Resize or scale an object

Resizing and scaling are two different ways in Blend for Visual Studio 2012 to change the size of an object:

• Resizing an object changes only the dimensions of the object (width and height). For example, when you resize an object that has a specific stroke thickness, the stroke thickness stays the same when the object resizes.

• Scaling an object applies a transform to the object that resizes the object based on a multiple of the initial X, Y, and Z (three-dimensional objects only) values. For example, when you scale an object that has a specific stroke thickness, the stroke thickness scales when the object scales. This means that if you scale the object only by its x-axis value (the width of the object), the stroke thickness for the width of the object will differ from the stroke thickness for the height of the object (y-axis).

To resize an object

1. Select the object that you want to resize by using either the Selection tool  or the Direct Selection tool  and then clicking the object on the artboard. Alternatively, you can select the object in the ObjectsandTimeline panel. To select more than one object, hold down the Ctrl key.

2. Do one of the following:

   • In the Properties panel, under Layout, enter values in the Width or Height boxes, or both. Alternatively, move your mouse pointer over the text box for either property, and then drag your pointer when the numerical adjust cursor  appears so that you can scroll through values and see the changes reflected on the artboard. Changes in width and height might make it necessary to change the values in the HorizontalAlignment, VerticalAlignment, or Margin boxes also.

   • On the artboard, move your pointer over the corner handles or the midpoint handles of an object until the pointer becomes a double-ended arrow (, , , or ), and then drag the pointer to change the size of the object. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the proportions of the object as you resize it. Hold down the Alt key to maintain the center point.

To scale an object

1. Select the object that you want to scale by using either the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool and then clicking the object on the artboard. To select more than one object, hold down the Ctrl key.

2. In the RenderTransform category under Transform in the Properties panel, click the Scale tab .

   For information about the RenderTransform and LayoutTransform transform categories, see Moving and transforming objects.

3. In the boxes for the X, Y, and Z (only for three-dimensional objects) properties, enter a decimal number that represents a multiple of the initial size of the object. For example, a value of 2.0 doubles the initial size.

   Note

   If you are modifying your object in a trigger within a style, it is not possible to scale an object freely on the artboard by using handles on the bounding box of the object. Instead, set specific values in the Properties panel.

   Note

   When in animation mode, the artboard handles change the Scale  properties instead of the Width and Height properties.