How to combine objects or connect separated lines on AD

[mazarin]

Hi. This is a question that is so basic that I'm almost ashamed to ask!

In Affinity Designer, how can I connect two separated lines or two distinct objects?

In AI, you can do it in different ways, like using the "join" command or by connecting the end point of an object to the end point of one another.

 

This video shows what I want to do: https://youtu.be/ACI04PgeFoY

 

Thanks

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Hi Mazarin,

 

Don;t ever feel ashamed to ask, it's what the form is here for. If you select the NODE tool then click and select the nodes you want to join, (hold down shift to select more than one then in the context tool bar next to actions click join curves.

 

 

 

Allan

 

 

 

[mazarin]

Hi Mazarin,

 

Don;t ever feel ashamed to ask, it's what the form is here for. If you select the NODE tool then click and select the nodes you want to join, (hold down shift to select more than one then in the context tool bar next to actions click join curves.

 

 

 

Allan

 

Thanks for the tip, Allan.

Something is still not going in the way I expect. Please see this video where I want to connect the two left nodes: https://youtu.be/1niBr07WAlc

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Ok, i'm guessing its due to the start and end nodes, where you would use close instead of join, if you draw one curve it does not let you join but close it, it that video example you would choose join, the close the start and end of the two curves.

[My Strawberry Monkey]

Ok, have a look here, there is a small clip showing how it works in the 2nd post.

 

 

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/10971-merge-join-nodes/?hl=node

[mazarin]

Well, I'm very worried now :( , because the other forum member had the same feeling as me when faced with the same basic drawing situation. <_<

This thing I'm trying to do is too basic, standard and simple and now I'm wondering why can't be done in a straighforward way, but only in a "quick fix" way. Why not allow the pen tool to connect one object point to another?

Maybe when AD was in development, illustrators who helped with the vector drawing concepts had a very particular way of drawing or designing. Maybe they were more into free hand illustration than into graphic design. <_<

I still can't believe in it.  :(

 

The solution I could see on the other topic is more of a workaround than a real world way to draw. This slows down object creation a lot.

 

Bro. It's my personal opinion, but together with the actual "raw snapping options" this should be addressed ASAP. Graphic designers or people who do a bit more technical illustrations are significantly tied when drawing in AD right now.

[Tinkerman]

Yes I know.. it;s 2019 now.. but I have just downloaded AD and the first thing i wanted to do is join two nodes.. AND IT CAN NOT BE DONE.. according to this post and all of its answers.

Not in 2015 and STILL NOT IN 2019...

I can not believe that this super basic functionality has never been implemented. To me this is the kind of issues that might convince me NOT to buy this software that is looking very promising...  I do hope that this issue has been resolved by now and that somebody can tell me how to do it... because ..  I may have 20 years of experience in AI and Coreldraw and Inkscape... but I only have 2 minutes of experience using AD.

Please help!!

Thanks!

Edited November 2, 2019 by Tinkerman

[firstdefence]

That is rage inducing lol!

This will sound a bit pedantic but It does say Join curves, not Join nodes. Having said that I totally agree, you really should be able to join selected nodes

[mazarin]

On 11/2/2019 at 4:57 PM, Tinkerman said:

Yes I know.. it;s 2019 now.. but I have just downloaded AD and the first thing i wanted to do is join two nodes.. AND IT CAN NOT BE DONE.. according to this post and all of its answers.

Not in 2015 and STILL NOT IN 2019...

I can not believe that this super basic functionality has never been implemented. To me this is the kind of issues that might convince me NOT to buy this software that is looking very promising...  I do hope that this issue has been resolved by now and that somebody can tell me how to do it... because ..  I may have 20 years of experience in AI and Coreldraw and Inkscape... but I only have 2 minutes of experience using AD.

Please help!!

Thanks!

Well, here I am, almost 5 years later, lauching Affinity Designer to have a look in it's evolution.

I have used Illustrator in a lot of projects during my 20 year career, and I find it very odd the way Affinity team decided to go without basic vector drawing tools like this.

I'm overwhelmed that this nice piece of software still can't do something so basic: Joining two nodes.

At first, I thought it was an early software issue, or lack of  features. But now I can see this is a software design choice, that comes from a specific vector drawing style, which is very plastered by the way.

Maybe this is why any of my colleagues which have more than 10 years of experience in vector drawing likes affinity designer.

In the end, all that I can say is:

Don't get me wrong, because you showed that you are a very talented team of developers, who made a very cool software, but you are either blind to it, or there's someone a bit arrogant to listen to designers that grew with illustrator/corel flexibility in vector/shape drawing.

 

 

[ashf]

 

[Kuttyjoe]

On 7/23/2015 at 3:35 PM, mazarin said:

Hi. This is a question that is so basic that I'm almost ashamed to ask!

In Affinity Designer, how can I connect two separated lines or two distinct objects?

In AI, you can do it in different ways, like using the "join" command or by connecting the end point of an object to the end point of one another.

 

This video shows what I want to do: https://youtu.be/ACI04PgeFoY

 

Thanks

Yeah.  And also you can do it by using the pencil tool and just drawing over two open ends, and it'll just kind of connect those two lines.  It's good when you're already the pencil tool and want to organically connect lines.

[BubbleBla]

Owh nooo 😨. I really want to cancel my adobe sub. Maybe later, I guess 😩

[PixelPest]

The examples from the video are all doable in AD:

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, PixelPest said:

The examples from the video are all doable in AD:

I think what @mazarin & some others are talking about is the ability to connect (IOW, to join) two (or more?) open curves by connecting together selected end nodes instead of as it works now by joining together the nearest ones, ignoring which (if any) end nodes are currently selected.

IOW, to change the node joining behavior from proximity based to selection based. I am not sure how they would want this to work when there are more than two curves involved, or if any non-end nodes are among the selected ones.

[PixelPest]

Then this video is misleading or just a bad example. I know AD can´t simply add a segment to 2 selected nodes and/or make 1 node from 2 at the same spot like I do in Inkscape all the time.

The example is too trivial.

[R C-R]

55 minutes ago, PixelPest said:

I know AD can´t simply add a segment to 2 selected nodes and/or make 1 node from 2 at the same spot like I do in Inkscape all the time.

AD can now usually join two open curves by dragging with the Node Tool one of a curve end nodes onto another curve's end node if the snapping options are set correctly, but even that still does not work 100% of the time.

[appearsharmless]

1 hour ago, PixelPest said:

Then this video is misleading or just a bad example. I know AD can´t simply add a segment to 2 selected nodes and/or make 1 node from 2 at the same spot like I do in Inkscape all the time.

The only way I can merge two nodes (i.e., make 1 node from 2 at the same spot) is to snap the 2 nodes on top of each other with the Node Tool, use Layer>Geometry>Merge Curves to get the curves on one layer, lasso the stacked nodes with the Node Tool, and click "Join Curves" on the context toolbar. Which is weird, because doing the same thing without using Layer>Geometry>Merge Curves appears to get the curves on one layer as well, but it doesn't work:

Works:

Doesn't Work:

If I want to add a segment to 2 selected nodes, I do this (which seems like a bug):

[R C-R]

@appearsharmless, try this:

1. Enable Snap to object geometry in the Snapping manager.
2. With the Node Tool selected, enable its Snap: Align to nodes of selected curves option. (Note that this is independent of the global snapping options set in the Snapping Manager.)
3. With the Node Tool, use Shift to select both curves.
4. Drag one of the end nodes over the other curve. A yellow snapping indicator will appear, allowing you to snap the dragged node to any point on the second curve. Make sure you drop it on one of the end nodes of the second curve -- a small double rectangle 'badge' will appear below the pointer to indicate that it will be dropped exactly on a node instead of on a segment.
5. Now click the "Join Curves" button.

You should end up with a single curve, with the two end nodes merged into a single one.

These snapping options have to be enabled for this to work reliably because otherwise it is extremely unlikely one node will actually be dropped exactly on top of the other one. As I understand it, this is a result of the extremely high internal precision of the Affinity apps needed to support its unusually large zoom range. Apparently, the internal precision is so high that unless you are zoomed in to near the maximum magnification you can't place one node exactly over another without help from the snapping options -- even a difference of a few thousandths of a millimeter will cause the two curves to be joined with a line segment of that length.

In practice, other snapping options are also likely to be enabled, which can make it difficult to know which one(s) are being used unless close attention is paid to the visual indicators. 

[appearsharmless]

27 minutes ago, R C-R said:

@appearsharmless, try this:

1. Enable Snap to object geometry in the Snapping manager.
2. With the Node Tool selected, enable its Snap: Align to nodes of selected curves option. (Note that this is independent of the global snapping options set in the Snapping Manager.)
3. With the Node Tool, use Shift to select both curves.
4. Drag one of the end nodes over the other curve. A yellow snapping indicator will appear, allowing you to snap the dragged node to any point on the second curve. Make sure you drop it on one of the end nodes of the second curve -- a small double rectangle 'badge' will appear below the pointer to indicate that it will be dropped exactly on a node instead of on a segment.
5. Now click the "Join Curves" button.

You should end up with a single curve, with the two end nodes merged into a single one.

These snapping options have to be enabled for this to work reliably because otherwise it is extremely unlikely one node will actually be dropped exactly on top of the other one. As I understand it, this is a result of the extremely high internal precision of the Affinity apps needed to support its unusually large zoom range. Apparently, the internal precision is so high that unless you are zoomed in to near the maximum magnification you can't place one node exactly over another without help from the snapping options -- even a difference of a few thousandths of a millimeter will cause the two curves to be joined with a line segment of that length.

In practice, other snapping options are also likely to be enabled, which can make it difficult to know which one(s) are being used unless close attention is paid to the visual indicators. 

Yeah, I've tried that one before; still doesn't work:

I should note that in the previous video I posted, the one that works, I had both Snap to object geometry checked on in the Snapping manager and Snap: Align to nodes of selected curves option on in the Node Tool context toolbar. The whole "Join Curves" thing is pretty goofball.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, appearsharmless said:

Yeah, I've tried that one before; still doesn't work:

In your video I do not see the yellow 'snap to curve' indictor ever appearing -- the curve near where you drag the node should light up with a thin yellow line along its curvature when you get the dragged node near it. With multiple snapping options enabled it can take a short amount of time for that to appear, I suppose because the app has to sort through all the snapping options to decide which one(s) to use.

So maybe experimentally either first try dragging the node onto the other curve a little away from its end node, waiting for that yellow indicator to appear, & then move it over the end node; or alternately disable several of the other snapping options that would 'compete' with the snap to geometry one.

[JimmyJack]

@appearsharmless judging by your layers panel your procedure is joining the two objects at the bottom. Try separating the two bottom nodes and doing it. It'll work.

OR......

Is everyone using the latest  beta?? (1.8.4)

Connecting selected is available
(still can't do it with the pen tool though....)

Two nodes to one (use boolean Divide (or Add))
I would consider this to be more of a happy accident rather than intended functionality, but it does work. 
If you're lucky enough to be working with a closed curve, it's that simple. If an open curve, then you will have to delete the closing segment that's created when doing this.
Trouble arises though if you have multiple/overlapping objects that will be adversely affected by the Booleans in general.
Of course, it would be nice not have the doubles in the first place.... Or a tool specific to clean up.... "Delete Double's" or some such.

[R C-R]

16 minutes ago, JimmyJack said:

Is everyone using the latest  beta?? (1.8.4)

I was not until you mentioned it but now that I have tried it I notice several differences relating to joining curves in the Mac AD beta vs. the 1.8.3 retail version.

The big one is that connecting selected it now works, just like in your screen recording. Another is that clicking "Join Curves" with a single open curve selected seems to work just like using "Close Curve," but only if both its end nodes are selected. Otherwise, the "Join Curves" button is greyed out.

There may be some other related differences but I have not yet played with this beta enough to tell.

[appearsharmless]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

In your video I do not see the yellow 'snap to curve' indictor ever appearing -- the curve near where you drag the node should light up with a thin yellow line along its curvature when you get the dragged node near it. With multiple snapping options enabled it can take a short amount of time for that to appear, I suppose because the app has to sort through all the snapping options to decide which one(s) to use.

So maybe experimentally either first try dragging the node onto the other curve a little away from its end node, waiting for that yellow indicator to appear, & then move it over the end node; or alternately disable several of the other snapping options that would 'compete' with the snap to geometry one.

As an experiment, I tried dragging the node to the curvature of the target node as you suggested, and carefully tracked along the curve, never losing the thin yellow indicator line, until the nodes snapped. Then I clicked on "Join Curves". Bupkis. The curves remain separate.

If I just drag the node directly onto the target node and wait for the yellow indicator line to appear, this happens:

1 hour ago, JimmyJack said:

@appearsharmless judging by your layers panel your procedure is joining the two objects at the bottom. Try separating the two bottom nodes and doing it. It'll work.

That....worked! The two nodes at the bottom of the curves were overlapped, but not joined, just like at the top (where I was trying to merge the two nodes), but I can merge them by selecting both layers and clicking "Join Curves", as you suggested. BTW, I'm using 1.8.3, not the latest beta.

Thinking it might have been because the two bottom nodes were blue start nodes, I reversed both curves and tried the top nodes again. Nope.

So, to paraphrase Inigo Montoya, "Join Curves. They keep using that term. I do not think it means what they think it means."

[R C-R]

23 minutes ago, appearsharmless said:

As an experiment, I tried dragging the node to the curvature of the target node as you suggested, and carefully tracked along the curve, never losing the thin yellow indicator line, until the nodes snapped.

In your video attached to your last post I never see the thin yellow indicator line appear, nor do I see you tracking the node along the curve. I can't currently do a good video showing that indicator but maybe this will give you some idea of what it should look like when the node is dragged along the path of the other curve:

Are you sure you posted the correct video?

Edited July 6, 2020 by R C-R
added lame screenshot

[appearsharmless]

I didn't track along the curve in the video I posted; that was an (unsuccessful) experiment I did later.

I understand the indicator line you're referring to; if you hold down the control key on your Mac keyboard and use your trackball to magnify your display while the video is playing, you can see the yellow indicator line appear right before the curve goes all wonky (you can see me getting, and losing, the yellow line several times before I can get both the yellow line and the snap).