Change to Shape Not Filled

[GridLok]

I have had little experience with Graphics programs … mainly Adobe CS5, and am only just starting to bumble my way into Affinity. An issue I have not found the solution to: When I decided to fine-tune a shape – moved just one node (a 'square' one … don't know the proper term for it), the existing fill did not expand to include the slightly changed shape. The only solution I could think of was to save and close the app. But when I reopened the file, there was still an 'unfilled' area where I had changed the shape. I'm sure there is a simple solution but I haven't been able to guess it yet.

Many thanks to anyone who can assist in such a trivial matter.

 

[GarryP]

There could be various reasons for this.

Can you give us a screenshot showing us the shape before and after the editing so we can see what you are looking at?

If you can annotate the screenshot showing that ‘node’ you changed then that would also be useful.

[GridLok]

I don't have screenshot of before editing, but the attached .jpg shows the result of moving the square node along the path – to the left. I've noticed that in other places after creating a shape and filling it (including some fx), if I subsequently adjust the shape, any additional area is similarly not filled … I'VE JUST NOTICED! … a duplicate shape (with the adjustment) has been inserted on top of the original shape, and it has no fill. I have also just noticed that this situation has occurred previously, with a different shape.

Background info.: I'm trying to create a composition comprising adjoining shapes that have different colours; I've struggled to find a way in which I can ensure that boundaries of adjoining shapes are contiguous – that is, there is no overlapping. l eventually worked out how to copy an existing shape, drag the copy off the artboard, delete nodes and line segments to leave just that section that will be common with the next shape, then add additional nodes and path to create the next shape. Don't if that makes any sense. In any event, it appears that under some circumstances I have ended up with duplicate shapes instead of merely modifying an existing shape.

Sorry about the long-winded commentary … I could barely use CS5 … getting to know Affinity is proving a pretty steep learning curve. 

[GarryP]

From the screenshot it looks like you have two partially-opaque blue shapes on top of each other.
Notice where the blue shade is lighter just to the right of the circled node to that of the shade further to the right.

I won’t be able to tell without seeing your Layers Panel with the selected layer showing in that panel.
If you can give us a full-screen screenshot then we will have more information for diagnosis purposes.

There may be a better way to get what you want than what you have been doing, but we would need to see what you start with and have some idea of what you want to finish with to be able to give a good solution.

[GridLok]

Thanks for your involvement Garry. I've attached a screenshot of what I've done so far. After closely viewing the Layers panel I realised that there were two instances of duplication of shapes. In each case, as far as I can recall, the duplicate appeared after I had made alterations to an existing shape … but I can't now remember the exact sequence that led to the situation. In any event, I dealt with the particular issue that gave rise to this thread, by copying & pasting style from the initial shape to the copy – which actually had no fill, then deleted the original shape (see circled area).

As far as the whole design goes: I wanted to created a series of adjoining/contiguous shapes with different fills. The fills include the Inner Shadow and Gradient Overlay fx.

I've included a screen shot of the Layers panel – Layer 3 is my current work-space as I workout how to delete unwanted line segments and link the remainder to form a new shape, corresponding to the currently empty space.

[GarryP]

I’m still not sure what you are trying to do.

At one point you say that you want to create “adjoining/contiguous shapes with different fills” and later you say you want to “delete unwanted line segments and link the remainder to form a new shape”.

These things seem non-compatible as a single shape cannot have more than one fill where the multiple fills cover different areas within that shape.

If I am not understanding the issue properly then it might help if you can give us more information about what you have and what you want to do with it.

If you can ‘boil the issue down’ to a simpler example then that might help.

I think I might know, up to a point, what you want to do but I need to know for sure before advising further.

Note: Full-screen screen-shots are usually much more helpful than selective screen-grabs.

[GridLok]

Hopefully I can simplify what I set out to do.

The attached design is pretty much what I wanted to achieve – with the exception of the fill effect in the yellow shape.

• Initially I drew the shapes that have red fill, on Layer1
• To achieve the blue filled shapes, I created Layer2 and, starting with the uppermost shape, drew a line between the red-filled shapes (in the top two corners). I then set out to trace the edges of the red shapes and add a straight line for the edge, thereby creating the shape to which I added the blue fill. I found it very difficult to get the edges of the blue shape to exactly match that of the red shapes. I then repeated the exercise for the lower blue shape.
• When it came to filling the remaining central shape with yellow, I initially considered using the existing shapes as a mask over a third (yellow) layer … this proved too daunting. Instead, I selected each of the shapes on layers 1 &2 then copied and pasted them on to Layer3. I then used the 'Break Curve' & 'Join Curves' functions and the Layers Panel, to delete unwanted line segments and join the remainder into a separate shape. This resulted in a shape in which those line sections that were contiguous with other shapes, matched exactly.

The fill effects are not entirely what I want, but given the purpose of the exercise, it will have to do. 

Thanks, once again, GarryP. Having someone to interact with certainly helped.

[GarryP]

Thanks for the extra information and screenshot.

It sounds like you might be over-complicating things by creating the extra Layer layers (Layer with a capital “L” layers).
You can draw shapes and curves without needing to create extra Layers as shapes and curves are their own layers.

Also, you might be able to do what you want more easily by using the Geometry functionalities – e.g. Divide, Subtract, Xor, etc. In other words, you can draw multiple shapes/curves which overlap and then use one (or more) of the geometry functions to manipulate those shapes so that they don’t overlap or create parts of shapes/curves from those shapes/curves.

I’ve attached a short video showing some of the things you can do with just one of the Geometry functionalities.

[GridLok]

Sorry about the delay Garry. I'll follow-up the Geometry functionalities … although not immediately, given other demands on my time. I very much appreciate the time you put-in to helping me; I learnt a great deal.

All the best, Graeme

[GarryP]

You're welcome; hope the Geometry functionalities help.