Open .AI files in Affinity Designer

[monkey the luffy]

I recently moved to designer Currently, I'm trying to open an AI file in Affinity, but it's not transferring all the layers—it's merging everything into one layer

also i don't have access to ai anymore 

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums @monkey the luffy

There are various limitations when opening an Illustrator file in the Affinity applications.

Because of this, sometimes all that can be extracted from the Illustrator file is a flattened bitmap image with no layers.

If you can upload the file to the forums (in public) then someone might be able to give you more help with that specific file but, since you no longer have access to Illustrator in order to make any necessary changes if they would help, you might not be able to do much about the problem.

[lixie]

You can open AI files with VectorStyler.

[lacerto]

As mentioned by @GarryP, multiple restrictions are involved as for the alleged .AI "support".

1. The .AI file must have been saved with a PDF compatibility layer included, because that is the only part that Affinity apps can interpret. The good part of this is that basically any version of Illustrator by default saves the PDF compatibility layer, so some kind of data exchange can be expected.
2. As per PDF, complex layer-based information cannot be included so the native .AI layer structure can only be transferred partially (very elementally).
3. Affinity apps do not support all PDF capable features so even if e.g. some of the mesh gradients can be transferred via the PDF compatibility layer (and can be read more or less successfully by some apps, like VectorStyler or Xara Designer), Affinity apps cannot (and do not claim to try to) do any of this.
4. Some competitive apps claiming native .AI support truly do better in some areas, but as far as I have experience of these apps, not to a degree that is meaningfully practical. In my experience, practical level of exchange of .AI information within professional context requires Adobe Illustrator (not necessarily identical versions).
5. Affinity marketing implies that .AI exchange between Adobe and Affinity apps is a feasible option. This is gross, deliberate exaggeration, involving, at best, promise-ware with very vague substance.