Designer 2: Mirror objects on axis and join?

[Otto Manuel]

Designer 2: Mirror objects on axis and join?

Hi,

 I often mirror a Curve by using Transform Flip copy functions and then slide the new copy to align with the objects' edges.

With other apps, you can mirror an object along an edge and know the nodes are perfectly aligned. 

Some apps even let you eliminate duplicate nodes that share the same coordinates.

What is the best way to perform a mirroring of curves, joining of curves, and eliminating redundant nodes?

 Thank you.  

[DuncanL]

The simplest way I know is much as you describe.  Draw a shape, mirror, move and add the geometry together.  You can't add just lines\curves; so add you have to add a fill and then remove it afterwards if you just want a line.  If you have snapping enabled then aligning the copy is very easy.  Redundant nodes are removed.

 

This demo file has history on to show the steps: Merge Demo.afdesign

[R C-R]

15 hours ago, DuncanL said:

You can't add just lines\curves; so add you have to add a fill and then remove it afterwards if you just want a line.

Alternately, select both unfilled curves & with the Node Tool selected you can use the Join Curves & then Close Curve buttons from the context toolbar (or keyboard shortcuts for them if you added them) to create one shape without having to fill & then un-fill them.

[DuncanL]

Interesting.  Though that does leave you with a duplicated point\zero length curve at the join point.  Not world ending but possibly mildy annoying if some cases!

[Otto Manuel]

I suppose it is just an obsession on my part, but the thought that I might have two nodes snapped to the exact same X/Y coordinates bugs me.

Nevertheless, I often join them to assemble bi-symmetrical shapes.

Is there any Affinity documentation that mentions that the Designer recognizes the "stacked" pair of nodes and removes the redundant node from the project?

Thank you.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, DuncanL said:

Interesting.  Though that does leave you with a duplicated point\zero length curve at the join point.  Not world ending but possibly mildy annoying if some cases!

Thanks. I had forgotten that it does that. The extra node can be removed with the Node Tool, but this ends up being a lot more work than what you suggested.

But there is yet another way to do this which is to close the curve before duplicating it, & then doing the dup, flip, & add steps. Also a bit fiddly.

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, Otto Manuel said:

Is there any Affinity documentation that mentions that the Designer recognizes the "stacked" pair of nodes and removes one node from the project?

I don't think there is but I may just have missed it. But IIRC, there have been comments about moving an end node over the start node of one open curve (& sometimes waiting a moment before releasing the mouse button) with the Node Tool, or when using the Pen Tool clicking over the start node of one open curve usually 'welding' the 2 nodes into one node as well as closing it, but AFAIK, this does not work if the nodes on on different open curves.

[Otto Manuel]

Thank you for the info.