posted
I'm stuck. I'm on Mac OS 10.6.8, using Illustrator CS5. I have a portion of a design element that I have cut apart. I then want to select an endpoint, and connect to another to make it a new path. It won't let me. I have checked to see if it is grouped; No. Release Compound Path? That option is grayed out. And yet when I select the 'group' - (remember there are 2 different paths that I want to join into 1), the Appearance Tab says it's a Compound Shape. I can't select an endpoint, click it with the Pen tool, and then click on another endpoint to 'connect' the path. Something simple I'm sure - but what?
Thanks ahead of time...and honestly, anyone using another Mac program for screen printing or designing for vinyl signs, etc.?
Mick
-------------------- Mick Samsel Creative Services Cherokee, IA Posts: 498 | From: Cherokee, Ia USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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posted
I've tried that. The error message I get is as follows: 'The selected objects cannot be joined as they are invalid objects (Compound paths, Closed paths, Text objects, Graphs, Live Paint group) . You can use Join command to connect two or more paths, paths in groups; or to close an open path.' I't like it is locked in this unknown 'group, and can't ungroup it, or release a mask or a compound path.
HELP!!
Mick
-------------------- Mick Samsel Creative Services Cherokee, IA Posts: 498 | From: Cherokee, Ia USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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posted
You might have to copy and paste it repeatedly (many times). Sometimes Illustrator wants to remember a paths past relationships. The copy and paste will eventually help it forget according to Leslie Carbage's The Lettering and Font Bible.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
Also - I have had instances where I surrounded what I thought were 2 endpoint nodes... which wouldn't join.... to find out that one endpoint node had another node directly below it... once I deleted one endpoint node to reveal the underlying node... I could join the 2 remaining nodes together.
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
You don't select a point with the pen too, although I may have misunderstood you. Click once with the "hollow" arrow and once on the other point.
Like Todd said, often the culprit is stacked nodes and if you drag a box over them to select one, your actually selecting two.
-------------------- Bill Modzel Mod-Zel screen Printing Traverse city, MI modzel@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1356 | From: Traverse City, MI | Registered: Nov 1998
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I'll select both segments that I'm trying to join, then:
1. Ungroup 2. Release compound. Both of these steps by their respective shortcuts...quick and easy 3. Then I try to join them again, selecting the end nodes and then command-J shortcut
99 out of 100 times, this will do the trick for you.
If they still aren't joining, there is one and ONLY one culprit, there are more than the two end nodes being selected.
Note that when two segments don't join, I ungroup them AND release compound path. Whether they ARE grouped or compounded doesn't matter. It's probably one or the other, so I knock off both possibilities with the double shortcut. I don't spend a moment trying to troubleshoot the problem first.
[ May 09, 2012, 06:19 AM: Message edited by: Don Coplen ]
posted
You did misunderstand Bill but it was from my poor grasp of the Illustrator nomenclature. It is the tool grouped within the pen tools options dock. It looks like the greater than/less than symbol I learned in elementary school math. That was just a guess as to the solution anyway. also I think the author of that book I mentioned may be Cabarga. This has been one of the most helpful and informative threads I have seen on this forum, kudos to all.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
I don't know if everybody uses double and triple shortcuts, so just in case it might help someone with a new trick...
An example of a double shortcut would be command+shift+G (ungroup) and command+control+shift+8 (release compound path). I would perform the first shortcut, then while still holding down the command and shift keys, add the control key and lastly tap the 8 to complete the double shortcut. I've been doing this illustrator/photoshop stuff so long that I don't really think too much about it.
One triple shortcut that I use pretty much every day is selecting vector lines, then while holding down the command key, tap C, then F, and then 5. This places a guideline directly under my vector art. When I'm editing curves or type, it's convenient to have a guideline under my work, so I can see where the original lines were before I started moving things around and adjusting curves, etc. (I used this A LOT when working on the Palms Trilogy clip art.)
Anyway, if that helps one person...good.
[ May 09, 2012, 04:05 PM: Message edited by: Don Coplen ]
posted
HOLY COW - I figured it out. As I looked at Paul Luszcz comment: "Also check for a Clipping Path and release that if you find one", I thought I'd make sure I'd see if this 'thing' was a Clipping Path. So in Adobe Illustrators online help service, I typed in 'release clipping path'. That brought up a long article about clipping paths titled: Illustrator Help / Clipping Paths. I scrolled down looking for the 'right' answer, and settled in to read: "Add or remove an object from masked artwork - In the Layers panel, drag the object into or out of the group or layer that contains the clipping path". Well, I thought, all of those things are grayed out in Illustrator: Object>Ungroup - grayed out; Object>Clipping Mask>Release - grayed out. Logically, we'd assume this object has none of those attributes. But reading that above noted info from Paul, I thought I'd select the problem object, go over to Layers, and BOOM, it IS a compound shape. I opened up the layer, and drilled down into the Compound Shape, and pulled them all onto a single layer. It's now 'released', unlocked, whatever, because I could then select the endpoint and Join them, do the rest within the drawing, and ALL IS GOOD. Illustrator in my opinion is so over engineered compared to Freehand (yes - gone forever), but THIS example is testament to that! No information in the Object file menu would lead you to believe it could be released, etc. etc. It was not until I looked at it in the Layers tab, that it showed it as a Compound Shape, and could then drag out the various items into a separate layer, and then was workable. IF you stayed awake to read this, thanks to all, the collaborative effort had several 'leads' to get me to find that Layers trick. Thanks again!!! Everyone, I hope this helps you if you fall into the same problem, double check to see what the LAYER tab is saying about a selected object!! Mick Samsel
-------------------- Mick Samsel Creative Services Cherokee, IA Posts: 498 | From: Cherokee, Ia USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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