Due to the cellular structure of a grid, it can initially look quite angular and ‘pointy,’ which results in an unrealistic look to your design on a product, especially when gridding textiles. Smoothing it removes these angles and creates a fluid, more realistic flow to the design.
How to smooth a grid
- Draw your grid and manipulate it as required.
- Go to the Grid Menu and select Smooth… Alternatively, with the Grid Selection Tool activated, hold down ^ (control key) on your keyboard and choose Smooth Grid from the contextual menu.
- Enter a refinement factor. This is how many cells you want to subdivide each existing cell into.
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Tip: Only tick Subdivide Only if you want to multiply the number of cells in your grid without the effect of smoothing being applied.
Decreasing the density of a grid, thus reducing the number of cells in it
If a grid has too many cells, it can become difficult to manipulate. The phrase ‘less is more’ is very relevant when editing grids. If you decide your grid has too many cells, you can decrease the number of cells within it without having to redraw it.
- Activate the grid by clicking on it with the Grid Section Tool.
- Hold down ^ (control key) and click on the grid and select Decrease Grid Density…
- Select a Reduction Rate. This is the percentage you would like to reduce the number of cells by. So, 50% will halve the number of cells in your grid.
