how to draw sine wave in Powerpoint?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JSuchyta
  • Start date Start date
This can be done natively in PowerPoint also using Bezier curves (anytime
Echo).
http://www.echosvoice.com/beziercurves.htm

1) Create a curve with three points in a row at equal distances
2) Right click on the line and select Edit Points
3) Change the center point (right click) to a smooth point and drag the blue
line handles to about 45 degrees
4) Change the 2 end points to smooth points and change their blue line
handles as well

Play around with this and you will get rather good at simple sine waves.


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I suppose you could use Excel's sine function to draw a sine curve and then
cut and paste across to Powerpoint. If you don't want the graph axes and
labels etc then trace the curve using the freeform shape drawing tool and
then delete the chart bit

Or maybe that's not all that easy ewhen you write it all down...

BWs
offpister
 
Hi,
Offpister, your idea actually is easy with one tweak; use the 'curve' tool instead of the freehand tool and make lots of clicks along the template curve you're tracing. Gives a perfectly smooth sine wave. :cheers:

(I know this post represents a bit of a slow response to this thread but I was searching Google for a way to do this and this turned out to be the best answer.)
 
Another way is a little more complex but quite quick and accurate enough, once you've got your head around it:
  1. Create a horizontal row of boxes (2 x the number of periods you need). (Ctrl-Shift-Drag the first one to duplicate and align it).
  2. Now use the Freeform tool to zigzag (45' angles) between the top and bottom of the adjoining square corners, from left to right (create points on the top left corner and bottom right corner of the first, third etc squares).
  3. Zoom in and correct with Edit Point, if you need to.
  4. Edit the points of the freeform zigzag, converting them to straight points, starting in the middle and working outwards (you'll see why pretty quickly!).
  5. Correct the ones that didn't work properly by Ctrl-Shift dragging the handles the right distance and parallel with the horizontal lines of the boxes.
  6. Drag the new sinusoidal freeform shape off the row of boxes.
  7. Delete the row of boxes - or move it off-slide in case you need to make corrections/adjustments later.
  8. Smile smugly!
 
Gary Bartlett said:
Another way is a little more complex but quite quick and accurate enough, once you've got your head around it:
  1. Create a horizontal row of boxes (2 x the number of periods you need). (Ctrl-Shift-Drag the first one to duplicate and align it).
  2. Now use the Freeform tool to zigzag (45' angles) between the top and bottom of the adjoining square corners, from left to right (create points on the top left corner and bottom right corner of the first, third etc squares).
  3. Zoom in and correct with Edit Point, if you need to.
  4. Edit the points of the freeform zigzag, converting them to straight points, starting in the middle and working outwards (you'll see why pretty quickly!).
  5. Correct the ones that didn't work properly by Ctrl-Shift dragging the handles the right distance and parallel with the horizontal lines of the boxes.
  6. Drag the new sinusoidal freeform shape off the row of boxes.
  7. Delete the row of boxes - or move it off-slide in case you need to make corrections/adjustments later.
  8. Smile smugly!
Click to expand...

A table would make more sense than a row of boxes!
 
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