Designer copy and paste selected nodes

[Raff]

Designer 2.5.3

PC desktop
Windows 10 

 

In a complex vector drawing I need to copy only some parts and duplicate them.

The "TRANSFORM" option is active.
If I use the selection in node format I can modify the areas with the selected nodes by enlarging, reducing, widening, narrowing... but WHY can't I COPY and PASTE the selected part?

I can also delete the selected area but not copy or duplicate it!
If I use COPY and PASTE, it copies the whole drawing! Same with "duplicate".

And there is no "copy only SELECTED" option!
If I use "separate curves" or "Composite - Split", it applies the command to the entire drawing and not just to the selection, creating an infinite list of separate curves!

"Invert Selection" doesn't work either in node mode: I could duplicate the layer, select the parts I don't care about and delete them.
But NO!

This is very frustrating!

Will it be possible to have this option?

I tried everything I could think of, but I couldn't solve it.
If there is a way, please someone tell me! 😭

Thanks

Raffaella

 

[GarryP]

See existing requests:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/184746-node-tool-inconveniences/

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/116908-copypastereplace-selected-nodes/

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/54854-reusing-a-part-of-a-pathcurvepersona-by-selectcopypaste/

etc.

(Found via a forum search for copy selected nodes .)

[Raff]

On 30/8/2024 at 13:32, GarryP said:

See existing requests:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/184746-node-tool-inconveniences/

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/116908-copypastereplace-selected-nodes/

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/54854-reusing-a-part-of-a-pathcurvepersona-by-selectcopypaste/

etc.

(Found via a forum search for copy selected nodes .)

Perfect.
Issue raised and function requested since 2018 (and maybe even before) and no adequate response from Affinity.
Congrats Serif!

[carl123]

On 8/30/2024 at 11:37 AM, Raff said:

"Invert Selection" doesn't work either in node mode:

Yes, it does

On Windows it's...

Drag + Shift + RightMouse to toggle Node Selection

If you are on Windows and it's not working for you please upload that Affinity document so I can see what the reason is.

(Back tomorrow, going out now)

[Raff]

5 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Sì, lo fa

Su Windows è...

Trascina + Maiusc + Tasto destro del mouse per alternare la selezione del nodo

Se utilizzi Windows e non funziona, carica il documento Affinity così posso capire il motivo.

(Torno domani, esco adesso)

Look at the image, it is not a single node, but a complex part of the drawing.
I have selected the eye nodes and I want to invert this selection so I can delete everything except the eye.
I don't understand how shift-drag-right click can work...

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Raff said:

I don't understand how shift-drag-right click can work...

That would be shift+left-click+right-click and move the mouse.

Unlikely to work if you're stuck with a trackpad or stylus instead of a physical mouse. (Serif changed at least one shortcut to use Alt instead of right-click, if I remember correctly, to allow simpler usage. But they didn't change all of the ones that involved having both buttons clicked at the same time.)

[Raff]

35 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Sarebbe come premere Maiusc+clic sinistro+clic destro e muovere il mouse.

Difficilmente funzionerà se sei bloccato con un trackpad o uno stilo invece di un mouse fisico. (Serif ha cambiato almeno una scorciatoia per usare Alt invece del clic destro, se ricordo bene, per consentire un utilizzo più semplice. Ma non hanno cambiato tutte quelle che implicavano di cliccare entrambi i pulsanti contemporaneamente.)

Thanks! It worked!
But it still seems cumbersome and impractical to me, especially in complex drawings.
And then having to memorize all these "tricks" to be able to do things that would be basic is difficult!
What does it take, dear Affinity, to make the "invert selection" command work, which does exactly this?

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome, @Raff.

15 hours ago, Raff said:

And then having to memorize all these "tricks"

The Status Bar at the bottom of the screen shows many of these shortcuts; I haven't looked to see if it shows this specific one. But if it does, there's no need to memorize. 

[Raff]

On 01/09/2024 at 12:41, walt.farrell said:

Prego,@Raff.

La barra di stato in fondo allo schermo mostra molte di queste scorciatoie; non ho guardato se mostra questa specifica. Ma se lo fa, non c'è bisogno di memorizzarla. 

Thanks Walt.
I checked, in fact there are these suggestions, but I don't know why on my PC they are partially displayed, I can't see the last ones that end up "off screen".
In any case, in order to use basic functions (as I said), I find it cumbersome to have to look for various "tricks" every time.
And every time (if I don't keep them all in memory) I have to go and see if there is a solution? This system seems very unprofessional to me!

And I add... how could I have discovered this method if you and carl123 didn't tell me?

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, Raff said:

how could I have discovered this method if you and carl123 didn't tell me?

By learning about the application, which for an Affinity application can involve watching the Tutorials (especially those for beginners) or reading the Help, especially the Introductory topics dealing with the User Interface and the basic program functions.

Just like any user of a new (to them) program should, in my opinion.

But perhaps I'm just old-school, as that's how I've been learning new applications for 40 50 years now  

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, Raff said:

but I don't know why on my PC they are partially displayed, I can't see the last ones that end up "off screen".

If you're talking about items disappearing off the right side of the Status Bar, I think that's because it's just 1 line, and situations with a lot of modifier information to display can overflow and will be lost. At that point, the relevant Help is about all you can use.

Whether this happens will depend on the function you're using, as well as the context you're using it (since the Status Bar is context-sensitive), the size of your application window, size of your monitor screen, and display magnification settings.

[Leo1]

45 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

 

Thanks Walt, helpful as always. Luckily Serifs is going to look at the copy and past of notes.

I could not find the tutorials for real beginners. Serif only make "advaced" beginner tutorials. Some for youtube videos. Al real beginner material, from the better videos, is about Affinity Designer V1. Copy and pasting notes is not mentioned. Boolean operations of a line with a rectangle is not shown. Now I know both are not possible. In v1 lines could not have arrows. When trying to learn a package, these very simple things, make a program difficult to learn. The three previous examples I mentionend, there is no learning curve in powerpoint to do that.

Yes I understand, with Affinity Designer very nice things can be done. And the affinity suite have a host of very unique and powerful functions. I already mentioned elswhere I will make some use case of "very" easy and useful task to be done in Affinity Designer. So this can help some other users, where I struggled. Friendly greetings Leo 

[Raff]

On 9/5/2024 at 7:45 PM, walt.farrell said:

By learning about the application, which for an Affinity application can involve watching the Tutorials (especially those for beginners) or reading the Help, especially the Introductory topics dealing with the User Interface and the basic program functions.

Just like any user of a new (to them) program should, in my opinion.

But perhaps I'm just old-school, as that's how I've been learning new applications for 40 50 years now  

That's what I do too, but unfortunately the guide often contains obsolete or incorrect information and is often badly written. (I use the Italian version of the program).
For example, in the description of the "Node Tool" there are icons for operations that are not in my interface (for example "Transform objects separately").
Maybe they are commands that have been modified or eliminated in the current version but the guide has remained as it was.
As for the tutorials, I try to watch them, but unfortunately my English is not very good, so I have to resort to the translation in the subtitles which is very "imaginative" and I waste a lot of time.
If I need a function I should go and look in the tutorials to see if by chance someone has talked about it, and it's already difficult to choose the terms to search for, because it's not a given that it will be found with the terms I use, and so on.

Anyway, I am grateful for the help I find here! 🥰

[walt.farrell]

On 9/6/2024 at 3:22 PM, Raff said:

For example, in the description of the "Node Tool" there are icons for operations that are not in my interface (for example "Transform objects separately").
Maybe they are commands that have been modified or eliminated in the current version but the guide has remained as it was.

No, that one should be there.

Edit: As @lepr mentions below, the Help seems wrong, as Transform Objects Separately is not an option of the Node Tool: https://affinity.help/designer2/en-US.lproj/pages/Tools/tools_node.html

[Raff]

14 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

No, quello dovrebbe essere li'.

Come si sta andando all'aiuto? Dall'interno dell'applicazione, o tramite l'Aiuto Online all'indirizzo https://affinity.help o in qualche altro modo?

In the application.

I attach a screenshot of the missing icon.

Designer version 2.5.5

[Leo1]

14 hours ago, Raff said:

 

I recognize your situation. It is very hard to understand the used terminology, or to find the right workflow. That takes me a lot of time. Friendly greetings Leo

[lepr]

On 9/6/2024 at 9:27 PM, Raff said:

I attach a screenshot of the missing icon.

The Help is wrong. The button does not exist for Node Tool. (It does exist for Move Tool.)

Sometimes the Node Tool does have the button, sometimes not, depending on what is selected and, in some cases, the order of selection.

Edited September 8 by lepr
correcting my mistake

[walt.farrell]

20 hours ago, lepr said:

The Help is wrong. The button does not exist for Node Tool. (It does exist for Move Tool.)

Thanks. That should be reported, and I'll add it to my list if no one else gets to it sooner.

[carl123]

20 hours ago, lepr said:

The Help is wrong. The button does not exist for Node Tool. (It does exist for Move Tool.)

 

17 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Thanks. That should be reported, and I'll add it to my list if no one else gets to it sooner.

 

[walt.farrell]

Thanks, @carl123.

I had only tried it with Curve objects, not with Shape objects. Interestingly, when you convert a Shape to a Curve, that option goes away.

[lepr]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

 

 

 

Thanks, I missed that. Sometimes the Node Tool does have the button, sometimes not, depending on what is selected and, in some cases, the order of selection. I've edited my incorrect earlier post.

[Raff]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

 

 

 

What you show only works with shapes, not with curves.
And when shapes are selected, both with the "move" command and with the "nodes" command the transformations that can be done are the same: enlarge, reduce, widen, tighten.
Moving the external nodes of the shapes is practically like using transformations with the "move" tool.
And if you act on the internal nodes of the shape only that one is modified.
For example in the double star if you act on the red nodes only those are modified, even if the rectangle is also selected.