firstdefence

If you can export the vector co-ordinates to a text format such as PDF or SVG, then you can calculate the area from this data. You would neeed to edit the svg/pdf file to extract the coordinates into a csv file. You can then load this into excel or an equivalent to do the sums. If you wish to pursue this route, I can supply the necessary formulas for you.
John

If I wanted to know the area of a shape like that, I would export to PDF and use the area tool in PDF-XChange Editor. Unfortunately, the program is only available for Windows.

Fear not Alfred, your Snippets are safe, I meant these snippets  

To maintain a vector format and be able to use transparency.
Draw your lines Select them all and create a Group ⌘ + G on the Keyboard Duplicate the Group ⌘ + J on the keyboard, this duplicate will be used as the correct frame for the brush and will allow for transparency over a gradient or multi-coloured background. Rename the Group to "Frame" Select the top Group and Ungroup it ⇧+⌘+G on the keyboard While the Curves are still selected Layer > Expand Stroke Reselect the Curves Layer > Geometry > Add Layer > Geometry > Divide Delete the Curve 2nd from the top in the Layers Panel Select the Curve at the top of the Layers Panel Change the Colour to your Background colour or use No fill for multi-coloured backgrounds Nest your brush stroke to the Curve.
Example.afdesign
 

Or fake it with a pixel selection
 
Make a copy of the four lines, group them and rasterise the group.
 
Select the white inside the lines and copy that area (Ctrl + J)

 
Use that to paint inside the lines
 

 
 

Hi, Wagner,
 
This is an important beginner question. Affinity fills shapes when they have a vector perimeter. Every pencil stroke might have a fill if they enclose an area. The first example would be one of those. The other has four vector lines are separate on their own, but together do not enclose any area because they are not actually joined. 
 
You need to change how you think about the way you are drawing if you are using the "draw" persona tools. The "pixel" persona works differently, and might do what you want after the space was filled w. white, and then painted over with "protect alpha" checked, so the unfilled space could not be painted on.

I found that video a bit overworked and you can do the same effect in Affinity in much less steps, so, you could do this...
 
Create the text in the font you want, Choose the fill tool  and choose Bitmap from the Type: option then go find your texture. You can add fx after that (make sure you click the selection tool to come out of the fill tool before applying fx. see video below.
 
Once you have made the effect you want you should be able to add it to the Styles Panel.
 
Texture used: https://pixabay.com/en/abstract-desktop-pattern-dirty-3309868/

Hi Massi
 
The Assistant Manager (click on the Tuxedo)

 
decides if a mask is added as a new layer, or nested as a child layer.
 
 
In Adding mask layer to selection, change it to Add mask as child layer and it will do what you want.

 
 

I think a feature request is called for here.

What exactly are you doing? Seems to work pretty straight forward here: select both curves and hit, while "Node tool" is active the "Join Curves"-button. If two end-nodes are in same place they got connected or if not a new segment will be established.
 
Cheers
P.

Hi @Dumpfbacke,
 
Welcome to the forums. 
 
You have to change the fill more to even-odd. Layer > Fill mode > Alternate . 
 
Thanks,
Gabe. 

Your welcome, There are some great people on here, always willing to help, there are no daft questions, just remember even experts had to be novices at some point, you'll get it, just practice, if you hit trouble just come here and we'll help. 

Hi Vince42, no, I gave up on the PDF because it was too poor quality, I used the image I've added. I don't flog dead horses  but as a technical exercise it was fun to play with, the original image was missing too much detail to get a good selection, the highlights were just blown out (No detail and it merged with the background so that there was no contrast to define a knowable edge) and even if that was possible there would still have been parts missing that would either have had to have been recreated or just left out. It was at that point I went lateral and decided to find the solution not fix the problem. I have put the image on a black background to show the cut out but normally I'd create a nice drop shadow to ground the object to a surface, makes it look more realistic in an environment, Lighting is also important so have a background that reflects the lighting on the object helps to make the object look like it is actually sitting there in a pseudo 3D space.
 
The pen tool is great for selection as it is easily adjustable later on, it has tweakability. I used the flood selection and dropped in Quick Mask (Q) and manipulated the mask with a brush then edited a bit more with feathering the mask and smoothing it. Its sounds like a lot to do but once you get into it it's not. Using the pen tool for selection work is great to hone your Pen Tool skills and once you have got it honed you'll fly around objects.

Ok, Just had a go, the image is a bit glossy so difficult to select, you can use the flood select too to get a lot of the white selected, then you need to refine the selection by using quick Mask (Q) on the keyboard, this will show the protected selection as red. With the brush tool selected and a suitable brush size you can now go around the clock and paint the red over any area's that aren't selected properly, Black adds to the red, white removes the red, you can toggle between black and white by pressing the (X) key on the keyboard as you brush area's, once you are happy with the red mask you can press (Q) again to come out of the Quick Mask.
 
You can also resize the brush with the [ and ] keys, [ = smaller brush and ] = larger brush, just carefully go around the edge and tidy the jagged edges.
 
This will be a slow job to select the clock because of the low contrast between the clock and the background, if this is a clock you have photographed I would suggest taking the image again to separate the clock from the background, a good tip is to use black card as a reflected shade that will show on the edges of the glossy gold finish, other than that its having some patience or find the same clock in a better image.

Posted by Callum but I pinched it lol!
 

 
Uncheck that puppy, Like the dark destroyer of snapping candidates you are 

Actually Wosven already had explained it right before your post.

Needs a fair bit of work. I don't see myself ditching affinity any time soon for it

.

You can use vector shapes to make selections, these vector shapes will snap to the grid, so you should also be able to use the pen tool to make more complex selections and once done Command click on the layer to create the selection, the path shapes created will need to have a fill before the selection can be created.

I gotta go, but any questions @MEB will know 

Ah, OK, that might be a workaround.  Thanks.
 
Will have a play with that.  

You can use vector shapes to make selections, these vector shapes will snap to the grid, so you should also be able to use the pen tool to make more complex selections and once done Command click on the layer to create the selection, the path shapes created will need to have a fill before the selection can be created.

Well I found that I can export to PDF and then convert to DXF with a free program called Any PDF to DWG Converter. Seem to work pretty well, there is an ever so slight scaling issue (hundredths of a mm) but that is tolerable as I'm sure my laser cutter mirror alignment is not nearly that accurate.

or you can record with macro and save to library, apply to other image.