Roadmap and an Update of these Feature Requests - Blending Shapes, Shape Tool, Offset Path

[Chiefmonkey]

Hello Support,

I'm a laser cutter and crypto artist and I make things like you can see in the attached image.   

I've purchased both Affinity Photo and Designer.

The three main functions I need in any Vector Software are:

1. Blending between Shapes e.g. from a Circle to a Square with ability to set number of steps in between 
2. Shape Creation Tool as in AI (I see you have boolean operators but these are seriously cumbersome to use in comparison to AI's shape tool)
3. Offset Path e.g. click a path, click offset path (I did a workaround of duplicating my stroke, then on one increasing the Stroke to 20pt then Expanding the stroke, then removing my original stroke/shape away from the new expanded stroke... a ridiculously long winded way of doing it)

I've seen requests for these features going back to 2014, which is really quite worrying.  You use to have a roadmap but thats disappeared.

My question is this... are you still working on any of these features so many people have requested?It would be great to see them on a Roadmap...

Can we have some transparency on when these features will (or will not) be worked on?  

I've looked all through the forum for answers but found nothing (apologies if I've missed it) but fluffy answers like "coming soon", "any day now", or "it's in the roadmap"... clearly these don't cut it and date badly looking back at them (somebody wasn't being 100%)... straight forward, honest answers would go a really long way. 

Can you please bring the Roadmap back? (it's at least something)

Chiefmonkey

Edited October 29, 2019 by Chiefmonkey

[Pšenda]

ad 3) try Appearance Panel. 

[Chiefmonkey]

What about the Appearance Panel?   I do not see any "Offset Path" function there... can you help?

[dominik]

1 hour ago, Chiefmonkey said:

What about the Appearance Panel?   I do not see any "Offset Path" function there... can you help?

There is no 'Offset Path' there. But you can mimic this with multiple outlines, some of them with a transparent line colour. Basically the 'offset' is the line width of some of the outlines.

d.

[Pšenda]

3 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

What about the Appearance Panel?

 

[Chiefmonkey]

2 hours ago, Pšenda said:

 

LOL... yes exactly what about the Appearance Panel are you suggesting I try?

[Chiefmonkey]

4 hours ago, dominik said:

There is no 'Offset Path' there. But you can mimic this with multiple outlines, some of them with a transparent line colour. Basically the 'offset' is the line width of some of the outlines.

d.

Thank you dominik,

That is the work around I am doing right now... it's very slow in comparison to a few clicks in AI... also the width of the lines are centred on the line and I can not make the width to go from the line  then outwards... so if I want a 10px outline I have to set the width to 20px, then overlay the original line in the centre, expand the width, then half it/remove the original line

I'm persisting with using Affinity purely on the grounds that they are the under dog and a full Adobe license is extortionate... it's just such a shame the 3 most important features for me are not covered by this software and I have to do hacks or work arounds to achieve something similar

Also there doesn't seem to be any clear communication from Affinity Support as to when/if they are genuinely going to be putting these features in... quite frustrating... such a shame

Thank you for your help anyway 

[Pšenda]

9 minutes ago, Chiefmonkey said:

exactly what about the Appearance Panel are you suggesting I try?

4 hours ago, dominik said:

But you can mimic this with multiple outlines, some of them with a transparent line colour. Basically the 'offset' is the line width of some of the outlines.

 

[Pšenda]

13 minutes ago, Chiefmonkey said:

also the width of the lines are centred on the line and I can not make the width to go from the line  then outwards

Why not?

[Chiefmonkey]

OK Pšenda thank you 

[dominik]

12 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

That is the work around I am doing right now...

Good to know that you found this already. Yes, it is just a workaround but the only thing we currently have.

 

12 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

Also there doesn't seem to be any clear communication from Affinity Support as to when/if they are genuinely going to be putting these features in...

They do not give this information in general, except for a view hints now and then that something is being actively developed.

There has been a (better several) long discussions about roadmaps. Currently there is no roadmap. It may be that this will change at a later time. Basically it has proven that wether they provide such information or they don't, people are always complaining, no matter what

Cheers,
d.

 

 

[Chiefmonkey]

Cheers Dominik

I appreciate your reply

These are 3 major features in most other graphics tools and the community have been asking for them for years... all I'm asking for is some communication... some open and honest transparent answers... These are feature requests, I'm not complaining they're not in, I'm complaining about the lack of communication or the fob-off's "coming soon"

Thats frustrating as hell

All I'd like is a straight forward "This feature will be added in version 1.7.x and that is expect 15 Febraury 2020"   OR   "This feature will never be added because blah blah blah... but we are doing this instead"

Something just something... so far I've not seen a conclusive answer to any of these questions... would be great if a member of the dev team chip in here.

I like the Affinity Software, I've bought both... generally they're pretty damned good and better than Inkscape (which I really wanted to like but regretfully don't get on with) and better than adobe in some regards... I've also owned my own app development business before and totally appreciate priorities of work and complexities of software like this.

Just wish there's was an improvement in the communication of these three features that have been requested many times for years now.

The main reason I'm aware that people shy away from Roadmaps is because they can't stick to them 100%... but it really doesn't matter, just communicate what you have achieved and double down on what you haven't for the next release... but communicate

Thanks again Dominik... apologies for my ramble... I feel better now lol

[Move Along People]

-

 

[Chiefmonkey]

lol thank you haakoo, appreciate your response... but you're right I don't like that answer lol

Any software not listening to its users will see their users slowly disappear to solutions that do listen to them... it's just what happens 

This is a quote of the Affinity Designer homepage:

"Thousands of designers around the world told us how they need their graphic design app to behave. We put that knowledge at the core of Affinity Designer."

I guess they've stopped listening

All I'm asking for is some clear and transparent communication as to whats happening with these 3 features which have been requested from years ago... the need for them hasn't gone 

Guess I need to hit twitter to see if that will prompt a reply... or something... anything... give me a grain of insight, anything lol

[Move Along People]

-

[dominik]

1 hour ago, Chiefmonkey said:

These are 3 major features in most other graphics tools and the community have been asking for them for years... all I'm asking for is some communication... some open and honest transparent answers... These are feature requests, I'm not complaining they're not in, I'm complaining about the lack of communication or the fob-off's "coming soon"

Hi @Chiefmonkey,

I did not take your post as a complaint but more as question. If you are looking around the forums you will find quite a few members of the develompent team who post regularly. They listen and they answer. It just something I learned over time that they are very hesitant to give a time estimate about coming features.

And practically speaking: as long as it's not there it's not there and you have to find a workaround for it anyway. Knowing that you have to wait a certain time does not change anything 

You will see if someone from Serif chimes in.

BTW: here's a recent comment on the whatabout of the roadmap:

Cheers,
d.

[Chiefmonkey]

Cheers @dominik  really appreciate the link... it explains why the roadmap got out of sync with their change of vision... doesn't explain why they don't just update the roadmap 

My point is pretty straight forward... there are these three features that are crucial to many users who have been asking repeatedly over the years and there has never been a straightforward, non fluffy answer e.g.

"Yes that feature is definitely coming... approximately on this date OR in the next release"

OR

"No that feature will never be included... we have a different approach for you... here is that different approach... AND/OR here is a workaround"

 

[Old Bruce]

56 minutes ago, Chiefmonkey said:

"Yes that feature is definitely coming... approximately on this date OR in the next release"

If memory serves correctly (and I am probably wrong) Publisher was going to be released in 2015 as a beta and a finished product in 2016. Didn't happen.

 

On 10/29/2019 at 11:20 AM, Chiefmonkey said:

The three main functions I need in any Vector Software are:

1. Blending between Shapes e.g. from a Circle to a Square with ability to set number of steps in between 
2. Shape Creation Tool as in AI (I see you have boolean operators but these are seriously cumbersome to use in comparison to AI's shape tool)
3. Offset Path e.g. click a path, click offset path (I did a workaround of duplicating my stroke, then on one increasing the Stroke to 20pt then Expanding the stroke, then removing my original stroke/shape away from the new expanded stroke... a ridiculously long winded way of doing it)

As it is right now those three are not available. Your best bet is to work as though they will never be available. If there is a better tool handy then use that one.

A roadmap is not the terrain.

[Chiefmonkey]

Cheers @Old Bruce... thanks for the extra info there... I'm thinking Publisher is part of the change of "Vision" they had... they're targeting the Publishing/Print industry... as opposed to creating Animation/3D/Video as in something like After Effects 

You're dead right... I am sticking with Affinity not expecting anything new... for sure if there's a better tool I'll use it... I'm just committed to not returning to Adobe... want to support the underdog and especially open source software (shame about Inkscape) 

Be interesting if anyone comments here to provide some clarity on my questions maybe if I mention @Affinity Designer  it'll help

 

[Pšenda]

11 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

"This feature will be added in version 1.7.x and that is expect 15 Febraury 2020"

Somewhere I read the guaranteed information, that it would be up 29 February 2021 between 14:35 and 14:48.

[jstnhllmn]

@haakoo

13 hours ago, haakoo said:

Listening is something completely different as to not responding.

Serif reads the requests and they consider it or not and they will try to implement things,...

how do you know that?

[dominik]

11 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

My point is pretty straight forward... there are these three features that are crucial to many users who have been asking repeatedly over the years and there has never been a straightforward, non fluffy answer e.g.
 

Hi @Chiefmonkey,

Serif is communicating very straight forward on what features are coming next or on what features are being worked on. This is done via the public beta versions. If it is not in the beta it is not coming soon. This may be not exactly what you are asking for in your first post but this is more of an answer than 'not communicating'  

Usually the beta versions run for a couple of months before they turn into an official release. That way you can tell some time ahead of what is to be expected.

Everything else you are asking for - I'm sorry to put it that way and please take no offense - is very unlikely to happen.

Cheers,
d.

[dominik]

2 hours ago, jstnhllmn said:

@haakoo

how do you know that?

I'm not @haakoo but want to point you to one of several posts where this was stated:

'All developers and managers also read and participate on these forums. If they felt there was anything new or significative enough to add (disclose) to the discussion they would probably have done it by now.'

The quote is from this post that explains even more how Serif's staff participates and communicates about feature requests:

 

Cheers,
d.

 

[Chiefmonkey]

11 hours ago, Pšenda said:

Somewhere I read the guaranteed information, that it would be up 29 February 2021 between 14:35 and 14:48.

[Chiefmonkey]

thank you @dominik

all good... no offence taken at all... I guess this bit sums it up: "If they felt there was anything new or significative enough to add (disclose) to the discussion they would probably have done it by now."

1. Blending between Shapes  -  aka transitioning/tweening... can't believe this isn't a function/feature they'd want to include... an answer to this would be greatly appreciated 
2. Shape Creation Tool - the Boolean tools are OK  (a "Shape Tool" would be so much quicker but hey I'm letting it go  lol) 
3. Offset Path - in AI and others this is a 2-click feature.. but hey there is a workaround... it's cumbersome UX but you get there in the end... I'm letting it go