Designer

[JonnyFartPants]

Path finder tools, are there any. Absolute necessity for the print world so we can merge or unite and then create offset path -/+ to create a cut path and or a perfcut path

 

ANy ideas

[firstdefence]

The are called Geometry in Affinity.

 

https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/designer/desktop/video/331186907

All the latest tutorials for Designer Desktop.
https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/designer/desktop/

[R C-R]

P.J.Gadsdon: you should change your forum user name to something that is not a valid email address to avoid it being harvested by spammers.

[JonnyFartPants]

I dont think that is the same thing, if I create a rectangle with a stroke, it wont let convert to a path. Same goes for text. I do seem to be able to convert it to outlines or paths

20 years of Illustrator cannot be lost. I will never get that time back

 

CHeers

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, JonnyFartPants said:

I dont think that is the same thing, if I create a rectangle with a stroke, it wont let convert to a path.

It should. Have you tried selecting it with the Move Tool & on the context toolbar clicking the "Convert to Curves" button or selecting the same thing from the Layers menu?

[JonnyFartPants]

I mean I cant convert text to outlines, or unite or merge layers or paths

Which is a deal breaker for me

[JonnyFartPants]

I have a box, with a stroke of 2pt. If I convert to curves nothing happens. I would expect this to create paths for both the outside of the stroke and the inside. If convert to curves is the same as create paths.

But

This was with a vector file copied and pasted using Illustrator

If I convert to curves on text created in AD it works. So why not from pasted vectors from AI. I have 80GB of AI files going back 20 years, I would need to paste them 

[walt.farrell]

7 minutes ago, JonnyFartPants said:

I mean I cant convert text to outlines, or unite or merge layers or paths

What do you mean by "outlines", and how would it be different from selecting the Text and using Layer > Convert to Curves?

How is "merging" layers or paths different from Layer > Geomertry > Add or Layer > Geometry > Merge Curves?

[JonnyFartPants]

It works, just now need offset paths and pathfinder merge and unite

[JonnyFartPants]

OK select all > Layer >Geometry >Add seems to work the same is AI unite. SO how about an offset path now?? Cheers folks

If I select all and the geometry > add, it seems to select the artboard as well, so cannot then select the path I have created on its own, which I would need to do in order to create an offset minus path. I.e. one that is slightly smaller than the original so I can cut this using a CAD cutter. This way we dont get any white whisper lines around the sticker we need to cut 

Edited February 4, 2020 by JonnyFartPants

[JonnyFartPants]

This is probably the best vid

 

[dutchshader]

i guess that this is the only way to do this in designer:

[firstdefence]

1. Duplicate the layer (CMD or Ctrl + J) and then lock the bottom layer, locking the original layer prevents it from being selected with the next step
2. To select the elements of an unlocked layer on an Artboard, with the artboard selected, hold down CMD/Ctrl on Win and drag over the elements
3. Once they are selected you can create a Compound (main menu at the top of the affinity app) Layer > Create Compound
4. To get the no fill, cut/contour colour stroke you can simply make a style with no fill and whatever width stroke and the designated colour for the cut is and apply that style to the Compound.
5. To get a single curves line you can select the Move tool (V) and on the Move tools context menu select Convert to curves
6. To get the minus offset you can change the stroke width to suit, set the Align to inner then use Layer > Expand stroke.
7. Next use Layer > Geometry: Divide and delete everything but the original edge line and minus stroke line.

Compounds behave slightly differently than Adobe Illustrators, in so much as they do not retain the individual elements colours and basically just block fill a colour which in this case kind of suits the purpose.

 

[JonnyFartPants]

Excellent vids and thanks. Just a word for the developers. I think everyone might be surprised with the amount of people who use AI and PS for manufacturing design rather than art. 70% of users of these programs are in either web design or manufacturing, especially the printing industry and garment decoration. Affinity Designer would be well set to introduce a slightly easier way to create an offset minus path and unite layer features. If they do then a great deal of people using either Coral Draw or AI would come over

The process in AI

Open document > select all > Copy > Create new layer > Paste >

Select all > pathfinder > Unite >

View > Outline > object > Path > Offset Path > -0.1pt >

Stroke > Special Spot colour (called CutContour)

Job done

An improvement could be made to AI, you could make the offset path live with a slider, rather than AI, where you have to keep previewing each change