How To Create An Unclosed Circle

[SGen]

Trying to make a power symbol, which requires an unclosed circle. Was able to make the outline with Illustrator perfectly fine after finding a tutorial on it. Made it in less than a few seconds.

 

 

Struggling to the ends of the earth with being able to do the same thing in Affinity Designer. Searched for any tips, couldn't find any relevant ones, which includes selecting the Pie shape tutorial I found posted by a forum member, to create sections of a circle. Not exactly what I'm trying to accomplish after watching that video.

 

Any help please?

 

Shouldn't I be able to select the anchor point and simply delete it and have it be an unclosed circle like in Illustrator?

 

Why is Illustrator able to do that? AD needs an objects window with options to more fluidly manipulate objects because this is getting hard.

 

And also, AD has way more impressive layering effects so far than AI, and it does it faster too. But the object manipulation is ridiculous and not doing what I need it to do, fast and easy.

[SGen]

Okay. Nevermind. Just found out how to do it by playing around with it.

 

For anyone wanting to know how to do it,

 

1) basically create the circle with the shape tools offered in the tool bars, with no fill,

2) make the stroke with whatever color/gradient you want,

3) turn it into curves via layer window

4) Select Node tool and hold shift and select wherever on the circle you want to have 2 points break, select each point and as you select each point, it adds an anchor point/node to your object.

5) While having one Node selected one at a time on those points you want gone/broken, in that action panel just beneathe the help window where it says "Break Curve" once you hover over it, select that.

 

6) Once you hit that button, reselect that anchor point you want gone again, hit delete, then boom, it'll take that segment of the curve/circle out and leave you with a clean open space to do whatever you want.

[nigelch]

I'm absolutely new to this program after over twenty years of Illustrator and PS. I'm looking for an alternative because as much as anything I'm fed up with Adobe, and don't want to give them any more of my money!
The above tip was invaluable. This kind of information is crucial to people who know the principles, but want to swap to Affinity. Is there a definitive BIG pdf resource of all its operations and nooks and crannies? It's certaintly needed.
Great program, and FAST!!!

[deeds]

I share you love for Adobe.

 

There's a much better way to do this in AD.

 

There's a tool called the Pie Tool, in the drop down that comes from clicking on the triangle in the Tools Palette.

 

It's not really a Pie Tool. It's a Donut Slice Tool, that might put this into context.

 

// You can read more about my thoughts on tool shortcuts here: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/5863-shortcuts-shape-creation-e-r-s-instead-of-m/

 

At any rate, using this tool you can create a sliced "donut" of any width and any opening you like. Then you can round the ends as you like with the new Rounding Tool. Much faster than any other way of doing this, and more flexible.

 

// I'd show you an image but I can't figure out how to upload images, anymore. Once could do it, I might have been restricted from such niceties, cause I'm a right prick of a bloke.

[SGen]

Thank you Deeds for the Shortcut.

 

And yes, Nigel, I do love how fast and powerful AD is. If it keeps up this level of power being delivered, I will see myself a full supporter of AD. Right now, I'm very excited for its Photoshop rival. =D

 

On another note. Would anyone have any clue as to how to create a perfect lemniscate?

 

I tried drawing just one curve of an S, using a pen tool, then grouping and flipping it.

 

Didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, even in Outline mode.

 

I don't like the idea of using letters turned into Curve to make outlines either.

[deeds]

lemniscate?

 

Do you mean an 8 rolled over 90 degrees?  

[SGen]

That would work, and me manipulating anchors points.

 

How would you make a perfect one from scratch though? Not using an 8?

[deeds]

What does a perfect one look like, and I'll show you how to do it.

[SGen]

In my brain, this would be one of them. Minus the excessive glow.

[deeds]

Argh. Ok. This is a four point spline.

 

Looking at it like that, put a vertex/node/anchor (whatever you want to call it) at the two top most points, and the two bottom most points of the infinity sign you're seeing there.

 

Then twiddle with the bezier handles until you get that shape.

[deeds]

Here's hoping this is someways to being right.

 

There's probably other ways of doing this, much more accurate.

 

But see the blocks for the relationships I've used.

The gap between the node handles is not how I had it, I had them meeting in the middle, but then you couldn't see what I was doing with them, so I pulled them apart a little so you can see what's happening.

 

 

[deeds]

There's probably some magic relationship possible between handles and points, but I don't know what it is.

 

Try messing with the attached file "figure8.afdesign" and see what you can do.

 

 

figure8.afdesign

[deeds]

There's an easier way:

 

Use the circle tool.

 

Convert it to curves

 

Rotate it 45 degrees anyway you like.

 

Now grab two of the nodes and stretch them out horizontally until you get near where you want.

 

THEN take two of them on one side (doesn't matter which) and flip them.

 

Plus more handle twiddling. 

[SGen]

Much gratitude. I'm going to explore those options you provided. Another one was given to me by another member. He suggested rotated stroke only tear drops, which I would've never thought of for awhile because I only thought it as a fill, not a stroke to be a lemniscate.

 

 

Thank you.

[SGen]

I tried downloading and opening the attachment you made, this is what it gave me.

 

 

And does anyone know if we'll get to save gradient swatches/profiles in the future instead of relying on the most recent used feature?

 

 

 

There's probably some magic relationship possible between handles and points, but I don't know what it is.

 

Try messing with the attached file "figure8.afdesign" and see what you can do.

 

[Leafdancing]

There is a little shortcut on the Mac - if you press Option and 5 you should see ∞. Will that help?

 

edit: seems to work if you choose the symbol font with the Text tool in AD.

[peter]

SGen, looks like your file will only work in the Beta version and not the MAS of AD.

[deeds]

@Sgen did you manage to draw it with those guides on where to put Nodes?

 

Sorry about the file, it was made with a beta version of Affinity Designer.

 

Just try setting up blocks the way I did so you can see halves, quarters and thirds so you can find interesting places to put the nodes and their handles.

[SGen]

Couldn't download the reference photo of the lemniscate you drew with those colorful blocks, but doing the anchor manipulated horizontal dragged circle + duplicating --> flipping it. Let's hope it looks okay.

 

 

Just came back from a little twiddling.

 

Most efficient way is the tear drop method.