Vector/pattern fill

[JariH]

I don't mind having the pixel tools integrated into Designer - They are useful, and one can use them if needed. However, I prefer everything to be vector-based (patterns, brushes, etc.) when working with vector software. Otherwise, what's the point? If something has to be bitmapped, I might as well use the pixel image painting and editing tools that I already have. 😕.

[Artworkzzz]

There are times when having raster fills is a major bonus especially when filling a vector shape with a very colour 'movement' which vector fills are laborious for, if not impossible.  However, the fact remains that having no vector pattern fill is a real omission of no small size!.  No blob brush and proper vector shape eraser either are telling ommisions also.

[Petar Petrenko]

On 6/23/2024 at 1:08 PM, Juhani said:

I also think the bitmap aspect seems to be quite well implemented inside Designer, in much better way than in Illustrator, and quite often we need to work with images as well, right. But it does not replace vector pattern fills in any way.

It also does not seem too difficult to implement. Now I can take a seamless vector pattern, make it a symbol, duplicate it along the horizontal and vertical axes as many times as I need, group the whole thing and get my vector pattern that I can scale, rotate, etc in any way I want. Updating the symbol updates the pattern. Sounds good right. But it is clunky and requires too many steps to achieve it. It also produces a whole lot of vector paths, which are all the same, adds unnecessary complexity to the file, and there’s no way to save my patterns in a neat fashion within Swatches panel to be used as instant fills for any shape.

How do you know?
Are you a programmer?

To implement a new feature, you have to find a suitable algorithm or design your own. Do you think it's that easy?

It also depends on how skilled the programmers are. Do they know how to do it? Maybe the code will need to be restructured?

[Juhani]

If a single developer like the maker of VectorStyler can offer these (and many more) vector features (and fixes for them) at much rapid rate than Serif ever has with its close to 100 employees, and now also backed by a $40 billion dollar company, then it doesn't take a programmer to realize it should have been implemented many years ago, be it however hard as it may.

[Juhani]

As a sort of follow up, are you all paying any attention to what Figma is doing? Their flagship product design app has now many of these missing vector features that we’ve been asking for in Affinity Designer for years, including true vector brushes, dynamic vector patterns and dynamic vector effects. I know it's not print ready, and probably never will given their focus, but if they can pull this off inside a browser, IMHO there really is no excuses for not having them inside Affinity Designer.

[Bound by Beans]

45 minutes ago, Juhani said:

As a sort of follow up, are you all paying any attention to what Figma is doing? Their flagship product design app has now many of these missing vector features that we’ve been asking for in Affinity Designer for years, including true vector brushes, dynamic vector patterns and dynamic vector effects. I know it's not print ready, and probably never will given their focus, but if they can pull this off inside a browser, IMHO there really is no excuses for not having them inside Affinity Designer.

No, I don’t think many of them are paying attention to what’s happening out in the world. It’s hard to understand. I also believe the forum is dominated by “good enough for me” hobbyist users, who don’t create for companies like Figma’s customers do. It’s definitely not about whether these features are technically possible in the apps. It’s about having skilled employees who can develop them both technically and in terms of usability — and a leadership team that is capable and willing to drive a customer-focused vision into results — and, of course, in a way that is competitive and up to date. 

Figma’s sales figures speak for themselves. Affinity’s modest sales figures speak for themselves.

Affinity looked set to fall definitively behind on two fronts: AI and classic features, and there’s little to suggest they’ve progressed beyond being the rearmost of the commercial apps.

We’ll see if they are paying attention, as you ask, and deliver a comeback — or if the waiting was in vain.