Pin Tool: Accurate placement of motifs, or controlled rotation

Identifying areas within a design and rotating motifs around a specific point


The Pin Tool has many different uses. It allows you to position a motif precisely on a design. It can be used when rotating to a specific pivot point. It can be used when joining sections of scanned artwork together, and if you have the AVA Texture Mapping software, it can be used to place a design in a specific position on a gridded object.


To position a motif using the Pin Tool on a design, follow the method below. For each of the other uses for the pin tool described above, please refer to their relevant sections in the manual (the rotate tool; joining scans; and transferring designs in texture Mapping).

Copying and pasting a motif with a pin

  1. Draw around a motif with a Selection Tool.
  2. Select the pin tool from the Tools Palette or press N on the keyboard and click within the selected shape.
  3. Go to Edit Menu > Copy.
  4. Click down with the Pin Tool in the position where you want to paste the motif.
  5. Go to Edit Menu > Paste. The selected motif will now paste to the specified pin point.
  6. Once the motif is positioned, remove the Pin from the design by doing one of the following:
    • Hold down ^ (control key) and select Delete All Pins from the contextual menu
    • Hold down ⌘ (command key) and double click somewhere within the design

Rotating a motif around a pin

  1. Select the motif you want to rotate.
  2. Select the Pin Tool from the Tools Palette or press N on the keyboard and click within the selected shape. Where you click will become the axis point for the rotation.
  3. Select the Free Rotate Tool from the Tools Palette, or simply press R on the keyboard to select this tool. A box will appear around the selection.
  4. Drag the corners of the box to rotate the motif. 


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