Append existing shape/curve

[chromafunk]

Hello all!

Ive been taking X10 for a spin ( trial ) and so far am very impressed. Was using Coral before. Feels like a breath of fresh air!

My question: I want to be able to draw a shape, but instead of adding the shapes in a new shape layer, I want it to be appended to an existing curve. As it stands, it seems the only way I can do this is by creating the shapes seperatly\and then joining them. Is there any way to append an existing shape directly?

Thanks for your time

[mwenz]

As far as closed shapes go, it's just like in CD. While I would typically just add one shape to another, you would need to break an existing closed shape, select the appropriate tool, clisk on one of the now open nodes and continue on drawing.

It is more or less the same procedure with an open path.

But I think adding one shape to another is faster, a process I use whether in XDP, CD or AI.

Mike

[chromafunk]

Thanks mwenz

I guess what im asking is whether I can automatically combine what im currently drawing with an already created shape/path.

For example, if I wanted to draw the letters of a 10 letter word, I would end up with 10 separated shapes. What I want to know is whether I can keep them combined while I draw them. So in the end ive got a combined object with my 10 letters in.( I understand that I would then need to break it apart to work on individual letters. I just want to remove the need to select all the letters and combine them. )

Somewhat like drawing shapes in photoshop. Where you can choose to either start a new shape or append an existing selected layer.

[mwenz]

In that example, the answer is not really.

But it would help to know why this would matter in the example you give.

[chromafunk]

Just a case of speed really. The tools are so quick to use, that I thought it would be nice to be able to slap down some quick logo designs and then select them and shove them to the side to make space for another. Everything else is really quick and easy to use.

Also, I was just now playing around with the clip view stuff, which is very cool. Except If I want to add more shapes to the clip view group, I need to un-clip, draw another shape, and then re apply the clip. Be nice to just be able to add more lines/shapes to the clipped objects without having to open it up.

To add, ive noticed in the shape tool toolbar, that at the very left there is an indicator that can show new/add/change ( according to manual ). What is "add" and how do I set it as the drawing mode? It sounds like it might be what im after.

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics chromafunk

[mwenz]

Just a case of speed really. The tools are so quick to use, that I thought it would be nice to be able to slap down some quick logo designs and then select them and shove them to the side to make space for another. Everything else is really quick and easy to use.

Once you select them, hit ctrl+1, which is the shortcut for Add Shapes. They become a single shape.

Also, I was just now playing around with the clip view stuff, which is very cool. Except If I want to add more shapes to the clip view group, I need to un-clip, draw another shape, and then re apply the clip. Be nice to just be able to add more lines/shapes to the clipped objects without having to open it up.

No, all you need to do is select both the new shape and the objects that are clipped already, and hit ctrl+q to add the new shape to the clipped objects. Of course, if it is not over the clipped stuff, either partially or in whole, you will not see it because it is not within the shape used to clip the objects.

To add, ive noticed in the shape tool toolbar, that at the very left there is an indicator that can show new/add/change ( according to manual ). What is "add" and how do I set it as the drawing mode? It sounds like it might be what im after.

It's just an indicator as to what is happening on-screen.

Play some more, ask more questions. Do some of the tutorials on the XaraXone. They go back many, many years. It's what I did several versions ago. I did one tutorial I picked out, immediately bought my license and sent the author an email thanking him for his efforts over what looked like many years in creating the majority of the tuts. That person is the Gary who just posted above me (we have two of 'em that have or presently run the XaraXone).

Mike

[chromafunk]

@gwpriester
Thank you!

No, all you need to do is select both the new shape and the objects that are clipped already, and hit ctrl+q to add the new shape to the clipped objects. Of course, if it is not over the clipped stuff, either partially or in whole, you will not see it because it is not within the shape used to clip the objects.

Im curious about this method. Sounds very handy, but I cant get it to work. Are you sure the shortcut is ctrl+q? If I select the new shape and the shape inside the clip and press ctrl+q, nothing happens.

Thats for the info so far. You've been very helpful.

[mwenz]

Hah. See, I shouldn't be allowed to post messages using my phone while watching football. Just the letter q places the new shape into the selected clipped group. Sorry about that.

Mike

[chromafunk]

Hah. See, I shouldn't be allowed to post messages using my phone while watching football. Just the letter q places the new shape into the selected clipped group. Sorry about that.

Mike

Ok, that does something! But what im seeing here is that pressing Q will put the new shape inside another clipping group inside the original clip.

For example, I have this structure:


And when I select the elipse and the clipped shape and press Q, I end up with:

Which creates another clip group inside the existing group instead of adding the ellipse to the original.

What I would want the result to look like is this:

Which I can only get by pressing alt+q to break the clip group, selecting all three objects and re-applying the clip.

Am I doing something wrong?

This is another strong reason to want to be able to add a shape to an existing shape. It would be great to be able to draw directly into one of the clipped layers without having to break open the group. Ive noticed that the shape painter tool allows you to add to an existing shape, but the shape builder doesn't. As I pointed out earlier, there is an indicator on the builder toolbar showing what mode its in. The manual states that there is an "add" mode but I can find no way to get this indicator to actually display "add". But the feature must exist or there wouldn't be an "add" mode, right? Or at least the ability to draw a new shape that gets added to the clip group automatically? As in, when I select a clip group and draw a new shape, for that shape to *not* be created outside the clip as it seems to do at the moment ( pic1 ) and instead be placed inside the group ( pic3 ).