To visually modify and adjust the appearance of a radial repeat in Illustrator, which can be seen as a form of "expanding" its scope or size, you utilize the on-screen controls associated with the repeat object.
Here is how you can modify a radial repeat based on the provided information:
When working with a radial repeat in Adobe Illustrator, you can control its size, the number of instances, and the area it covers using interactive controls directly on the artboard.
Key Methods for Modifying (Visually Expanding) a Radial Repeat:
- Change Repeat Size using Circle Controls: You can drag the controls on the circle that appears around the repeated artwork to change the radius of the repeat. This effectively makes the repeated pattern larger or smaller around the center point.
- Scale the Entire Repeat: To increase or decrease the overall size of the repeat object, including the artwork and the repeat boundary, you can drag from the corner of the repeat bounding box.
- Adjust the Number of Instances: By default, 8 instances are repeated. To control the number of instances displayed or the arc they cover, you drag the splitter on the circle. This allows you to remove some instances, effectively creating a partial radial repeat while keeping the repeated artwork.
These on-screen controls provide a dynamic way to adjust the radial repeat's appearance and visual coverage without converting it into static shapes.
Summary of Radial Repeat Adjustments
| Control Type | Action | Effect on Repeat |
|---|---|---|
| Controls on the Circle | Drag | Changes the radius (size) of the repeat circle |
| Splitter on the Circle | Drag | Removes instances or limits the arc coverage |
| Corner of Bounding Box | Drag | Scales the entire repeat object (artwork & repeat) |
Using these intuitive controls, you can easily adjust the visual "expansion" or contraction of your radial repeat design directly within Illustrator.
