Can you get rid of masked segments of curves?

[jiminyfickett]

I've got a pattern of curves that is masked. I'm wondering if there is a way to more permanently trim off the ends of the curves that are masked, so I'd be left with shorter curves instead of masked long curves. This would help with export to other software that isn't handling masks well.

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums.

One (not ideal) answer would be to:
* Select all the curves;
* Select the Node Tool;
* Press the “Join Curves” button on the Context Toolbar;
* Select the Move Tool;
* Select both the joined curves and the ‘cutter shape’;
* Choose menu “Layer → Geometry → Intersect” (or press the Intersect button on the Toolbar).
You can then break the remaining curves and delete the bits you don’t need.
My attached GIF shows the process before breaking and deleting.
It’s not a totally automatic process but it gets you part-way to what you want quite easily.

This might not be the best way so maybe someone else can give you a better workflow.

[jiminyfickett]

Thanks Garry! After posting I was able to figure that way out, but I guess I was still holdin out hope that there’d be a more automated approach. I was using the merge curves command under geometry. Your way makes for a bit less cleanup afterward.

Edited January 29, 2020 by jiminyfickett

[GarryP]

Unfortunately I can’t think of a better way of doing it at the moment.
If/when we get a Knife Tool – or something similar, it’s been requested many times – then this sort of thing might become easier.

[G13RL]

Hello, jiminyfickett,

Try this:
Select lines, "Expand Stroke", "Add".
Select the set (rows and crescent), "Intersect".

[jiminyfickett]

Thanks for the idea! This was another way I tried, but then you're left with outlines of the curves. I need the curves themselves in this case. Is there a way to get the strokes back after you've expanded them? 

[G13RL]

 To my knowledge no, I thought I had found a solution:

"Layer," "Geometry," "Separate Curves." 
Invert the colors (set the fill to "None" and the contour to black).
Set the line thickness to 0.
Reverse the colors again (set the fill to "Black").

But the result is the same, the outline is simply hidden. 
 

[jiminyfickett]

Thanks for the help! For a lot of applications these ideas work great!

[Kal]

I find myself wanting to do this sort of thing every so often, and wondered if there was a way in Designer. In Illustrator, I would use Pathfinder > Outline. Then Select All, deselect the bits I want to keep, Delete. However Designer's 'Geometry' commands don't include an Outline option.

Ideally what we want is something like Designer's Rasterise & Trim option but without the Rasterise bit! That would be a killer feature methinks.

[BlueDesigncoza]

Hi,

This is after the fact of the above conversation. But may help someone else.

I needed to do the same thing. i have all three Affinity Photo/Designer and Publisher programs. However i had been working in Photo at the time while working on my client's logo.

I did the following to subtract curve parts from another curve layer.

* First duplicated my layers just for a backup.

* Created the shapes, then converted to curves to shape into the shaping i needed. In this case it was a rams horn with cut lines into the horn.

* Grouped the curves together for ease of layer organisation.

* Then as mentioned in the help above. I selected the cut lines curves layers of the rams horn. and under Geometry - I merged the Curves.

* Then selected both that merged curve layer and the base horn layer i wished the cut lines to be removed from so they appeared transparent on the horn.

* With both the curve layers selected and the base horn layer below the layer i wished to make transparent. I selected 'Subtract' under the Geometry menu heading. and Done! The layers became transparent and my main rams horn remained a curve and not rasterized.

Hope this makes sense and helps.

[PixelPest]

So easy in Inkscape: