Content shows in Layer panel but not canvas

[Symbiog]

Hello, everybody,

I'm new to graphic design. I've been using Affinity Designer V1 for a couple of years now only for a special project, and have more or less figured out enough of AD on my MacBook to be able to do what I am trying to do with my project. I use the vector persona exclusively. 

So today when I went to open the app I found that every single file I've created is blank. I can see in the Layers panel that all my content is still there but nothing is showing up on the canvas, aside from those thin blue outlines showing the selected vector curve. I seem to remember that yesterday when I was using the program my laptop battery may have run down before I could close the program properly, and I'm wondering if now the app software is corrupted. If so I guess I would have to reinstall V1 or upgrade to V2, but I thought I would check here first in case it's merely a matter of some setting. 

I've tried opening AD files that were not open when the computer powered down, they are the same (blank canvas). I tried opening AD files I had previously saved onto a thumb drive, and they also have nothing but invisible content in them. I tried restarting AD, no change. I tried restarting my computer, no change. I've looked at the Dark/Light mode and that seems to have nothing to do with it. I've looked closely at the Swatches and Stroke panels and verified that the Stroke width is greater than zero, and has color applied. I can make changes to the Stroke and see the changes show up in the thumbnails of the Layers panel but not on the canvas. 

Of course then there are the Art Boards which seem to be missing. I've tried adding an Art Board to the canvas and just like the vectors, I can see the outline and it shows up in the Layers panel but I cannot make them visible. I've tried creating a new file and it does the same. 

Any suggestions?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by Symbiog
add clarity

[walt.farrell]

Look at View > View Mode, and see if perhaps you're in Outline mode.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

Look at View > View Mode, and see if perhaps you're in Outline mode.

Wouldn't being in Outline mode still show the outline of vector objects? Also, on my Mac AD V1 always reverts to switching off that mode for other documents I create or open -- IOW, it is not a "sticky" setting.

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, R C-R said:

Wouldn't being in Outline mode still show the outline of vector objects?

My interpretation of the first post is that the object outlines are visible, and nothing else. 

If Outline mode is not the problem, it would help to have a sample .afdesign file or a screenshot.

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

My interpretation of the first post is that the object outlines are visible, and nothing else. 

I am not sure what it meant. Do you think the "thin blue lines" comment refers to vector outlines? On my Mac, in V1 the vector outlines in outline mode are black, not blue, but maybe there is a way to change that?

[Symbiog]

Here's what I'm seeing. I checked and I'm in Vector mode. The lines that show are for whatever layers I have selected.

Normally there would be a bright white background and you'd see all the images with stroke and fill as created. 

 

 

Edited February 25 by Symbiog
change files

[R C-R]

9 minutes ago, Symbiog said:

Here are a couple of images...

No images appear to be attached to your post.

[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

No images appear to be attached to your post.

 

Quote

Edited 10 minutes ago by Symbiog
change files

 

[Symbiog]

Sorry about that, I saw that my original images had my name in the corner and I wanted to preserve a small shred of online anonymity LOL. Hopefully this image is helpful (above). 

Edited February 25 by Symbiog

[Symbiog]

Here's another example. Normally there's a rectangular white artboard in the background and black line drawings with pressure gradients applied. I've added another artboard and given it color which you can see in the Layers panel but not the canvas. 

[walt.farrell]

This other topic might be of interest: 

 

 

[Symbiog]

6 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Look at View > View Mode, and see if perhaps you're in Outline mode.

Thanks Walt, I checked and it’s in Vector Mode. 

[Symbiog]

27 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

This other topic might be of interest: 

 

 

This is exactly what’s happening to me. Unfortunately a reboot didn’t help.

[Symbiog]

4 hours ago, R C-R said:

I am not sure what it meant. Do you think the "thin blue lines" comment refers to vector outlines? On my Mac, in V1 the vector outlines in outline mode are black, not blue, but maybe there is a way to change that?

Thanks R C-R, not sure why we would have different colors in outline mode, but, I’ve checked the several mode options and you’ve helped me define the problem more clearly: my files are stuck in Outline mode, even when I have Vector mode selected. 

Edited February 26 by Symbiog
Tweaking

[carl123]

It looks like you might be in wireframe mode

Try clicking the icon below

 

[Symbiog]

Thanks carl123, I’ve been switching between modes both in the drop down menu and also using the icons and it seems to be stuck. The checkmark moves in the menu boxes or the icon highlights, but the rendering doesn’t ever change. 

[R C-R]

51 minutes ago, carl123 said:

It looks like you might be in wireframe mode

It's called Outline mode in Macs; not sure what it might be called in Windows.

[Alfred]

5 hours ago, R C-R said:

It's called Outline mode in Macs; not sure what it might be called in Windows.

It’s called Outline mode on Windows, too (the other two modes being Pixel mode and Retina Pixel mode) but when all three buttons are in the deselected state — as they are in the OP’s screenshot — the current mode is Vector mode.

[Ron P.]

34 minutes ago, Alfred said:

It’s called Outline mode on Windows, too

Not what I see...

Oops, opened Designer V1 and discovered it's called Outline Mode...

 

 

[MEB]

Hi @Symbiog,
Do you mind sharing a file in that state for us to check if we also experience the issue? Thanks.

[Symbiog]

Sure, here's one. 

FAM awareness.afdesign

[Return]

fwiw I'm seeing all objects on the canvas in 1.10.6.1665 on windows(11)

[MEB]

Thanks @Symbiog,
No issues displaying objects here on any version (V1, V2, V2 Beta).
Try the following, quit the app. Press and hold ctrl while starting the app again until a Clear User Data dialog appears. Leave just the first three checkboxes ticked (ticking others may clean/delete custom assets, brushes etc that you may have added to the app) and press Clear. Try opening the file again. Does it fix the issues?

[Symbiog]

3 minutes ago, MEB said:

Thanks @Symbiog,
No issues displaying objects here or any version (V1, V2, V2 Beta).
Try the following, quit the app. Press and hold ctrl while starting the app until a Clear User Data dialog appear. Leave just the first three checkboxes ticked (ticking other may clean custom assets, brushes etc that you may have added to the app) and press Clear. Try opening the file again. Does it fix the issues?

Still doing it. 

[MEB]

Thanks. With a file opened go to menu View > New View. Does the new view displays the objects?
Out of curiosity, are you running Parallels?