Affinity Designer - Guides (Grouping & Layers)

[Andy-M]

Currently working on a project in Designer where it would be really useful to create guides in groups and be able to selectively hide / display groups of guides. This then made me wonder - maybe guides could be created as a distinct layer within documents ? Guides could then be displayed or hidden. They could be grouped and also locked/unlocked.

Maybe something to consider for a future update ? I can see this being particularly useful in Designer, maybe in Publisher. Not so sure if this would be so valuable to regular users of Photo.

[GarryP]

Unless I’ve misunderstood the requirements, this is already possible in Publisher.
All you need to do is add a ‘group’ of guides to a master spread and then apply that spread to the page.
You can then make the master spread visible/invisible as required.
If you have both Publisher and Designer then you can use the same functionality in either by switching between the Personas/Applications.

See attached video where I am editing a document in Designer which I created in Publisher.

Edited June 12, 2023 by GarryP
Added video.

[Andy-M]

Thanks for the suggestion GaryP but this doesn't really tackle what I'd like to achieve. I'm working with an A3 drawing of an architectural nature. I'm building various slices through a structure and due to different spacings between things like floor joists and roof panels it would be helpful fo have a set of guides to be used with alignment of floor joists but then a seperate set of guides that would be applicable when looking specifically at the roof structure.

Likewise, when looking at side elevations having guides that are there specifically for windows, doors etc. but then not visible when working with cladding or internal frameworks. The ability to group sets of guides and then show/hide would be useful in helping to prevent too much screeen clutter during the workflow.

Just a thought for some new functionality. Guess we have to wait and seee what new features come to the Affinity Suite over the next year or so.

Thanks again.

[Ezbaze]

@Andy-M I think i know what you mean, and to achive this, you can actually kind of use other vectors with snapping enabled:

In this example i used a symbol to have the same grid in multiple places while being able to go back and change it later on, you can also hide the symbol to hide all symbols at once

 

 

Hope it helps

[GarryP]

On 6/12/2023 at 9:12 PM, Andy-M said:

this doesn't really tackle what I'd like to achieve.

I don’t understand why my suggestion wouldn’t work for what you have described.
Can you give an example so we can see what the problem is?

Please note that Designer was created to be more inclined towards illustration work rather than CAD-type work so it may take a long time for it to have the functionality you want, if it ever does. It might be a better use of your time to learn and use other software that does what you need right now rather than 'hoping and coping'.
In the meantime, Ezbaze’s suggestion might be the best you can get at the moment.

[Ezbaze]

@GarryP I feel like there is a certain point where Designer would be a simpler choice than going to do something in CAD software, and it also offers more stylistic options compared to CAD ( Live Filters, Layer Effects ), and funny enough in College ( UK ) when we were taught the difference between Bitmaps and Vectors, we had to make a 1:1 2d view of a Smartphone User Guide in Photoshop using the heavily limited vector tools:

 

 

This was done entirely in Photoshop: