Can I trim a shape without rasterizing to fit it within a canvas/doc?

[joelitodesignco]

If I were to rasterize and trim, it would cut off the parts of my rectangle outside of the square. What I want to know is it I'm able to cut the rectangle without having to rasterize and convert the shape to a pixel? 

I know I can use the knife tool but I am having a hard time getting the knife to make an exact cut on the line from the square. I've tried the knife tool with the stabilizer also and I got lucky making an exact cut but can't replicate it. Is there another tool I can use to make cuts exact? Should I turn on the grid? 

 

Appreciate the help

[NotMyFault]

The geometric add/subtract/intersect should be capable to do this job.

or use a rectangular shape either

• as patent to clip your shapes as child’s, or
• as vector mask (after grouping your layers)

[lepr]

The new Shape Builder Tool is ideal for jobs like this.

1. select all the objects (cmd+A)
2. activate Shape Builder Tool (S)
3. use the minus button in context toolbar to choose delete mode
4. click on each of the unwanted triangular regions

 

 

[joelitodesignco]

@,,,WOW thank you so much. I tried using this earlier but didn't know exactly how to use it. Thank you for posting screenshots as well. Appreciate it. 

1 hour ago, NotMyFault said:

• as patent to clip your shapes as child’s, or
• as vector mask (after grouping your layers)

@NotMyFault Do you have any articles explaining either of these methods?

[NotMyFault]

Here you go

 

[loukash]

4 hours ago, joelitodesignco said:

having a hard time getting the knife to make an exact cut on the line from the square

Use the Shift or Ctrl modifiers to cut straight lines with the Knife.
What the Knife tool still lacks though are snapping options.

What (finally!) works in v2 is boolean Divide using an open stroke:

1. draw a stroke with the Pen tool snapping to whatever you want to
2. add the object you want to cut apart by that stroke to selection
3. boolean Divide
4. delete the unneeded bit

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, loukash said:

What (finally!) works in v2 is boolean Divide using an open stroke:

Wow! I had not even considered trying that but it works perfectly.

Thanks so much for pointing out that small but significant improvement.

[loukash]

5 hours ago, R C-R said:

it works perfectly.

I could imagine that the Knife tool works basically on the same principle, except that it's "live". I.e. you're drawing an invisible curve like with the Pencil tool which will immediately apply a boolean divide to the selected objects.