Texture Clipping Mask with single object across many layers?

[sumneuron]

I am working on a project.

This project is using a stock texture for gold leaf and has many curves (some of which are grouped and some of these groups are in different layers).

At the moment I copy-paste the texture image and drag and drop it as a child of each curve (and position it accordingly) for every curve that should have this texture.

Is there a way to make this texture the full size of the document, and then tell certain layers / groups / curves to use it as a child?

[Alfred]

U1. Select the objects to which you wish to apply the texture

2. Edit (‘...’) > Add

3. Drag the new ‘Curves’ layer in the Layers panel and drop it onto the thumbnail of the texture layer

Result: The texture will be cropped to (i.e. masked by) the shapes in the ‘Curves’ layer

[sumneuron]

@Alfred I think you misunderstand. I have gotten that far as stated in the OP. Now image you have several curves in different groups and in different layers that all want to have that texture without copy pasting the texture accordingly.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, sumneuron said:

@Alfred I think you misunderstand. I have gotten that far as stated in the OP. Now image you have several curves in different groups and in different layers that all want to have that texture without copy pasting the texture accordingly.

If I did misunderstand, I’m afraid I still do! I have five shapes in my example: instead of using each one to mask its own copy of the texture, I Boolean added them so that I could mask the texture with all five shapes in one fell swoop.

[firstdefence]

The only way I can think of would be if  had a texture option and were part of a style that could be edited. In the same way a symbol is editable en masse.

[sumneuron]

@Alfred see the screen shot it is a minimal example.

 

For structural reasons I have different layers (some nested) / groupings of curves.  Not every curve in the document needs the texture, but many do.

I could copy and paste the texture layer and make it a child of each curve (and the curve would act as a vector clipping mask for the texture). However doing so means that if I want to change the texture, I have to update it everywhere which is tedious.

 

 

 

[sumneuron]

@firstdefence any idea how that might be done?

[firstdefence]

The only way I can think of would be to use symbols, so make whichever shapes require the texture a symbol. If you have repeating shapes this would alleviate some of the repetition and enable you to edit those shapes en masse.

[sumneuron]

@firstdefenceI'm not too much of an Affinity Power User yet... what is a "symbol" to Affinity. How do I make one? Where should I read more about it?

[firstdefence]

Hi @sumneuron A symbol is an object that has a set of features like a colour, shape, texture, fx, style, image that can be changed, it can be a group of objects. You can create a symbol and drag instances of that symbol onto the canvas and whatever you do to one symbol will be reflected in every instance of that symbol.

https://affinity.help/designer/English.lproj/pages/SymbolsAssets/symbols.html

symbol example.afdesign

[sumneuron]

@firstdefencethat kind of works... I still have to copy paste the symbol everywhere as a child of all the curves. But then when I move any of the curves the clones of the symbol move with with the curves, which is undesired.

 

And not being able to create a symbol from something that uses a symbol is also kind of backwards in my book.

[sumneuron]

also I am having weird syncing issues, where if I make a symbol which uses another symbol, then things break

[BobsDaubs]

@sumneuron Is this what you are trying to do?

 

[sumneuron]

@BobsDaubs

thanks for the reply, but no.

Again, the key to this question is that many different groups, layers, curves all share the same clipping mask. These groups, layers and curves may be siblings in the same layer, children of different parents, etc.

[lepr]

.

[sumneuron]

@>|< that is a workable solution, but I still have to copy paste everywhere .

[lepr]

.

[JimmyJack]

@sumneuron (et al)

Select all the elements and use the Bitmap fill option in the Gradient tool. 
(You might have to nudge a handle to get it to recognize the area as the sum of all the parts. Otherwise it might want to resize the fill to fit each shape individually.)

If you want to move a shape/shapes after the fill without moving the background (a la "lock children") use the node tool.
Yes this means that shape objects will need to be converted to curves and you will loose the individual shape parameter options.
The move tool will move a shape with the image.

 

[sumneuron]

@JimmyJackcan you upload that file so I can look at it and learn from it. Not sure exactly what everything you said means, e.g. lock children / bitmap

[JimmyJack]

12 minutes ago, sumneuron said:

@JimmyJackcan you upload that file so I can look at it and learn from it. Not sure exactly what everything you said means, e.g. lock children / bitmap

Here ya go.
With one, or all, of the image filled objects selected, take a look at the gradient tool and it's context toolbar.
(I changed to image because the other made the file fairly massive)

Gotta run out. But can do a quick vid showing what I mean about the different moving techniques later.

 

various layers fill.afdesign

[JimmyJack]

@sumneuron did the file help?

Here are two GIFs.

1st is how to create it and 2nd is the different ways of moving elements I was referring to.

[sumneuron]

@JimmyJack how do I make a bit map?

[JimmyJack]

2 hours ago, sumneuron said:

@JimmyJack how do I make a bit map?

While yes, a Bitmap can be a specific file type with the .BMP extension, in this case "bitmap" means any (afaik) file that is only raster info. i.e. jpg, png, tiff, gif...... etc (HA! etc should be a file type ). You can see in the first GIF above that I used a JPG.

So....You don't need to make one. Just use the the texture image you have. I'm quite certain it will qualify.

But as a side note, I'd just like to point out that the technique to fill multiple disjointed (layer-wise) objects will work with all the other options in the gradient file dropdown list too... As well as the regular fill/stroke panel. The above is specific to imagery.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, JimmyJack said:

(HA! etc should be a file type )

I think you should develop that idea & submit a formal proposal to standards organizations like ISO, W3C & IETF ... on the first day of April of next year. 

[sumneuron]

@JimmyJack I have a follow up. Suppose I have some text (either Textbox, Art-Text or a group of either). I have the same texture as before. I use the text as a mask (e.g. as you did above). Is there a way to edit that text (e.g. hot key t and change what it says) while it is still working as a mask? Or do I always have to unmask, edit, remask?