Paint Shop Pro Vector Basics: Path Anatomy

The Smooth/Tangent is a different sort of an animal. If you use it on a Cuspnode with two curves, it simply changes it to an Asymmetric node; and if you use it on a node with Lines Before and After, it does nothing. But when you use it on a node that has a Curve on one side and a Line on the other, it does its thing, giving a smooth transition from a curve to a line by constraining the curve handle to the same direction as the line. To make a Smooth/Tangent node, lay down a rectangle, node edit and select one of the nodes. Right-click, choose Node Type, and select Curve After. Move the curve handle up, and then right-click, choose Node Type > Smooth/Tangent. Notice how the control handle snaps back so that it's in line with the line before the curve? If you try changing its direction, you'll find you can't.