Symbols and the symbol sprayer in Vectornation by Zaweba
Use symbols, the symbol sprayer and its companion tools, symbol libraries, dynamic symbols and 9-slice scaling in Vectornation by Zaweba to reuse artwork well.
Drawing the same thing many times is wasteful. Symbols in Vectornation by Zaweba let you draw an item once and place it as often as you like, with every copy linked to the original. Change the master and every copy updates. Add the symbol sprayer and its seven companion tools and you can scatter, adjust and style dozens of copies by hand.
Why use a symbol instead of a copy
A plain copy is independent. If you place fifty copies of a tree and then decide the trunk should be darker, you have fifty trees to fix. Fifty instances of a tree symbol need one fix. Files also stay lighter, because the artwork is stored once.
Symbols suit anything repeated: icons in a set, buttons in a layout, logos on a sheet, trees in a landscape illustration, stars in a sky.
The symbol sprayer
The symbol sprayer sprays symbol instances onto the artboard as you drag, like spraying paint. It is the quick way to fill an area with leaves, confetti, crowds or stars. The seven companion tools let you work on what you have sprayed, so you can change the scattered instances afterwards instead of spraying again until it looks right.
Spray more loosely than you think you need. It is easier to add a few more instances than to thin out a crowded patch.
Symbol libraries and Replace symbol
Vectornation includes symbol libraries with 34 original symbols, ready to use or to learn from. You can also make your own from any artwork.
Replace symbol swaps the symbol used by selected instances for a different one. This is handy when you are trying alternatives: lay out a page with one icon style, then replace the symbol to see another, with every position and size kept.
Dynamic symbols and symbol options
Normally every instance looks the same. Dynamic symbols allow per part changes to fill, stroke and opacity on individual instances while they stay linked to the master. You could use one shirt symbol for a whole team and give each player a different colour, or one button symbol in several states. Changes to the shape of the master still flow through to every instance.
Symbol options include a registration point, which sets the spot each instance is placed and transformed from. Choosing the centre or a corner thoughtfully makes rotating and aligning instances much more predictable.
9-slice scaling divides a symbol into nine areas so that its corners do not stretch when you resize it. That is exactly what you want for buttons, panels and frames with rounded or decorated corners: you can make the button wider for a longer label without the corners going out of shape.
A practical workflow
Start by drawing the item and turning it into a symbol. Set its registration point and, for frames and buttons, its 9-slice areas. Place it by hand where precision matters, and with the sprayer where a natural scatter looks better. If you need variety, make it dynamic and vary colours per instance. Keep the masters tidy, with clear names, because they are the part of the file everything else depends on.
Keeping instances linked
Avoid breaking the link to a symbol unless you really need a one off change, because a broken instance no longer updates. If you need many variations, dynamic symbols or a second symbol are better than a pile of unlinked copies.
Used this way, symbols turn repetitive work in Vectornation into a matter of changing one thing in one place.
