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!