How to create an infinite sized canvas in AD

[MiLeung]

I'd like to create a canvas of infinite size where I can just draw anywhere. This would be useful when creating something like a mind map. I found an old post about infinite canvases, and what I had to do was first create a canvas of fixed size, create an object in the canvas, select the object, then "convert object to artboard".

 

This works-ish, but how do you get the grid lines drawn infinitely as well?

[Komatös]

Hello @MiLeung

- Response withdrawn -

Edited November 30, 2021 by Komatös

[MiLeung]

2 minutes ago, Komatös said:

Hello @MiLeung

Go to View -> Show Grid

That only toggles the grid on the object. I am looking for a way to have a grid drawn infinitely in all direction so I am not constrained by canvas size. I'm also trying to create the infinite canvas grid without having to going through the multi step process of creating an object, etc.

[Komatös]

You will always be limited by the size of the artboard and/or canvas.

[Old Bruce]

17 minutes ago, MiLeung said:

I'd like to create a canvas of infinite size where I can just draw anywhere.

You cannot do that.

[loukash]

5 hours ago, MiLeung said:

a canvas of infinite size where I can just draw anywhere

1. New Document > Presets > Web
2. pick any preset and set the page height and width to 256000 pixel which is the maximum canvas size
3. make sure "Create Artboard" is unchecked

OK, mathematically it's finite but, well…

[loukash]

4 minutes ago, loukash said:

make sure "Create Artboard" is unchecked

Hm…
Actually, make sure "Create Artboard" is checked. Because you can create artboards of 2147483647 × 2147483647 pixel size!

That's technically still finite, but …

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, loukash said:

That's technically still finite, but …

@MiLeung, by the way, there is also a little infinity to the other end: If you start drawing your project at a very high zoom level (creating tiny things this way) the available space may appear even larger. Works well for vector content.

Using View Points + the Navigator Panel can make it even more attractive. https://affinity.help/designer/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Panels/navigatorPanel.html?title=Navigator panel

Possibly @loukash will also know the smallest possible font or stroke size? 🏆

[loukash]

8 hours ago, thomaso said:

Possibly @loukash will also know the smallest possible font or stroke size? 🏆

0.0000001 pt text (will display as "0 pt"!) is still visible at 878906250 % zoom.
Zooming in any further makes the object disapear. But that might also depend on the hardware used: having an "obsolete" non-retina MacBook running El Capitan might somewhat limit the display capabilities; I don't know.

Fun stuff.
Take that, Schmadobe!

[thomaso]

30 minutes ago, loukash said:

0.0000001 pt text (will display as "0 pt"!) is still visible at 878906250 % zoom.

🏆

Quote

(will display as "0 pt"!)

That's interesting. If the UI decimal preference is set to its maximum of 6 than I would expect it to be displayed as 0.000001 as its closest rounded value, as usually the decimals become displayed rounded accordingly.

[walt.farrell]

15 minutes ago, thomaso said:

That's interesting. If the UI decimal preference is set to its maximum of 6 than I would expect it to be displayed as 0.000001 as its closest rounded value, as usually the decimals become displayed rounded accordingly.

Values between 0 and .000000499... would round down to 0, which includes that .0000001 value. It would only round to .000001 starting at .0000005 I believe.

[thomaso]

7 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Values between 0 and .000000499... would round down to 0, which includes that .0000001 value. It would only round to .000001 starting at .0000005 I believe.

Oh thanks, of course, I forgot the usual principle of rounding: simply spoken clipped at 50%.