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[ADe] Bend/wrap a group to a path


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Hi all

 

I have an arrow and want to bend/wrap the group after construction to a path.

 

Example attached. The arrow in it should follow/bend like the curve.

 

I am currently stuck and really appreciate any help and hints :)

 

Many thanks in advance,

Roland

 

Pfeil.afdesign

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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Hello Pipobike,

Welcome to Affinity Forums.

Currently it's not possible to use a group of vector objects to attach/bend along a path.

You can rasterise the group (convert to an image) then create a brush from it, which can then be used as you intend but it's a raster based solution.

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Hi Meb, many thanks for reply.

 

I assume you opened the file I attached and it was clear what I want to do: merging the arrow group with the curve and the arrow should adapt the form of the curve. Then, on any modifications of the curve, the "merged" arrow should do the same in sync.

 

Shall we add this to feature requests? Please feel free to do so.

 

Thank you.

 

Hello Pipobike,

Welcome to Affinity Forums.

Currently it's not possible to use a group of vector objects to attach/bend along a path.

You can rasterise the group (convert to an image) then create a brush from it, which can then be used as you intend but it's a raster based solution.

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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Yes, i have opened your file. What you are looking for is the ability to create vector based brushes from your own vector objects or a feature to blend objects along a path. I believe we intend to improve the vector brush engine at some point to allow this and there's already a Blend/Replicate feature in Designer's roadmap.

In any case i'm moving this thread to the Feature Requests section.

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Hi Meb, oops, no, I just want the "arrow" group from the file attached to bend like the curve in the file. No brush. Just bend the arrow along the curve.

 

May be I used as non native English speaker the wrong words.

 

Is "distort the arrow along the curve" better? After applying the effect I am looking for, the arrow should have the same S like shape like the curve in the file and it should no longer be like a straight line between two points.

 

Sorry for non precise questioning.

 

Yes, i have opened your file. What you are looking for is the ability to create vector based brushes from your own vector objects or a feature to blend objects along a path. I believe we intend to improve the vector brush engine at some point to allow this and there's already a Blend/Replicate feature in Designer's roadmap.

In any case i'm moving this thread to the Feature Requests section.

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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Meb, here is the Inkscape way to do it what I am looking for in Designer: https://youtu.be/lEq-Dh3YtPk

 

 

Yes, i have opened your file. What you are looking for is the ability to create vector based brushes from your own vector objects or a feature to blend objects along a path. I believe we intend to improve the vector brush engine at some point to allow this and there's already a Blend/Replicate feature in Designer's roadmap.

In any case i'm moving this thread to the Feature Requests section.

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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MEB points out current limitations with vector brushes and path blends. Perhaps what follows could be a partial solution if Pipobike wishes to keep as much as possible 'vector' for sharpness. 

 

To achieve the shaft gradient it was originally drawn as a rectangle. The 'red' curved path could be re-coloured as dark grey and given a full stroke. Copy it and paste it 'on top', narrow the stroke, lighten the grey and reposition as required.  Each additional path on top, recoloured, repositioned and adjusted for opacity, might improve the result. The notch and the point can still use a gradient fill. 

 

Depending on the precision effect required, repeating this would give a poor impression of a proper curved shaft gradient, and a raster brush may well be more convenient and effective.

 

But everything else 'vector' can be re-applied to a curvy 'new' shaft vector path (or raster brush path) by ungrouping the current arrow elements, converting the lettering to curves, adding a node to the base of the flight feathers to curve them, and then adjusting the angles of all the bits and pieces to suit the new curved shaft, whether vector or raster. 

 

Here are some forum references:

  https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/13517-stroke-gradient-along-curve-or-path/

  https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/19658-affinity-designer-gradient-on-curve/?p=91319

 

  https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/18801-can-i-create-a-gradient-that-follows-a-path/

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Hi Pipobike

Yes, i did understand what you said. What i meant is that this type of effect could be achieved either with a vector based brush created from vector objects (which we still don't support) or with a blend/replicate tool able to blend along a path (where you can set the number of steps - in this case would be only one) depending on how the dev team will implement it. This is on the roadmap but not available yet. Right now you can't replicate the behaviour you get in Inkscape. You have to manually build it picking some of the examples Uuiop pointed out from other threads.

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@MEB and @Uuiop

 

Many thanks for help and hints. It seems, Inkscape offers the only "natural logical" look and feel to do it:

https://youtu.be/lEq-Dh3YtPk.

 

It's quite interesting and it makes me also confused, that both of the "big players" piece of software can not do it as easy, not Affinity Designer neither Adobe Illustrator.

 

However, many thanks for help to you guys.

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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[...] or with a blend/replicate tool able to blend along a path (where you can set the number of steps - in this case would be only one) depending on how the dev team will implement it. This is on the roadmap but not available yet. [...]

 

YUMMY! :)

Andrew
-
Win10 x64 AMD Threadripper 1950x, 64GB, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD + 2TB, dual GTX 1080ti
Dual Monitor Dell Ultra HD 4k P2715Q 27-Inch

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MEB, I am for now fine with the "New Texture Image Brush", there is a tiny problem left on using the brush: The colours are not applied. Please see attachment.

 

By the way: I have no clue how to correctly create a brush.

 

I just did something... Because .afdesign files can not directly be used, I simply exported the attached AD file as TIFF and then I clicked "New Texture Image Brush". Probably, this is not the correct way how to create a brush and the reason having no colours on brush usage. In the brushes panel and edit box the colours are there...

 

Pfeil_gerade.afdesign

Pfeil_gerade.tiff

 

YUMMY! :)

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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FYC:

The colours of brush will show if Stroke will be set to NONE. Stroke defaults to black on my brush.

 

Probably someone knows how to make this defaulting to "None" instead of Black and can help. :)

 

Cheers,

Roland

 

PS: I may not upload .afbrushes files.

 

Demo Rolands Pfeil.afdesign

Roland Rick

Roland Rick Photography
Pipobike Mountainbike Guide and Driving Instructor

iMac 27 5K Retina (Late 2013), MBP 15" Retina (Something 2013), MBP13" Retina (Early 2015)

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