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

[dominik]

1 hour ago, Chiefmonkey said:

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 

BTW, I'm not saying that the features you mention are not desirable. In the contrary. I share your notion that these would be welcome to have 

d.

[Pšenda]

4 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

a "Shape Tool" would be so much quicker 

It depends on the situation.

Edit: I found that the "miracle" procedure was deleted from the original post. No wonder, what lasts a few seconds in Affinity, he created a minute using Shape Builder :-)

[Chiefmonkey]

@dominik yep cheers mate... if you ever hear of a workaround for Blending between shapes please do let me know 

@Pšenda I agree... I can live without the Shape Tool... the boolean operators are actually a no brainer and in some circumstances quicker 

As for the Offset Path, I shall struggle on... painfully clicking 30 times to simply add a uniform outline to a previously drawn shape... I'm letting it go... it's gone... all is good in the world 

Appreciate your time guys... thank you

[Pšenda]

3 hours ago, Chiefmonkey said:

painfully clicking 30 times to simply add a uniform outline to a previously drawn shape...

Can be shared/copied using Style or Paste Style.

[Chiefmonkey]

I'll give that a go @Pšenda ... thank you 

[JET_Affinity]

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I'm a laser cutter…

Stroke width settings are essentially "live effects." For any kind of NC fabrication, using stroke widths to create the appearance of offset paths does not provide actual separate paths for the NC machine to follow.

Path blends and offset paths are so commonly used functions that I'm sure they are planned, and as I recall have been acknowledged by the Devs as being in the plans. Some kind of "virtual segment" detection or "path builder" tool is also pretty much standard fare these days, so I doubt that the Devs are unaware of the need.

But whenever wondering why any obvious feature is not here yet, it's prudent to consider that individual features don't (or at least shouldn't) exist in their own separated vacuums. They are dependent upon each other. They often build upon each others' base functionality. For example, it has already been acknowledged that the outline path function is problematic. That seems clearly related to similar functions like offsetting paths. And we've already been told that that problem is being worked on.

Quote

Roadmap and an Update of These Feature Requests

No offense intended to you personally, Chiefmonkey. I'm just making a general comment here. But this is why it's rather silly to expect a development team to provide any kind of set-in-stone, "hold-our-feet-to-the-fire" specific sequence and calendar schedule for their development work. Development is just that: development. It's largely a process of working things out as you go. Especially if you are developing anything actually innovative, be it software or a motorcycle, there is no precisely detailed, planned-out sequence of specific calendar days for each step of the project. There is just a general plan and direction in which allowances have to be made for whatever is encountered. That's what R&D departments do in any industry. That's how innovative things happen.

The Affinity team has been refreshingly open with its customer base since its beginning. I wouldn't be surprised if that openness doesn't start lessening in the face of the constant barrage of customers who somehow seem to think that we have any kind of right to demand that a company provides us some kind of fixed outlined/sequenced/scheduled plan for how it develop its products. We pay $50 for a copy of a graphics program. That doesn't make us CEO.

JET

[Chiefmonkey]

no offence taken @JET_Affinity  

Stroke widths can work just fine... as I described earlier on... you just expand the stroke... it's cumbersome but can be done 

I've looked after dev teams and owned my own mobile app startup for years... Roadmaps are great, we swore by them... you can't always stick to them because you can't predict everything... but we were always 80% there and the rest is just communication... that is all that I asked for in my initial post 

Being a middle aged adult, who's worked online with devs since the mid 90's I wouldn't dream of demanding a feature... and I haven't here... what I've asked for is for communication... I've looked throughout the forums but unfortunately can't see anything conclusive but things from years ago that say "coming soon" or worse people simply being told what they can't do without being provided a workaround alternative

I'm not expecting an answer anymore... it's pretty clear one isn't coming... @dominik pointed me toward the beta tests so you can see new features which has been appreciated (thank you Dominik) but still doesn't answer the question 

So as I said in my last reply... I'm letting it go... I'm sticking with Affinity because I'm determined not to use Adobe... I'm using workarounds that either I worked out or the more helpful members have offered

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

[dominik]

Hi @Chiefmonkey,

I appreciate the way you are communicating your position and contributing to the forum.

d.

[Solpablo]

Hi @Chiefmonkey

We appreciate your answer, I would like to share my experience mainly whit offset path.

I realized this is a tool I daily use in illustrator, specially on my work environment, usually I use cutting plotters, like Cameo, Graphtec and Roland to make designs, All these machines have their own limitations, that are hard to cut materials in small pieces. There is a rule of increasing the design using the offset tool, however most of the time is necessary to do it in a specific increments or reductions, like 3mm (metric system).

That been said, this is a tool I must have before to decide to use and purchase Affinity design as my main working tool.

PD: I'm attaching a job that uses this tool a lot as an example

 

[Chiefmonkey]

no offence taken @JET_Affinity  

Stroke widths can work just fine... as I described earlier on... you just expand the stroke 

 

[Chiefmonkey]

Hey @Solpablo fantastic response... yeah I still tinker with Affinity, though I am back on Adobe for my sins since I just got to work.

But like I said I still tinker, there are things that take me seconds in Affinity that take minutes in illustrator... just need to keep playing

Your design looks fantastic... I'm slightly envious of your skills lol... I shall have a play with the offset tool

Cheers mate,

Chiefmonkey

 

[alexpi]

I have designer friends that are using Illustrator, and upon showing them AF Designer, almost every one dismiss it due to the lack of Offset paths, Patterns, Blends and Gradient meshes (in that order!) 

[Solpablo]

On 12/22/2019 at 3:16 AM, alexpi said:

I have designer friends that are using Illustrator, and upon showing them AF Designer, almost every one dismiss it due to the lack of Offset paths, Patterns, Blends and Gradient meshes (in that order!) 

I totally agree, this is something important, AF Designer is really close to a professional level tool, there are people specialized in some design specialties that those tools mentioned are the basic ones to make certain type of jobs.

Unfourtanelly I did not have enough time to continue exploring AF designer because the trial expired, but having this threat open I hope the affinity team will prioritize these features. I would love to get in track again. This offset path is a tool that works wonderful in Inkscape but the community needs to work on other fields to make their software better. Maybe the affinity team can understand the market and take the advantage from another software's  and get this tool better every day.

@alexpiI did not know patterns is not available on AF designer,  I was thinking about the usability of this tool, this is a powerful way to create designs. This is an example about using this tool, I can't think of another way of doing it.

 

@Chiefmonkey Thank you, you can do it, just need to make something when you need to face challenges in your mind you will find ways to solve it, This is an example if I have the opportunity to test again AF designer I might come up whit alternative solutions however the time that takes to accomplish the same results, you start considering other software's.

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Solpablo
improving redability, English is not my main language howerver I try my best

[Ecnavda]

I need a simple offset paths function (both inside and outside) in daily works too. Please include this in next program update. Thanks!