.

2024-04-02 miss the circle - no problem

Change the circle to 8mm Width & Height then grab the center dot of the selection grid and drag it over to the corner of the outer square. The Pointer will change and give you the crosshairs when you’re close and the center of the circle wants to snap to the corner of the square.

Copy that circle into the other corners:

Then grab that whole mess and drag it into the middle of the other two circles. The cursor should tell you when it’s set correctly.

Grab a pair of circles, copy them and paste them into the outer circles.
Drag the selection tool from right to left and just barely touch the circles.

This is tougher than it looks… Roll the mouse over to the left side of the work area until the cursor changes as shown, click to drag the red guideline over to the inner square :slight_smile:

Click one of the small circles, hold shift and click the other one… Ctrl C to Copy, Ctrl V to Paste and drag the pasted pair into place. Zoom way in to get them to snap into place correctly.

Grab the Red Guideline tool off the top edge of the work space and copy the two circles on the right, over to the the right…

Continue copying the circles to the outside.

In LightBurn, select Edit, then Convert to path and change all the circles (shapes) into circular paths (so we can use the Node editor).

Click the Edit Nodes icon on the tool bar on the Left. Hold Ctrl B and click where you want to break your circle.

Those Diagonal lines weren’t useful… I sketched them in when I was trying something else. :slight_smile:

Continue to break all the Circular paths… and drag the junk out of the way.

Delete the junk you don’t need.

Finally, select what’s left, choose the middle dot for handling the group of shapes, click in the rotate square and rotate the selection 45 degrees.

I think you want this when it’s done.

I’ll write up a faster way if you tell me the sizes. A hand drawn sketch is fine.

Here’s a handy video about Node Editing.

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@bernd.dk
Thanks!
“Trace” was my first option (I should have mentioned this when opening the topic but I didn’t do so due to my fault. Sorry) But as the image has low resolution the result does not come out with the quality I want to reproduce with holes and equal distances. The tolerances are short.

@JohnJohn
Somehow your suggestion is the one that best meets what I want.
But it’s still a lot of work compared to the ease with which it can be done with text.

However, I have already designed what I want by combining and taking advantage of both your ideas. Essentially using the “Edit Nodes” and “Offset Shape” tools.

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