sPolygon

sPolygon belongs to the Shape generators. The current Shape reference explicitly states that it generates shapes and has no external inputs, so a correct basic topology starts with sPolygon itself rather than MediaIn → sPolygon or another Shape node → sPolygon.

Unlike sRectangle, sEllipse, sNGon or sStar, its topology is not defined by a small set of numeric primitive controls. The core geometry is a custom polyline built from points in the Viewer and remains vector Shape data until rasterization.

When a fresh sPolygon is added, the Viewer enters a Click/Append-style drawing workflow. Each click adds a control point; clicking the first point closes the contour. Once closed, the polyline can be edited with Insert and Modify tools.

The polygon/B-spline Viewer toolbar is part of the real tool workflow, not an optional extra. Documented modes include Click, Draw, Insert and Modify, Modify Only, Done, Close, Smooth, Linear, Select All, Show Key Points, Show All Handles, Shape Box, Delete Points and Reduce Points.

Click is best for deliberate control-point placement. Draw is useful for freehand sketching but can create many vertices, which is why Reduce Points is important before precise animation or long-term maintenance.

Smooth and Linear change point geometry. Smooth creates curved transitions with handles while Linear restores a hard corner. This is a path-shape decision, not an antialiasing or quality setting.

Done is useful after the contour is approved because it prevents accidental point edits while whole-shape transforms remain available. It cleanly separates topology editing from layout and animation work.

Solid controls whether the interior is filled with the Style color. With Solid disabled the center is transparent and Border Width becomes the primary visible stroke thickness.

The captured Resolve 21 Controls panel shows Solid enabled while Position and Length are still visible. Therefore this article does not impose older prose that says those controls must be hidden with Solid enabled; their practical meaning is still evaluated on an open or outlined path.

Border Width expands or contracts the visible border. It can be used with a filled shape, but it becomes essential when Solid is disabled because a zero-width outline may disappear entirely.

Border Style and Cap Style solve different geometric problems even though the Inspector presents icon groups on the same row. Border Style controls joins between segments: Bevel cuts corners, Round rounds them, and Miter preserves pointed joins.

Cap Style controls the free ends of an open outline: Flat, Round and Square. Cap differences are only easy to see when Length is below 1.0 so the path actually has free ends.

Position moves the starting location or gap along the path, while Length controls the visible extent. Length 1.0 corresponds to a closed outline; values below 1.0 create an opening. Keyframing Length is a direct write-on technique.

Position must not be confused with X/Y Offset. Position moves the opening along the contour, while X Offset and Y Offset move the entire Shape in frame.

X/Y Offset uses normalized coordinates. The documentation gives X Offset 0.0 as centered and 0.5 as placing the shape center at the right edge of frame, which is useful context when interpreting the values.

Z Offset [3D] moves the polygon along the Z axis in 3D-oriented Shape workflows. In ordinary 2D motion graphics it is usually left neutral so depth is not mixed with simple placement.

Size scales the complete polyline without manually repositioning every vertex. It preserves the relative point layout and is the correct tool when the task is overall scale rather than contour deformation.

X Rotation, Y Rotation and Z Rotation rotate the complete Shape around their respective axes. Z Rotation is the usual 2D angular transform; X/Y rotations are more relevant to 3D-oriented use.

Fill Method [3D] decides how overlapping regions of a complex polyline are interpreted as interior. The captured menu confirms exactly two choices: Alternate and Non-zero Winding.

The [3D] label does not mean Fill Method is useful only inside a full 3D scene. It is still a fill-rule control for overlapping or self-intersecting path regions and can materially change a flat 2D Shape.

The 'Right-click here for shape animation' area belongs to polyline animation and modifier workflows. It can participate in key, publish, connect and modifier operations, which is a separate layer from numeric whole-shape transforms.

If the entire object moves, Offset/Size/Rotation is usually cleaner. If the contour itself must deform, animate the polyline points so the vertex geometry changes over time.

The Style tab defines Color, separate Red/Green/Blue/Alpha channels, an additional Opacity control and Allow Combining. The captured Style shows RGB/A 1.0, Opacity 1.0 and Allow Combining enabled as UI evidence rather than a universal factory-default claim.

Color Alpha and Opacity are two attenuation layers. For diagnosis change one while keeping the other neutral so you can tell which control is responsible for reduced density.

Allow Combining is not a boolean geometry operation. It governs alpha behavior when downstream Shape operations create self-overlap: enabled preserves the authored alpha, while disabled can let alpha compound in overlap regions.

sPolygon is especially useful before sGrid or sDuplicate because one custom source shape can remain editable while repetition stays procedural downstream. It is also a natural input source for sBoolean and sMerge.

Do not confuse sPolygon with the classic Polygon Mask simply because both use point editing in the Viewer. They produce different data types and belong to different pipelines: Shape data versus mask data.

sRender is the boundary between vector Shape data and ordinary raster image processing. Keep Shape operations upstream as long as possible when more boolean, duplicate, style or jitter work is still required.

For filled-path QC, verify point economy, corner types, Solid, Fill Method on any self-intersection, then Style and Alpha after sRender. For outline QC, verify Border Width/Style, Cap Style, Position/Length, playback and 100% edge rendering.

The captured Controls, Style and Fill Method menu are treated as Resolve 21 UI evidence. Numeric values such as 0.0, 1.0 and the visible Non-zero Winding selection describe the saved capture state and should not be promoted to guaranteed defaults across all builds.