Shape builder tool

[telencephalon]

1 hour ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Sorry I was so rude to comment on your post.

To avoid such situations in the future I will not comment any post in Affinity forums in the future. 

You didn't say anything rude. You said usual functionality of working with figures "Add" , " ALT ",  etc. People want to see the shape builder tool in AD.
Comment on what you want, no one's mad at you. 😉

[Phil K.]

Yes, please add the shape builder tool.  

[BertTheDesigner]

Please Serif, 

Listen to the people that support your product. 

Please add the shape builder tool to Affinity Designer. Nothing gives me pleasure than working on the project in the software. It is that it becomes tedious trying to create shapes when the shape builder tool can save so much time. I know you want to make it simpler for all of us, but why not create a button where everyone have access to it in the context panel and call it a day.

Thank you.

[tom.s]

I too think it would be an amazing addition to Designer to have a shape builder tool. I really feel like Affinity Designer is lagging behind when it comes to the pen/shape tools. Software like Illustrator and even Figma is a head when it comes to things like even being able to copy and paste nodes. 

I would say, I've been using Designer more now my Adobe has ran out and I'm surprised by how many fundamental features it is actually lacking.

[Alfred]

22 minutes ago, tom.s said:

I too think it would be an amazing addition to Designer to have a shape builder tool.

As mentioned elsewhere, the bugs in the basic Boolean operations need to be ironed out before Serif can add a usable Shape Builder Tool. Just a few minutes ago I encountered several problems while trying to perform a set of steps to work around the current buggy behaviour of the ‘Divide’ command, so I’m not expecting to see a shape builder in Affinity Designer any time soon.

[BertTheDesigner]

I have a great solution....get rid of the Booleans all together. Replace it with the shape builder and call it a day.

[Frozen Death Knight]

1 hour ago, BertTheDesigner said:

I have a great solution....get rid of the Booleans all together. Replace it with the shape builder and call it a day.

But booleans are the system that runs a shape builder tool in the first place. Asking to remove them is like asking to remove the engine from a car in an attempt to drive. 🙃

[Frozen Death Knight]

6 hours ago, Alfred said:

As mentioned elsewhere, the bugs in the basic Boolean operations need to be ironed out before Serif can add a usable Shape Builder Tool. Just a few minutes ago I encountered several problems while trying to perform a set of steps to work around the current buggy behaviour of the ‘Divide’ command, so I’m not expecting to see a shape builder in Affinity Designer any time soon.

Yeah, they really need to fix those. Though, I do hope that a shape builder tool arrives shortly after those are fixed. Would make for a good one-two combo.

[Old Bruce]

50 minutes ago, Frozen Death Knight said:

But booleans are the system that runs a shape builder tool in the first place. Asking to remove them is like asking to remove the engine from a car in an attempt to drive. 🙃

Less weight means better mileage.

[BertTheDesigner]

If that’s the case, then they should start from the ground up. If this is the only thing we are asking Serif then that should tell everyone that the software is good and all it need is a few kinks to be fixed. Bring the Shape Builder please.

[Jowday]

18 minutes ago, BertTheDesigner said:

If that’s the case, then they should start from the ground up. If this is the only thing we are asking Serif then that should tell everyone that the software is good and all it need is a few kinks to be fixed. Bring the Shape Builder please.

Yep, but Affinity is Serifs 2015 => ground up project after 20 - 25 long years in the vector software business. The mere existence of these kinks is not reassuring. 

Plenty of more kinks in Designer and Photo to fix btw. 

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, Jowday said:

Yep, but Affinity is Serifs 2015 => ground up project after 20 - 25 long years in the vector software business.

Affinity is their first project designed from the ground up to support 3 different operating systems (& possibly more in the future) and their first to support a unified native file format for all the apps in the suite.

[LOB]

I would find a Shape Building tool useful.

[Gudrun]

As a fashion designer using Affinity Designer to draw fashion flats, I am seriously missing the shape builder tool from Illustrator. I draw the garment as a whole and then add in seams. if I then try to use Divide in the upper right corner, all my curved seams turn into a shape of their own. see below; first picture is my regular drawing, the second is after I Divide

Do you see what happened there. The reason I need to separate at some lines is to be able to use a different colour to demonstrate a different fabric. Like here:

Of course it is possible to draw the garment in pieces, but that takes twice the time. 

So "PLEASE" I am asking as nicely as I can, add a tool that acts like the shape builder 🙏

[ZufDraw]

+1

[Draga Marcel]

I vote +1 as well, the shape builder tool is a must have in concept design.

[HOUSE13]

Absolutely love what Affinity is doing!!! Illustrator is still a joke really although I use it almost everyday. I literally think I wouldn't NEED to open it at all if Affinity had the shape builder tool. BY FAR the best tool added to Illustrator in years!!! PLEASE ADD this tool! I'm sure you guys will dial it up and make it even better than adobe.

A tracing tool would be nice as well.

[BertTheDesigner]

1 hour ago, HOUSE13 said:

Absolutely love what Affinity is doing!!! Illustrator is still a joke really although I use it almost everyday. I literally think I wouldn't NEED to open it at all if Affinity had the shape builder tool. BY FAR the best tool added to Illustrator in years!!! PLEASE ADD this tool! I'm sure you guys will dial it up and make it even better than adobe.

A tracing tool would be nice as well.

Yes and add the image tracing tool while you’re at it.😁

[CPC]

On 8/2/2020 at 5:00 PM, Petar Petrenko said:

Use "Geometry" tools like:

1. select the rectangle and the left most circle and ALT click on "Add" (geometry);
2. select the newly created object and the next circle and, again, ALT click on "Add";
3. and so on.

Now, you can CTRL click on any object if you want to manipulate it. See the "Layers" panel, too.

Maybe I'm missing something about the problem, but I seem to get the desired effect in two steps... [1] Select all the component shapes and [2] click on 'Add'! No need to select the parts one at a time.
Added: How is a 'shape builder' tool different? You still have to select all the parts.

[HANDJOJO]

Yes I agree, The Shape Builder tool more easy and usefull, please add this tool (I don’t know if Adobe already patent this tool).

[Petar Petrenko]

1 hour ago, HANDJOJO said:

Yes I agree, The Shape Builder tool more easy and usefull, please add this tool (I don’t know if Adobe already patent this tool).

The shape tool is more visual. You can easily see the result.

[BertTheDesigner]

13 hours ago, CPC said:

Maybe I'm missing something about the problem, but I seem to get the desired effect in two steps... [1] Select all the component shapes and [2] click on 'Add'! No need to select the parts one at a time.
Added: How is a 'shape builder' tool different? You still have to select all the parts.

The reason for our request is because the shape builder tool is much easier to use when dealing with intricacies, such as corners and deleting small lines independently. I am currently using Illustrator because if this option. Once Serif adds a working shape builder tool then I’ll commit to a full switch to Affinity Designer.

[Gudrun]

14 hours ago, CPC said:

Maybe I'm missing something about the problem, but I seem to get the desired effect in two steps... [1] Select all the component shapes and [2] click on 'Add'! No need to select the parts one at a time.
Added: How is a 'shape builder' tool different? You still have to select all the parts.

this works fine for this partucular task, and yes, you can select all of the shapes and combine them in two steps.

BUT - This feature only works with closed shapes. Not all projects are based on closed shapes. You can also remove stubs sticking out of a shape with the shape builder tool. 

[lanakeete]

I’m begging you add shape builder tool

[michaelAlex]

One more requesting shape builder tool functionality

@Serif, It's a critical tool and I'm sure you're listening to the users. As others have mentioned, there's probably some technical difficulties keeping you from implementing, would it be possible to share with us what they are and if/how you plan to address them?