---
title: "How to: Flatten a Curved Path into a Line"
ms.date: "03/30/2017"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "graphics [Windows Forms], flattening curves into lines"
  - "curves [Windows Forms], flattening"
  - "GraphicsPath object"
  - "paths [Windows Forms], flattening"
  - "drawing [Windows Forms], flattening curves"
ms.assetid: e654b8de-25f4-4735-9208-42e4514a589c
---
# How to: Flatten a Curved Path into a Line
A <xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.GraphicsPath> object stores a sequence of lines and Bézier splines. You can add several types of curves (ellipses, arcs, cardinal splines) to a path, but each curve is converted to a Bézier spline before it is stored in the path. Flattening a path consists of converting each Bézier spline in the path to a sequence of straight lines. The following illustration shows a path before and after flattening.  
  
 ![Straight Lines and Curves](./media/aboutgdip02-art32a.gif "AboutGdip02_Art32A")  
  
### To Flatten a Path  
  
- call the <xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.GraphicsPath.Flatten%2A> method of a <xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.GraphicsPath> object. The <xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.GraphicsPath.Flatten%2A> method receives a flatness argument that specifies the maximum distance between the flattened path and the original path.  
  
## See also

- <xref:System.Drawing.Drawing2D.GraphicsPath?displayProperty=nameWithType>
- [Lines, Curves, and Shapes](lines-curves-and-shapes.md)
- [Constructing and Drawing Paths](constructing-and-drawing-paths.md)