Feature request: node-weld version of join curves

[sfriedberg]

I've done a couple of sessions of curve editing in the last few days, and have a request for enhancement for joining curves.  When working rapidly with already trimmed curve segments, I do not want to have to zoom in on nodes and painstakingly drag one node over another to join two curve segments.  I want to quickly box select both nodes and weld the two nodes together. Bam. Done. Move on to the next joint.  Repeat.  Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.  No fussy business, no delay.  Just efficient work.

What I get right now with the "Join curves" Action of the Node Tool (A) is an additional line segment between the two nodes.  This segment is usually hidden by its tiny size, until I apply an operation like a boolean or the new beta contour, or apply a wide stroke.  Then the insanely high curvature of a curve doubling back on itself twice makes it clear there's a little glitch that absolutely must be cleaned up before I can go on to the next step.  Slowly, and painstakingly.

So I would like to see another toolbar Action for the node tool, where selected nodes are not joined by a line segment, but merged into a single node.  Adopt a rule that the highest (or lowest, I don't care) node in the layer stack is moved to the position of the lower, so if you are working with a precise design, you can reliably preserve known locations.  Moving both nodes to an average location is much less useful than keeping one readily-identified node in a fixed location.  Please do not base the rule on selection order.  The node visual indicators are usually overlapping, and having to select the two nodes in a particular sequence would be a huge pain in the patoot, and require more of that slow, zoomed-in, painstaking work. Box select, weld, done, repeat.  That's what I want.

[Edward Goodwin]

In a separate post I've asked the same question... so I'm glad I'm not the only one missing this functionality! 

However, I wonder if an additional tool is actually required... it's not in Illustrator. My version is simply that if the two points to be joined are coincident, the additional joining line is not created. That way, one tool does two jobs. For me, the process would be thus:

• Use the node tool to drag one point on top of another node (the yellow snapping cues will help you to know they are coincident). 
• Click-drag over the points (which are coincident) to select both.
• Select 'join curves'. Done. 

I guess, a dialogue could appear (as it does in Illustrator) to ask if you'd like a corner or a smooth curve. For me that's not essential as I can change that in the normal way as necessary. If the two points are not coincident then the functionality of the join curve button would be the same as it currently is (i.e. an additional line would be added to join the two points.

Make sense?

Edward

[Edward Goodwin]

Any news on this? @MEB?

[MEB]

Hi @Edward Goodwin,
The description/steps you detailed in your previous post is exactly how it should work. In most cases it does but sometimes it ends up adding a connection line rather than simply joining/merge the nodes. This is something we need to improve/fix - somehow the app isn't detecting the overlapping nodes and treats them as non-overlapping ones. I will double-check if this is logged and bump it (it's a known issue) or fill myself a report in case it's not logged yet.

[Edward Goodwin]

Thanks! I've been trying it today and it hasn't been working. I just was about to record an example to send to you and, of course, suddenly it is working... If I replicate the issue I'll send a screen recording. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Old Bruce]

49 minutes ago, Edward Goodwin said:

I just was about to record an example to send to you and, of course, suddenly it is working...

Just so you know, you are not alone with this experience. I haven't been able to figure out why the nodes will 'weld' only sometimes.

[MEB]

@Edward Goodwin,
You're welcome 🙂

[ra.skill]

I’ve also had this intermittent problem of welding only working sometimes. 
Look forward to a fix 🙂

[sfriedberg]

I'll be blunt.  I did not even know that join was not supposed to produce a (unwanted) line segment, because it always does for me.  It appeared to be intentional.  That's why I phrased this as a feature request for a new tool action!  If join is not supposed to produce a line segment, then by all means get it fixed.  PLEASE.

I can be about 5 times more productive in CorelDRAW than Affinity Designer doing this specific sort of curve editing, and the AffDes behavior of join curves is one major reason why.

[petriknz]

On 6/22/2021 at 12:07 AM, MEB said:

Hi @Edward Goodwin,
The description/steps you detailed in your previous post is exactly how it should work. In most cases it does but sometimes it ends up adding a connection line rather than simply joining/merge the nodes. This is something we need to improve/fix - somehow the app isn't detecting the overlapping nodes and treats them as non-overlapping ones. I will double-check if this is logged and bump it (it's a known issue) or fill myself a report in case it's not logged yet.

STILL NEEDS FIXING!

[xicus]

Is this supposed to be working? I'm having a heckuva time building things without the ability to weld points. "Merge Curves" doesn't seem to be what I'm looking for.

[MEB]

Hi @xicus,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
If you want to merge two overlapping nodes/end points (from different paths) into a single one, with both paths selected, drag a marquee around the overlapping nodes with the Node Tool and click the Join Curves button from the context toolbar (see video below). If the nodes of the paths do not overlap clicking the "Join Curves" button will connect the closest end nodes with a line (not shown in the video below).

 

[xicus]

On 1/19/2024 at 3:30 AM, MEB said:

 nodes with the Node Tool and click the Join Curves button from the context toolbar (see video below). 

Thanks a bunch, finally found it! Might be a better name out there?

[3dGuy]

The post by Edward on 21 June 2021 describes the problem I'm having very well - surely this can't still be an issue?

I've just upgraded to v2. In Designer I've two lines made using the pen tool. They each have points on top of eachother. The overlapping points were snapped to the same grid point and display the same X,Y coordinates. If I select both lines and then try to join the points using the node tool, it does not work. Some other examples produce lines, trying to close the curve instead.

My design has quite a few lines/curves, over several layers... how can I join them into a single curve??

FYI - Maybe this is of use. I've exported the curves as an SVG and imported it into Blender. There I can see that segments of the lines seem to be divided into various sub parts. eg. One segment between two nodes (in designer) can be made of a single line in blender - yet another may have 5 parts?!?

[I'm not including any files, as it seems the issue was understood before - hoping there is a solution/workaround now?? Please?]

 

 

[xicus]

1 hour ago, 3dGuy said:

If I select both lines and then try to join the points using the node tool, it does not work

 

Ugh. I tried for many minutes to weld two points this way yesterday then gave up. I find it very hard to do symmetrical artwork for this reason.

[mOOngaze]

On 1/19/2024 at 12:30 PM, MEB said:

Hi @xicus,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
If you want to merge two overlapping nodes/end points (from different paths) into a single one, with both paths selected, drag a marquee around the overlapping nodes with the Node Tool and click the Join Curves button from the context toolbar (see video below). If the nodes of the paths do not overlap clicking the "Join Curves" button will connect the closest end nodes with a line (not shown in the video below).

 

This does not work as expected on windows 10 trying this in its simplest form like in the video (Selecting two overlapping nodes).
It connects them but does not merge them. So nothing changes except there is a line segment connecting the nodes but everything is stacked on top of each other.

Selecting many lines (In the files I receive from a client sometimes many thousands) spread over a number of groups/layers, it joins curves/nodes as I described above but certainly not the ones closest to each other.

1. I box select a part of many curves in different groups
2. Press join curves
Result:

 

On a side note and probably more appropriate in a separate report:
After making an first box selection, I am unable to add / remove to the selection.
Shift, Control, Alt, +click drag does not change anything in the viewport. I suspect that it does register behind the scenes somewhere because it does affect a join operation for example. It did crash and close on me while testing this.

This is my second attempt at using Affinity professionally, and the second time I encounter a gigantic bug.
Must not have much testing going on on Windows?

The first display/UI bug I reported (For Photo) got fixed fast though, kudos for that.
Fact remains that my main impression is that the software is very immature.

Back to Adobe it is (begrudgingly).

Edited July 23, 2024 by mOOngaze