Coloring/Filling in AD

[seanwholland]

I have created a vector image using the pen tool and would like to convert it to outlines that allow me to fill open areas with one click of the fill tool. To be more specific, I don't want to select a shape and fill that, because it may not be a 'closed shape', I just want AD to see a shape using the lines, and fill that area. Is this possible in AD? I've attached my image.

[DWright]

Hi sholla,

 

At the moment AD does not have an autotrace tool this is planned for a future release of the app. I recommend using a new layer and with the pen tool draw a closed shape that you want to fill with the stroke set to zero so that only the fill is visible and the place this layer below the line drawing.

[Alfred]

At the moment AD does not have an autotrace tool

 

I don't think the OP is looking for an autotrace tool. It sounds to me as though what is required here is something like the Flood Tool that was a very welcome new feature in the last version of DrawPlus.

[R C-R]

sholla,

 

I don't know if this helps but shapes do not have to be closed to be filled. For open shapes, the edge of the fill will extend in a straight line between the two end points. So for example, a V shaped stroke would fill with a triangle of color, even though it has an open end. 

[Alfred]

sholla,

 

I don't know if this helps but shapes do not have to be closed to be filled. For open shapes, the edge of the fill will extend in a straight line between the two end points. So for example, a V shaped stroke would fill with a triangle of color, even though it has an open end. 

 

That's true, but I don't think this helps in all cases. For example, the fins on the right-hand side of the OP's drawing look as though they're bounded by vertical lines which aren't joined to anything; in the absence of a tool which automatically creates new shapes whose stroke is set to zero, it seems that the only option is to draw those shapes yourself as DWright has suggested.

[R C-R]

It is hard to tell from the jpg image but to me it looks like the vertical lines are the outer edges of what could be filled rectangles that represent the visible side of the fins. Obviously, if they were not drawn as rectangles to begin with it would be nice to have a tool to automatically fill in the area bounded by the lines but this would result in more shapes & layers than actually are needed.

 

If they had been drawn as filled rectangles they could have been ordered with the nearest one topmost in a layers group, eliminating the need for a second & more complex shape for filling each of them. Likewise, the rounded triangles represented to tops of the fins could be drawn as filled shapes or even as one wave shaped filled shape & placed behind the shape representing the case. Done this way, there is no need to use open shapes, although it would not matter if they were open or closed.

 

Obviously, there are a lot of different ways to draw this but personally, I try to envision things like this in 3 dimensions so I tend to use filled shapes arranged so that nearer ones naturally cover the parts of those behind them that would not be visible. It doesn't work for everything but where it does it saves time & can reduce file size considerably because I'm drawing fewer things.