back filling open paths

[Ed Nadie]

You've drawn a cartoon and like what the lines look like. Maybe they remind you of bamboo, maybe they were an accident and you can't do that good again. You would however like to apply a precise backfill -- but you don't have a fillable shape, and your eyes glaze over at the thought of hand tracing with the shape editor...

If you 'apply clipview' to a closed shape, and break it apart, you end up with a stack of interesting artifacts -- some often more interesting than your original drawing, but there is one silhouette shape in there that you want -- it's a perfect backfill object.

First experiment clipping and breaking an ordinary closed shape -- one with a hole in it and a thick outline is best -- and see what you get. Draw any old sort of shape and put your clip object on top of it; select both, and 'apply clipview'. Break it apart in three stages: 'convert to editable shapes', 'ungroup', and 'break shapes'. You should see something happen with each stage. With a complex shape it looks like nodes bubbling up from the sea. You might need to give each stage a couple seconds to work.

Once that makes sense, you just need to convert your discontinuous lines into a single shape: make a copy to work with; zoom in to see where the lines don't overlap (if they overlap, you're fine); close any gaps with a small (.5 point) flat line. (You don't have to select the lines, just draw on top. And you can be a little sloppy, just make sure the lines overlap); then select all the lines for your new shape and 'join shapes'. If that worked the lines will all take on the look of your little gap-closing line. This shape can't be filled directly, but do the clipview breakapart thing, find the backfill shape, and place it behind your original line drawing.

Ed Nadie

[eky]

Ed,

I was able to follow your explanation and instructions and now I understand it. Thank you for the lesson!

[roman]

I don't understand to this clip view technique. I tried to Make the closed shape of two lines then selected them and applied clipview. Only one of them stayed visivble. Then I tried to convert to editable shapes and break apart but nothing what I wanted, happened.

I use ADD shapes, BREAK shapes for the same thing, but I would like to know how to do your technique.

[Turan]

Your hitting the same problem I had - you need to join the shapes, then make a copy.

What you end up doing is makeing a cipview of itself as it were!

If you still don't get it I'll do a step by step.

Ed's remarks of trying the idea with simple shapes is exactly what I had to do before I got it.

Keep trying it is a cool idea.

Turan

[eky]

to join again after you add your overlapping lines, before you apply the clipview.

[RTK]

... tip, Ed!

That is really an easy method to create those fillable shapes!

Hopefully , this is filed away in the Tips & Tricks section!

Super!

Risto

diri@videotron.ca

[roman]

I can't do clipview after join, or add two lines together. It's not available in the menu. I don't know why. But from the ED's examples it seems the same can be done with Add shapes/Break shapes technique., or am I wrong????

[eky]

These are the steps I used based on Ed's instructions:

1. you have a drawing of unconnected lines
2. join lines in original
3. control-k to make a copy of the joined lines
4. move copy of joined lines to work on it
5. using freehand and brush tool, draw overlapping lines on copy to close the gaps
6. select all lines on copy, and join
7. place your fill shape over result of 6.
8. select fill shape and joined lines below it
9. apply clip view. You should see your lines in the color of your clipview fill
10. with clipview shape still selected, do the following in order: a)convert to editable shapes b) ungroups c)break shapes.
11. you should see a shape with the fill. Using the selector tool, you can move the individual shapes to find the fill shape you want and move it over your original drawing and put it under the original lines.

[roman]

THANX A LOT! It produced more shapes to play with as add shapes/break shapes technique. Hmm. Yes tt might have it's use. Gotta test it more. Thanx for help. I didnt know that you have to join the shapes with previously joined shapes. That was the problem.

[Ed Nadie]

This technique is also useful for grouping multiple complete shapes. My idea is to try to use it like the art nouveau guys did -- using line width in some sort of hierarchy. I'll attach a simple example. Egg's method of stroke-contouring outlines by breaking them in different places would work well with this. The clipview breakapart thing could also be used when you want to unify groups of objects with the same fill or transparency...

Ed Nadie