Duplicate object and move

[Dr. Dave]

In Illustrator I can duplicate an object then move it, then CTRL D as many duplicates as I want in that direction. Is this functionality in Designer or do I have to manually duplicate and move each time?

Also I noticed there is not paste in front or paste in back, is that correct?

[Dr. Dave]

NM - duplicate object > move > CTRL + J

[iaing]

11 hours ago, Dr. Dave said:

Also I noticed there is not paste in front or paste in back, is that correct?

Correct, but there is 'Insert behind the selection' - it's in the tool bar, also menu 'Layer > insertion > behind' so you can assign a keystroke to it - but it does make it a two-step process as you have to do that then follow it with paste - the advantage is, you can follow it with 'place' instead of 'paste' if you want

[RichardZ]

a tip for somebody trying to duplicate precise .

i found out by experimenting that adding + to a coordinate value does the trick for duplicating precisely if you dont want to eyball a move. not intuitive . i would expect that it should remember the earlier position and take the difference into account. who is going to add a + to the value for this already pretty hidden and a bit complicated function?

that is a very important function guys. make it more user friendly pls.

[Alfred]

44 minutes ago, RichardZ said:

i would expect that it should remember the earlier position and take the difference into account.

It sounds as though you think 25 on its own should mean ‘add 25 to the current value’, but if that were the case it isn’t obvious how you would specify an absolute value of 25. As things stand, you can append +25 to the current value for X or Y, or you can replace the current value with +=25. Allowing expressions in the input fields can be incredibly useful, especially if you need to use irrational numbers.

 

[RichardZ]

2 hours ago, Alfred said:

it sounds as though you think 25 on its own should mean ‘add 25 to the current value’,

what i mean is if an object rests at 25 and i enter 50 that it adds the 25 to the duplication instead of just dropping it onto 25.

[Alfred]

29 minutes ago, RichardZ said:

what i mean is if an object rests at 25 and i enter 50 that it adds the 25 to the duplication instead of just dropping it onto 25.

Just to be clear, if an object rests at 15 and you enter 40:

1. Where does the duplicate object actually end up?

2. Where do you expect it to end up?

[RichardZ]

On 1/28/2021 at 8:58 PM, Alfred said:

1. Where does the duplicate object actually end up?

2. Where do you expect it to end up?

i cant remember how i did not get it to work, i believe i did not understand that i had to duplicate the object first before moving, then values can either be entered absolute or relative with  + and the subsequent duplicate will take the difference into account. what might have confused me is that you actually can alt copy an object move it manually and then duplicate which also works but with no known value of course.

[Jonesy21]

On 7/5/2019 at 2:07 AM, Dr. Dave said:

In Illustrator I can duplicate an object then move it, then CTRL D as many duplicates as I want in that direction. Is this functionality in Designer or do I have to manually duplicate and move each time?

Also I noticed there is not paste in front or paste in back, is that correct?

I'm also having problems replicating this... move an object then move the duplicate underneath to exactly the same place ie. a repeat transformation....

CTRL 'j' should do this but it doesn't nor does ctrl + j    (ditto using a cap J)

One of the most useful functions using Illustrator and creating cartographic work.

Suggestions would be most helpful....please no maths! far to a slow solution ;-(

[Alfred]

27 minutes ago, Jonesy21 said:

I'm also having problems replicating this... move an object then move the duplicate underneath to exactly the same place ie. a repeat transformation....

CTRL 'j' should do this but it doesn't nor does ctrl + j    (ditto using a cap J)

One of the most useful functions using Illustrator and creating cartographic work.

Suggestions would be most helpful....please no maths! far to a slow solution ;-(

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, @Jonesy21.

I see from your other posts that you’re a Mac user. Ctrl (or Alt if you want to ignore snapping) is the modifier key used on Windows. On a Mac you need to use Cmd (or Option/Alt).

[Jonesy21]

Many thanks for the speedy reply.... so, trying Cmd J which duplicates the object then using Option Cmd J does nothing, ditto Control Cmd J ditto all three modifiers J again nothing!

I would like to create my own modifier but can't find anywhere to transform/move the duplicate object into exactly the same position as the original object. (Illustrator was Cmd C, Cmd F then Cmd D)

Thanks for any advice

[Alfred]

27 minutes ago, Jonesy21 said:

Many thanks for the speedy reply.... so, trying Cmd J which duplicates the object then using Option Cmd J does nothing, ditto Control Cmd J ditto all three modifiers J again nothing!

I’m afraid you’re overcomplicating things! Unless you need to disable snapping ‘on the fly’ you should simply press Cmd+J once, move the duplicate to its new position and then press Cmd+J repeatedly until you have the desired number of copies, all equally spaced.

If you do want to disable snapping, use Option+J instead of Cmd+J.

[Jonesy21]

Hi again.... many thanks, so sorry if I'm not making myself clear.... I can see what you are saying about Cmd+J to duplicate, move object, then again once moved to replicate thus moving all copies equally spaced, no problem.... However when editing an existing drawing to move the top object to a certain position and then move the object directly below the first and position it in the same place in the same stacking order as the first object moved Option+J doesn't do this as far as I can see. I presume I have to move an object then duplicate it and assign a new stroke/fill as required and put it on a layer below! deleting the one that I wanted to move - phew...

I understand this may sound overcomplicated, but as an Illustrator user for many years I used key commands all the time and they become 2nd nature...

Thanks for your patience.

[Alfred]

I hadn’t appreciated that you were having problems with the stacking order. If you only want to change the stacking order without affecting the positions of the objects on the canvas, do it all via the Layers panel; if your scenario is more complex than that, please attach a sample file that demonstrates what you’re struggling with.

[lepr]

4 hours ago, Jonesy21 said:

repeat transformation....

It has been requested but we are still waiting.

[Jonesy21]

Thanks Alfred.... sorry, I may be confusing you... I'm not having problems with the stacking/layering - just trying to move an object then repeating the movement..... or, as below....

 

Thanks Anon2 - you've got it.... repeat transformation - simple request succinctly put (better than how I was going on and on about!).

Good to see a request has been made.

 

btw. I have found the 'snapping manager' under the View menu -  to manually move an object onto a duplicate accurately