Release Curves to Layers?

[Jpburns]

Something useful in Illustrator is the ability to select curves in a document and "Release to Layers" the individual curves, creating a new layer for each curve. That way you could maintain the names of curves as layer names, and conceivably get them to export to other vendor's (Illustrator) software.

For instance, I'm working with an imported SVG file that has all of the curves helpfully named (a map of Georgia with all 250-some counties as curves) and I can't export it in a way that will maintain those names.

Thanks.

[walt.farrell]

I'm not sure I understand what you're after.

Each curve in Designer is already on a layer.

If you have a set of curves that's been combined into a single (Curves) layer, then you can separate them to individual layers again using Layer > Geometry > Divide.

[Jpburns]

I'm saying, if you're trying to export those layers, say to an .EPS or .PDF, the curve names do not make the trip. They're just named <path> when you open them in, say, Illustrator.

I haven't tested it enough, but my thought is if you could kick out each of those curves to their own layer, optimally named the same as the source curve, it would be much more useful if you need to make some sort of round trip to other programs. Illustrator lets you do this (except you still lose the curve name...) by using the command "Release to Layers."

 

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Jpburns said:

Illustrator lets you do this (except you still lose the curve name...) by using the command "Release to Layers."

If Illustrator is also not keeping the curve names, then what is the difference between "Release to Layers" and Affinity's "Divide"? It sounds like both create the layers, and neither keeps the names.

(I do not have Illustrator, so I cannot check myself.)

[Jpburns]

I thought this was the place to recommend new features. That’s what I’m doing. 

Not looking to be told it can’t be done. Looking for someone to say “that’d be useful.”

thanks. 

[walt.farrell]

It is the place to do that, and I'm not saying it can't be done.

I'm trying to understand exactly what it is you need (and that's something that the Serif staff will need to understand, too.)

If all you're saying is that you'd like to be able to use Layer > Geometry > Divide against a (Curves) object that has been given a name, and have each of the resulting (Curve) layers retain that name, then that is a clear suggestion. But so far, I'm not sure that's what you're saying.

[Jpburns]

Don’t think divide us what I want. It’s a single path (curve). A series of them. In my test case, 250-some. They’re all named. Want to export them and maintain their names. 

[walt.farrell]

7 minutes ago, Jpburns said:

Don’t think divide us what I want. It’s a single path (curve). A series of them. In my test case, 250-some. They’re all named. Want to export them and maintain their names. 

In that case, it would help to have a sample document (.afdesign) to demonstrate what you're looking at and what you want. It could be a simpler one than your 250-some case, but one that demonstrates the issue.

[Jpburns]

test case.afdesign

[Old Bruce]

I just tried with your file and the SVG (for export) default setting and having the Just one layer chosen gives me working named set of layers. But I am not sure if this is what you want.

test case.svg

[Jpburns]

I guess the answer is to export as SVG, except I got error messages when trying to open the more complicated file.