Why Do Shapes Import Like This? How To Fix?

[yeffdaley]

Why does AD import "complex" shapes like this, with a solid rectangle masked in a custom shape? And is there a way to mass-unmask?

 

My imported illustration (AI) has dozens of layers that imported like this (it would be insane to manually fix all of them) and it's preventing me from full-vector re-export.

 

Is there a workaround for this?

[firstdefence]

Do you have an example document we could look at?

 

Also, have you tried exporting from Illy as PDF and using illustrator 8 as the compatibility option and importing into Affinity?

[yeffdaley]

19 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Do you have an example document we could look at?

 

See attached for something I made quick in Sketch using the "union" function on two overlapping shapes.

 

19 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Also, have you tried exporting from Illy as PDF and using illustrator 8 as the compatibility option and importing into Affinity?

 

Unfortunately the illustration was supplied by the client and I no longer subscribe to AI.

 

Thanks,
Jeff

Combined Shape2.eps

[firstdefence]

I have Illustrator CC 2018 and could convert it for you if it would help, maybe worth a try?

[yeffdaley]

1 hour ago, firstdefence said:

I have Illustrator CC 2018 and could convert it for you if it would help, maybe worth a try?

 

Incredibly generous offer, but I'm looking to be "taught how to fish" so I can handle this myself in the future.

Cheers though!

[firstdefence]

Its possible to get the shape as it should be imported.

1. Release the Mask (right-click on the Mask and choose Release Mask) 
2. Selecting both the mask and the now blank square shape, use Geometry > Intersect

This behaves like a cookie cutter and the resultant product is the shape you should have had in the first place.

 

As to why Affinity Designer imports with a blank shape and uses a mask to emulate the shape you originally intended I have no idea and seems like hard work for the sake of it. As far as I am aware Affinity uses the PDF portion of the file in .ai and .eps files and obviously pdf documents so this is probably an interpretation anomaly.

[firstdefence]

I've created an Illustrator file based on the union shape and exported that shape as a PDF based on the illustrator 8 compatibility option and that imports fine, I also saved the illustrator file and that also imports into AD OK, albeit it the shape was out of the document bounds so I had to zoom out in navigator to find it and drag it into the document bounds but both imported fine otherwise.

Also Saved As... CC .eps and that imported correctly; no masks.

 

I also have Sketch and created several shapes with different boolean effects. I exported as .eps and all shapes imported with masks.