Perfect freehand is a library for creating freehand paths by @steveruizok.

🔗 Demo

npm install perfect-freehand

or

yarn add perfect-freehand

The library exports a default function, getPath, that accepts an array of points and an (optional) options object and returns SVG path data for a stroke.

The array of points may be either an array of number pairs representing the point's x, y, and (optionally) pressure...

import getPath from 'perfect-freehand'

const path = getPath([
  [0, 0],
  [10, 5],
  [20, 8],
])

const path = getPath([
  [0, 0, 0],
  [10, 5, 0.5],
  [20, 8, 0.3],
])

...or an array of objects with x, y, and (optionally) pressure properties.

getPath([
  { x: 0, y: 0 },
  { x: 10, y: 5 },
  { x: 20, y: 8 },
])

getPath([
  { x: 0, y: 0, pressure: 0, },
  { x: 10, y: 5, pressure: 0.5 },
  { x: 20, y: 8, pressure: 0.3 },
])

The options object is optional, as are its properties.

getPath(myPoints, {
  minSize: 2.5,
  maxSize: 8,
  simulatePressure: true,
  pressure: true,
  streamline: 0.5,
  smooth: 0.5,
  clip: true,
})

import * as React from 'react'
import getPath from 'perfect-freehand'

export default function Example() {
  const [currentMark, setCurrentMark] = React.useState()

  function handlePointerDown(e) {
    setCurrentMark({
      type: e.pointerType,
      points: [[e.pageX, e.pageY, e.pressure]],
    })
  }

  function handlePointerMove(e) {
    if (e.buttons === 1) {
      setCurrentMark({
        ...currentMark,
        points: [...currentMark.points, [e.pageX, e.pageY, e.pressure]],
      })
    }
  }

  return (
    <svg
      width={800}
      height={600}
      onPointerDown={handlePointerDown}
      onPointerMove={handlePointerMove}
      style={{ touchAction: 'none' }}
    >
      {currentMark && (
        <path
          d={getPath(currentMark.points, {
            simulatePressure: currentMark.type !== 'pen',
          })}
        />
      )}
    </svg>
  )
}

For advanced usage, the library also exports smaller functions that getPath uses to generate its SVG data. While you can use getPath's data to render strokes with an HTML canvas (via the Path2D element) or with SVG paths, these new functions will allow you to create paths in other rendering technologies.

Accepts an array of points (formatted either as [x, y, pressure] or { x: number, y: number, pressure: number}) and returns a set of streamlined points as [x, y, pressure, angle, distance, length]. The path's total length will be the length of the last point in the array.

Accepts an array of points (formatted as [x, y, pressure, angle, distance, length], i.e. the output of getStrokePoints) and returns an array of points ([x, y]) defining the outline of a pressure-sensitive stroke.

Works like getStrokeOutlinePoints, but designed to work with short paths.

Accepts a series of points (formatted as [x, y], i.e. the output of getStrokeOutlinePoints or getShortStrokeOutlinePoints) and returns a polygon (a series of faces) from the stroke.