moonbeetle Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Oh I miss the knife tool or scissors so much. So I draw a simple vertical line with the pen tool. How can I cut out a portion so that I end up with two parts a a tiny space between them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff MEB Posted March 14, 2017 Staff Share Posted March 14, 2017 Hi moonbeetle, Welcome to Affinity Forums :) Place two nodes (using the Node Tool) in the middle of the line where you want to insert the "gap", then select each one individually and press the Break Curve button in the context toolbar. You can then delete the segment in the middle. You can quickly switch to the Node Tool pressing ⌘ (cmd) while you are using the Pen Tool. moonbeetle 1 Quote A Guide to Learning Affinity Software Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeetle Posted March 14, 2017 Author Share Posted March 14, 2017 [sOLVED] Break curve does the trick, indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkwell Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 This is so confounding in Designer, I fail at this over and over. Quote General Design Projects: www.astroluxdesign.com Interactive Infographics: www.factualform.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bri-Toon Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Inkwell said: This is so confounding in Designer, I fail at this over and over. Think of the Break Curve option as "splitting" the curve. It breaks it into two (like cutting a film into segments). So the node in which you break the curve is where you split it. In the instructions MEB gave, he is saying to split the curve into three and delete the middle one, in which would create a gap between the first and third. Inkwell 1 Quote The website is still a work in progress. The "Comics" and "Shop" sections are not yet ready. Feel free to connect with me and let me know what you like or what can be improved. You can contact me here, on my contact page, YouTube channel, or Twitter account. Thanks and have a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 9 hours ago, Inkwell said: This is so confounding in Designer, I fail at this over and over. One thing about the Break Curve action that can be problematic if you are not aware of it is it can only break one selected node of a path at a time. So for example, if you add two middle nodes to a line & select both of them, only one of them will be broken, creating two lines instead of three. This is why MEB said to select each one individually. Note that if you have two separate curves selected, the Break Curve action can break one selected node on each of them. Inkwell 1 Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.5.3 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 All 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incy Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Hi, extreme newbie here. I am trying to cut a section from a circle using the instructions here but for the life of me cannot add a node to the circle with the node tool. Surely it shouldn't be this difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G13RL Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Hi @Incy, You must first convert the circle into curves before you can insert knots into it: to do this, select the circle, "Layer", "Convert to Curves". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 21 minutes ago, Incy said: I am trying to cut a section from a circle using the instructions here but for the life of me cannot add a node to the circle with the node tool. 8 minutes ago, G13RL said: You must first convert the circle into curves before you can insert knots into it: to do this, select the circle, "Layer", "Convert to Curves". If you use the Pie Tool instead of the Ellipse Tool you can specify the exact position and size of the section to be cut out (but you still need to convert to curves before you can remove the unwanted part). Incy 1 Quote Alfred Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for Windows • Windows 10 Home/Pro Affinity Designer/Photo/Publisher 2 for iPad • iPadOS 17.5.1 (iPad 7th gen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v_kyr Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Or use the pie shape tool or donut tool which can be used to create section parts of circles. Incy 1 Quote ☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan ☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incy Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 3 hours ago, G13RL said: Hi @Incy, You must first convert the circle into curves before you can insert knots into it: to do this, select the circle, "Layer", "Convert to Curves". That did it! So simple once you know how. Thanks all! Alfred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G13RL Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 18 hours ago, Alfred said: If you use the Pie Tool instead of the Ellipse Tool you can specify the exact position and size of the section to be cut out (but you still need to convert to curves before you can remove the unwanted part). @Incy's question was about a circle, so I proposed a way for the circle. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDW Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 1/27/2021 at 8:47 PM, G13RL said: Hi @Incy, You must first convert the circle into curves before you can insert knots into it: to do this, select the circle, "Layer", "Convert to Curves". This is the unfortunate tragedy in not having a dedicated Scissors tool like Illustrator. It's not just the conflict with Illustrator muscle memory. Productivity drops tremendously. You see, in Illustrator, I can sketch a circle, then type C to select Scissors, then click on two points on the circle to cut it. No "Convert to Curves" required. It's fast and just works. That is what we all need in Affinity Designer, if we are truly honest. Bring on the Scissors tool! G13RL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 9 hours ago, JDW said: in Illustrator, I can sketch a circle, then type C to select Scissors, then click on two points on the circle to cut it. No "Convert to Curves" required. Don't know about newer versions, but in CS5 that's because if you "sketch a circle" with the Ellipse tool, it is already "converted to curves". 10 hours ago, JDW said: It's fast and just works. May be, as long as I don't count all the Undo steps because of accidentally changing, adding or deleting nodes and path segments from ellipses that I wanted to keep intact… In Affinity, converting to curves is either a button click or a keyboard shortcut away, if needed. Alfred and PaoloT 2 Quote MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDW Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, loukash said: In Affinity, converting to curves is either a button click or a keyboard shortcut away, if needed. LOL. Defending the status quo of doing something that takes longer is something only diehard fans could appreciate. I am totally open-minded when it comes to software. I hate the Adobe subscription model, but I prefer certain key features. And if on reads through these forums one sees I am not alone. This isn't about making Affinity a clone of Adobe apps, but rather adding something greater to an already great app. So no need to get feathers ruffled over somebody like me asking for the status quo to be disrupted for the sake of something faster. Many defended horses when cars came out. Sometimes, you need to go with what's faster, even if it pollutes more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Just now, JDW said: Defending the status quo I'm not defending it, I like it better the Affinity way. As in: I consider it an improvement over the Schmadobe way. Vive la différence. (Disclosure: coming originally from Freehand starting already at v3, Ill-frustrator never became my best friend.) 1 minute ago, JDW said: I am totally open-minded when it comes to software So am I, at least pragmatically-technically: When I need reliable boolean operations, AI CS5 is still my "best friend" in that regard. 3 minutes ago, JDW said: Many defended horses when cars came out. I've never even had the need for having a driving license, so all those boring car analogies are totally lost on me. PaulEC 1 Quote MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDW Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 LOL. You'll be defending the status quo until your last breath. That's fine. But I will be defending change until mine. I'm happy to agree to disagree. I think it is possible to manipulate software to do just about anything. I think if there's a will, there's always a way. I think it could be changed to please both you and me. The secret? Vision and determination. That's it in a nutshell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEC Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 17 minutes ago, JDW said: Sometimes, you need to go with what's faster, even if it pollutes more. Not sure I'd agree that speed is always the most important factor, personally I prefer quality! 😉 loukash 1 Quote Acer XC-895 : Core i5-10400 Hexa-core 2.90 GHz : 32GB RAM : Intel UHD Graphics 630 : Windows 10 Home Affinity Publisher 2 : Affinity Photo 2 : Affinity Designer 2 : (latest release versions) on desktop and iPad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDW Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Just now, PaulEC said: Not sure I'd agree that speed is always the most important factor, personally I prefer quality! 😉 Insanity. Sheer insanity. Friend, we're talking about a Scissors tool to cut objects. That has nothing to do with quality. With the status quo of things, you have to do more operations to get the same result as less operations in Illustrator. Some hate to hear it, and go off on tangents trying to defend THE WAY THINGS ARE, but that is what I am talking about -- a tool that doesn't require you to "convert" anything and just cuts when you click once on the object. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEC Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Sorry, you seemed to have gone on to speaking generally, rather than solely about breaking a line!🙂 Quote Acer XC-895 : Core i5-10400 Hexa-core 2.90 GHz : 32GB RAM : Intel UHD Graphics 630 : Windows 10 Home Affinity Publisher 2 : Affinity Photo 2 : Affinity Designer 2 : (latest release versions) on desktop and iPad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 minutes ago, PaulEC said: solely about breaking a line Even though I've rarely used them, I'd like to have the Knife and Vector Eraser tools. But then again, those would rely on precise boolean operations, so… not of much use in Affinity anyway until that gets fixed. As for a general Scissors tool need, I'm totally fine with: press "a" for node tool click curve to add node press my custom shortcut option-a (hint hint nudge nudge!) to break curve Three steps.Two steps if you were in the Node tool mode already. In Illustrator: press "c" for scissors tool click curve to add node and break curve press command to get back to the Direct Selection tool (or "a" if another tool was selected previously) in order to being able to move the node Three steps. Quote MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 hour ago, loukash said: 3. press my custom shortcut option-a (hint hint nudge nudge!) to break curve I use Option-B for that & Option-J for join curves. Easy for me to remember. Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.5.3 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 All 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loukash Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Just now, R C-R said: Easy for me to remember. To each its own. My own associative logic went like this: I need to be in the Node tool mode (pressing "a") to even apply this command, so my left hand index finger may already be in the right position above the keyboard the option key on european Mac keyboards has this very illustrative symbol ⌥, and the thumb is naturally above it while the index finger already floats over the "a" Very easy to remember. To join: shift-a Because my pinkie already floats above the shift key… Quote MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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