Cut/copy specific nodes to be pasted elsewhere? Am I going crazy?

[joevasion]

I'm trying to highlight and copy/cut certain nodes from a shape and I can't find the action to do it anywhere. For example, in the screenshot attached these 2 squares are one shape but I want to highlight the nodes in the bottom one and JUST cut that specific shape out to paste elsewhere. In researching I have seen people say just break it apart and copy and paste it, but you can see how insane that would be for a really complicated distressed shape like the bottom square. This is a super simple one click action in illustrator, surely Designer has this action possibly buried somewhere for some reason? I don't know if I'm dumb or just can't find it but I feel like this should have been a day one action and I'm just not seeing it. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[Old Bruce]

The one on the lower right is most likely a compound, giving a Curves layer. Note the s in Curves, plural as opposed to the singular Curve in the upper right.. Go to Layer > Geometry > Separate Curves.

Or...

Use the Node tool to select the individual nodes, they will turn solid blue instead of just having an outline, and hit the delete button.

[joevasion]

49 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

The one on the lower right is most likely a compound, giving a Curves layer. Note the s in Curves, plural as opposed to the singular Curve in the upper right.. Go to Layer > Geometry > Separate Curves.

Or...

Use the Node tool to select the individual nodes, they will turn solid blue instead of just having an outline, and hit the delete button.

I'm not sure about that second part, I don't want to delete anything. What I am trying to do is copy and paste a specific part of the design, that's why I only want to select and copy and paste certain nodes, sorry if the post was unclear. If I separate the curves in a compound, that means I would have to delete what I don't want and then put back together all the stuff I DO want, which is an insane waste of time and I am trying to avoid, hence the copy + paste certain nodes.

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, Old Bruce said:

Separate Curves

Interestingly, it is possible to "delete" individual nodes or individual curves in a compound, but Copy or Cut always takes the entire compound. I wonder if this is an intention for which I do not understand the reason (why, just like with deletion, it should not be possible to cut out part of the curve - the consequence on the rest of the compound is identical to that of deletion), or if it is just an unfinished work.

Edit: the Cut and Copy commands do not work correctly/as expected for individual nodes on the separated curves - you always work with the entire curve 😞 

Edited April 2 by Pšenda

[joevasion]

1 minute ago, Pšenda said:

Interestingly, it is possible to "delete" individual nodes or individual curves in a compound, but Copy or Cut always takes the entire compound. I wonder if this is an intention for which I do not understand the reason (why, just like with deletion, it should not be possible to cut out part of the curve - the consequence on the rest of the compound is identical to that of deletion), or if it is just an unfinished work.

Ok yes, you get it! This is exactly what I am talking about! HOW IN THE WORLD did they not include this??? I feel like this would be included at launch how is this not possible?!

[Pšenda]

2 minutes ago, joevasion said:

that means I would have to delete what I don't want

Why would you have to "delete" anything? You just split/separate the compound, copy the curves/nodes you need, and then create the compound back again - for example using Undo.

[joevasion]

21 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Why would you have to "delete" anything? You just split/separate the compound, copy the curves/nodes you need, and then create the compound back again - for example using Undo.

Sure I get that, and I understand all the workarounds that people post........but that's not the point. The point is that you shouldn't need all those workarounds, you should just be able to copy/cut and paste whatever nodes you need. Fairly straightforward for a vector program!

[Pšenda]

If the application does not work as you imagine, you can write and justify a request for modification (if it has not already been written).
Or you can complain endlessly here about why the application cannot do it, and that it should have been able to do it a long time ago - you will surely find several other lamenters here.

[joevasion]

3 hours ago, Pšenda said:

If the application does not work as you imagine, you can write and justify a request for modification (if it has not already been written).
Or you can complain endlessly here about why the application cannot do it, and that it should have been able to do it a long time ago - you will surely find several other lamenters here.

True, and it truly started as me just asking the question but then quickly turned into “how is this not there?” Cuz it blew my mind. So how do you suggest something to the actual company? Thanks. 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, joevasion said:

So how do you suggest something to the actual company?

You do that in the Feedback & Suggestions forum. https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/52-feedback-suggestions/

[joevasion]

14 minutes ago, R C-R said:

You do that in the Feedback & Suggestions forum. https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/52-feedback-suggestions/

Sorry I don’t post here often, much appreciated