Designer 2 macOS freezing/crashing with Shape Builder

[Mr.TightyPants]

The shape builder tool loads fine, lets me select objects, and creates the layer, however it hangs there and never progresses. The shape remains partially built and the AD2 freezes there until I force quit the program. It doesn't save the created shape either. I'm on an M1 MacBook Pro and I've tried launching the app both natively and in Rosetta to the same issue.

[Hangman]

@Mr.TightyPants, welcome to the fourms...

There have been a few reports where using the Shapebuilder tool is causing a hang or a crash, possibly the best thing you could do is to upload the Designer document where you are experiencing the hang so the Dev team can take a look at the cause.

If the document is sensitive in nature the Mod team can provide a private DropBox link for you instead.

[Mr.TightyPants]

Thanks for the reply, @Hangman. I saw a couple corroborating posts but they seemed to die not long after with no resolution. It's becoming quite frustrating. I attached the file to this post. 

SavSky.afdesign

[Hangman]

I'm not sure whether the graphic was created directly in Designer or imported from elsewhere but I'd say the main issue is that you don't really have a complete set of shapes, rather you have one main shape plus a series of broken lines...

What you really need is to create each individual building as a complete shape, that way you could then use the Shapebulider tool to merge them... is the intention to create a silhouette skyline or to create differently coloured individual buildings?

[Mr.TightyPants]

I thought I had them all in as one curve. I used the option to continue the existing curve and I put the new nodes on the existing curve. Is there a way to combine those curves without redoing all the linework? I thought that was what the "Merge Curves" option does, which I did do and it brought it from two layers down to the one. I didn't realize it was still multiple separate curves on one layer.

[Hangman]

I think you could use your existing line art and simply add to it to change this into individual buildings based on the photo adding and/or joing relevant nodes to create continuos shapes and also then closing the shapes by adding bottom edges so you have a complete set of shapes/individual buildings as per the magenta shape above...

Merging all the shapes into a single layer is fine, though not required to use the Shape Builder tool, as in, you can keep each individual shape on it's own layer and still use the Shape Builder tool effectively, though in doing the above you will already then have a set of shapes which you could colour individually or the same depending on what it is you are wanting to achieve...

[Mr.TightyPants]

See and I originally tried to use the "Join Curve" option but it would always join back to the beginning of the curve instead of the node that is overlapping and selected. Perhaps I need to start watching some more tutorials. May be a little more rusty on the vector design than I thought. -.-

[Hangman]

17 hours ago, Mr.TightyPants said:

Is there a way to combine those curves without redoing all the linework?

As you effectively have gaps in each building I would duplicate the relevant lines, e.g., the magenta line and the blue lines and then cut the duplicated magenta line at the relevant places, (i.e., where you have gaps in the red lines) using Break Curve in the Context toolbar and join the relevant missing parts of the red lines with cut magenta lines by selecting the two nodes where the magenta and red lines meet and using Join Curves in the Context toolbar to create individual building rooftops, i.e., don't make one continuous red line, think about it in terms of individual buildings.

I'd then do something similar where the red and blue lines meet to form individual buildings and where buildings overlap extend the linework to create complete buildings.

[Mr.TightyPants]

That’s exactly what I wound up doing. Divide wound up giving me basically all the pieces I need. Just duplicated, joined, then on to the next object. Upset I couldn’t get shape builder working but I appreciate all your input!! It was exceedingly helpful.