Replicating objects and controlling sizes

[dave2017]

I've been trying to get to grips with the basics of Affinity Designer. One thing I can't find - (does it exist?) - is the ability to replicate an object one or more times to form a spaced out sequence separated by a fixed distance. For example, I might want to create a square 1 cm wide and then copy it and move the copy to the right 1.5 cm to leave a 0.5 cm gap between the two squares. Then I might want to repeat this process in the horizontal direction to produce 10 squares in a row. After that I might want to replicate the whole row of squares and copy it down 2.5 cm and shift it 0.2 cm to the right. Finally I might want to replicate the two lines of squares multiple times down the work space.

I have used other graphic or drawing tools which allow this, and make it very quick and easy to produce such organised structures of objects, but so far after watching several beginner level tutorials and looking in the AD book I've not found a feature like this in AD. If it's possible I'd like to know how to do it, and if it's not possible (yet) I'd like to suggest this as a feature request.

What would also be very nice would be the ability to lay out the objects in a pattern as I've suggested, but then to be able to change the base object, So one could then obtain a pattern of circles, a pattern of gingerbread men etc. Maybe that's going too far, but it's just a suggestion. In programming terms it would be like using a higher order function fo space out the objects, and then being able to specify the object to be worked on by the higher order function.

[Hokusai]

dave2017,

 

Use the Duplicate (command + J) in conjunction with the "Transform" palette. Here is a link to the video

 

 

Hokusai

[DM1]

Mods might like to move this out of the IPad Affinity Photo questions to the affinity designer thread.  

[dave2017]

Hokusai

Thanks. Brilliant! I really liked the zooming in on the design to show that AD really has set up a long sequences of operations which can be rendered by zooming.

I do wish this had been made more obvious in the sources I've been looking at, including one video about the "10 things beginners want to know". I would probably have swapped out at least one of the other "facts" in those sources for knowing how to do this.

I think this could be highlighted to greater effect in the documentation.

A quick follow up question though. Apart from replication with rotations and scale operations, would it also be possible to reflect the base object about a line on each new application of the transformation? Sorry to make this more complex, but it's possible to imagine more intricate transformations on each iteration - including colour changes, and more, and more ....

DM1

Sorry if I posted in the "wrong" place. I thought I'd found the right place. If this thread moves, could you or whoever moves it let me know where it has been moved to please. Ah - I can see now - there's a link at the end of the Designer videos, hopefully someone will sort this out, and in future I'll try to get questions on AD put there.

[DM1]

@dave2017 It’s not a big deal and certainly no apology necessary. Posts often get started in the wrong area (mine too ). Just that you are more likely to get a quick response when the question is asked in the relevant user thread. Glad to see you got it sorted.

[dave2017]

Ah - sorry (again!). I see that this is the iPad section. I was looking for a section for Affinity Designer specifically, but I don't think there is one. It looks to me as though both desktop Designer and Photo queries and suggestions are in the same place. Ah well - I expect it'll all be sorted eventually.

I'll probably repost my original start in the desktop section. I think as a mere "user" of the forum I can't move things around, or delete them, which would be a possibility in many other forums. Thanks for taking an interest.

[Alfred]

4 hours ago, dave2017 said:

A quick follow up question though. Apart from replication with rotations and scale operations, would it also be possible to reflect the base object about a line on each new application of the transformation? Sorry to make this more complex, but it's possible to imagine more intricate transformations on each iteration - including colour changes, and more, and more ....

 

Unless I've misunderstood what you're describing, you can use the 'Power Duplicate' feature to reflect each copy of the base object about a line. For example, if you draw a triangle, duplicate it, move the duplicate and then drag its base or apex so that it points in the opposite direction, subsequent duplications will result in flipped copies.

 

The term 'Transformations' only applies to geometric transformations (i.e. position, scaling, rotation and skewing) so iterative colour and opacity changes will have to wait until we get a Blend Tool.