Why can't I add these shapes together?

[Ed Lyons]

TL2.afdesign

[Ed Lyons]

They won't intersect, either.

[R C-R]

I am not sure what's going on with that file but the closest I can come to adding all 5 shapes together is to first select the B-shaped 'Curves' layer then use Separate Curves to split it into 3 separate curve layers, & then select all 5 objects & use Merge Curves to get one Curves object

Not much help I know.

[lacerto]

This requires a new type of Affinity specific workaround called "Boolean Co-Operation" (only available on Windows 10 or later, or macOS Catalina or later): you need to copy paste the curves into version 1 app, perform the Boolean operation there, and then paste back to version 2 🙂 

EDIT: This error seems to be fixed in version 2.0.3.

[firstdefence]

The issue is where the 'Y' and the 'T' intersect and the same on the other side with the 'B', altering this allows the letters to join as expected. Also the letters aren't quite aligned correctly but using the alignment tools gets around that small issue.

Not aligned correctly.

How to fix the issue, Firstly I flipped the stroke to a fill, you can flip the colour back to a stroke later.

Use the alignment tools.

Slide the nodes to a different position

You should end up with something like this

Remember you have to do the same thing with the Y and the B on the other side but you should now be able to Geometry Add all the letters

 

 

[firstdefence]

My suggestion for the future is to round any corners off after you have joined any letters, will make it easier during construction.

[Ed Lyons]

@firstdefence Thank you! That was helpful! Very weird, but helpful. Seems like this is a bug?

Background: I based the shapes on rounded rectangles then changed them to curves.

I solved the TY problem by moving the T just a little bit so that one of the Y nodes got positioned outside the T. Added no problem!

I then moved a node on the B similar to your instructions so that it was outside. Added!

First time to perform this procedure in v2. Never ran into any problems in v1. Seems like a bug or an unfinished feature if you have fiddle and guess with the positions of the nodes.

[R C-R]

47 minutes ago, Ed Lyons said:

Seems like this is a bug?

It does to me but I may not understand why the shapes not being fully aligned would have any effect on this. I do not think it is the same for V1 is it?

[4dimage]

I guess this is related to some other v2 bugs concerning pathes that where created from Text (artistic text -> convert to curves). These shapes lead to weird results in boolean operations, montage group and with the new shape builder tool.

I guess Serif is aware of this bug.

 Read e.g. this and other posts:

 

If i take your shapes and try this in Designer v1 (select all -> boolean merge) it works as expected without any problems:

 

 

[JMR Works]

I can confirm that the geometry tools do not work properly.

Does anyone know when this might be fixed?

This seems like a major bug to me.

[lacerto]

On 12/7/2022 at 5:05 AM, JMR Works said:

Does anyone know when this might be fixed?

The error seems to be fixed in versions 2.0.3 (though I have not tested all operations extensively); but there are improvements.

[4dimage]

No, same as in v2.0.0:

 

[lacerto]

1 hour ago, 4dimage said:

No, same as in v2.0.0:

Yes, it seems that only partial fixes. Version 2.0.3 fixed the specific case related to Boolean Add shown in this topic; let's hope the next release fixes the problem with Boolean Subtract which appears to be related because it is one where version 1 apps worked well (no matter if the curves were a "curves" or a "compound" object). Meanwhile, "Boolean Co-operations" still seem to be a valid (and only) work around. Let's hope fixing one case does not result in breaking another as these issues somehow seem to be regressions related to rewriting the Boolean operations. E.g., divisions seem to work much better now, not leaving superfluous nodes and artifacts, but then these kinds of macro operations working well in version 1 have become an issue in version 2.

[4dimage]

@lacerto I see you are still patient 🙏. But i think meanwhile the whole mess with v2 has become absolutely unacceptable.

To say it clear: there is no "half working" boolean operations (Mo, Tue, Fr, but only between 8:00 and 15:00 hours, wtf...). Either it works 100% or it doesn't (it had in v1 !!!). If it doesn't work 100% it's not usable - it is a bug not a feature. This is no guessing game. I have to earn my living with this! And we all already payed for this "revolutionary piece of software".

[SrPx]

Doing  the spoiler hide here (so that only ppl curious about it will click it,  but not using thread space), as while it's following up on something, it's kindda off topic.

Spoiler

Ehm...you can always keep using v 1.10.6, which is quite solid, and consider the other like a pre-order (like the industry does now with games, indeed, releasing the beta as final, and then patch the next months, is common in games and people keep buying games. In that case is pressure by the investors and stuff, often. Luckily I'm not into games...) while testing the beta(s). The  updates to more solid versions (it's unfortunate that we are in these holidays, by experience I know in EU most companies come to a full stop these weeks) will happen soon, and they will be free for everyone, we're just being early adopters, but this has happened to me with almost every software that started a new paradigm or technology or big version number in some way. Adobe has had incredibly tragic situations, it's just that a lot of people is not aware of those, and others just swallow it because is the monopolistic giant. 3DS Max has been during many years a feast of crashes, and me, having used Windows '95, am immune to sth crashing, lol, I don't "feel it" anymore, since then.  

Seriously, imo we're being early adopters, like people eager to buy the 4090 the day after released (then came the burning cable issue, etc). And I can tell you, people will forget that pretty soon and buy 4090s anyway. But I'm aware, I'm a nerd, and I'm in peace with it.

My 2c: Most of the stuff will get solved to a point of good usability if you are more or less around in the forums, or are the nerd type (I  kind of am) and love some workaround here and there. The main situation here remains : Corel requires 700 euros (at least in my country, which typically does not get bad prices despite being EU) in single purchase, that or 480 per year.  Adobe, as you need to buy per app, if you need vectors app + image editing, or photography and book publishing, or etc combination, you have to get the full cloud, and that's 756 euros per year without owning anything after it, at all.  And it's not that there aren't problems with it. Several illustration colleagues had a serious problem for many months with Photoshop, making the users to edit a system text file, and this had to come from a user's trick, no Adobe support... If I were to think there's no Affinity version usable for work, I would totally agree with you. But in fact, nothing stops anyone to use the recently updated 1.x, and wait (even if having purchased the suite in an offer) like a month or two to get a way much patched and perfected 2.x.  And in the areas covered here, this means good 5 years at least of good professional usage (and free updates) without needing updates for industry needs, even less the case for freelancers and small businesses. For 100$ or 150$, that's a steal.

Not trying to argue with  you, I don't think that's productive. I am just telling it to you as I think about it myself. I've come to a point in life when I see no use in confrontation, unless it's a very extreme situation (which couldn't be this in any way).

Also, it depends on each one's usage. For me, the advantages in painting are big enough to use 2.x for most painting, but leave other projects (graphic design, etc) yet for 1.10.6. 

And I don't regret AT ALL having purchased the entire v2 suite. I'd pay even twice, even now after all the bugs. Let me explain... They have been extremely generous (Serif) during many years providing us with tons of  updates for zero, free. Few to no companies doing this in the world. I even purchased most of their shop third party content as a way to "vote" for this almost extinct way to produce and sell software (versus expensive renting), while everyone and their dog (companies) are falling for subscriptions as is way easier for them, and ensures income in a huge manner. When we don't support the few companies that still do this, we are "voting" for the other system, imo (getting what maybe we deserve).

I'm not saying say you don't have a right to get angry. I was so when after a few moments having purchased the  3 Affinity apps, my apps crashed by double clicking the color selector (the 3 apps), which is a constant workflow for me, or just opening the bristle brushes from Daub. Then I discovered myself two super easy (tho were hard to discover) workarounds for both: not having Windows scaling at 110%, but 109%, and for the second, activating "show as list" in the brushes panel/list.

I exchange the hardship of finding the workflows myself, or learning from others here (or the devs), and in some cases, having to use 1.x for some type of projects, for having  the licenses this way, actually "buying" the products, and not using 756 per year, every year, yet also with bugs,  in Adobe, and actually, more than the money, for me is the obligation to rent everything, in every facet of life.  I can understand this is totally personal, but I hate subscriptions with a passion, and other people will prefer the other trade off.

I am used to work with open source graphic apps, which, till recent years, frankly, they did not receive much attention from the OS community. To be honest, they were more focused on programming and network applications (imo, they still are...). I needed to use them professionally, as during almost a decade worked at a company which by conviction was like allergic to buying Windows or Mac commercial closed source applications. Even while Blender (and Krita getting there) is now IMO at a very high end level, many other apps are yet having a long distance with commercial applications able to achieve industry level output and workflows. So, I have seen way, way harder workflows/workarounds/tricks than anything here. Like it's not even close. Perhaps that's part of my perspective, I don't know. But I am grateful that we have a so low cost solution covering so much (specially key for some people with no way to spend more, and people in 2nd and 3rd world countries).

And mostly, because we've seen v1 mature (Photo first ever release had its issues, trust me those who weren't here by then, and it got really polished not much later on) I'm sure v2 will get very polished. A lot of commercial studios and freelancers are using v1 now.

Lastly, a single month of Autodesk Maya (or Max, as its rent per month is the same or almost) which are as  industry standards as Photoshop is in its field, they ask you to pay a minimum of 270 euros per EACH month. Almost 3 times of what Serif is asking for many years of free updates and a full suite of the 3 apps you need for DTP, illustration and other fields.

Again, not willing to argue. I just have read this several times in the forum and said nothing (in the latest years), but now I thought I'd throw my 2c as well.

TLDR: I can easily (and makes me more in peace: I recommend it) get to see it more as a pre-order, and a way to "vote" for Serif and an almost extinct way to getting to use 2D software (and software, in general), instead of a forced renting service with no freedom of choice at all, no control over  the renting price increases, and generally many, many times more expensive.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by SrPx
Edit: Typos and grammar.