How to 'cookie cut' a series of paths (not closed shapes)?

<Off topic>

Hi @dickpowell,

you can mark one or more answers as correct answer if you are logged in. (If not, feel free to send me a PM.)

Furthermore you can change your nick name in your private settings - if you want.

Note: some members have problems to change their nick. If you have the same problem - use the following thread and write your wished nick name:

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An Adobe staff member (involved in the topic) also can change your nick. @Silvia_CC is one of them.

Good luck

😉

Dick,

From your description, I believe (without knowing, for I have never received such an email myself) they may lack a few things: Firstly, they seem to use the term solved but fail to mention that the only way is to click Correct Answer at the bottom of at least one answer; secondly, I believe they fail to mention that multiple answers can be marked as such, which reflects the fact that there can be multiple ways to do things and multiple important aspects/elaborations; I wonder whether they mention that you have to be signed in to mark answers (just as you have to in order to post).

You may write back to them and make them aware of the woolliness/unintelligibleness of the email.

You are welcome, Dick, and thank you for sharing.

For the watch hands and the rest, you may (come to) like the use of a nostroke/nofill (preferable to 0 opacity) rotated (preferable to reflected) doubleganger, so you create a Group that is symmetrical round the centre, never a need for worrying about the (rotation) centre or alignment of the different parts.

As you can see, I decided to go back to your name and ignore the notifications; after all they are only notifications.

Earlier this year, your name was taken off the serious Nanny filter list where the daring posters were ordered to wash out their mouths and change it, so now they only get notifications, and each case is inspected for possible bad use.

Rick (I am using this form because I kept getting notifications about the original form as bad word, I believe you have received one, too),

"1. I used the line segment tool to create a vertical line as long as the radius > diameter of the circle I need

2. I dragged the coordinates to the its bottom anchow point > centre/midpoint to amke it 0,0 as you suggest (good practice anyway!)"

What I am suggesting is to start with a line length equalling the outer diameter so it holds the first pair of opposite markers, and so it is already symmetric round the centre/midpoint (whether added or not), then create those opposite markers (either as two Dashes on the same line using the Dashed Line option in 1a), or by copying the line and shorten the pair of lines from opposite ends (and maybe Group them) and select them together as in 1b)).

Rick,

Nomatter whether you use 1a) or 1b, you have a selection that is symmetricel round the centre so no need to set the centre before using the transform effect; and that will remain the centre of everything, also when/if you expand apearance.

As I said (it ought to have been written as the path (set) in case you are using 1b))

2) Set the centre of the path to a convenient value, X = Y = 0 being a good way to easily check everything;

If you use the default centre Reference Point you can simply set the X = Y = 0 in the Transform palette with the line (set) selected; or you can move the whole set of markers when created; or you can have Show Center ticked in the Attributes palette and ClickDrag by that to snap to X = Y = 0; or in 1a) you can Object>Path>Add Anchor Points once to have an Anchor Point at the centre and ClickDrag by that to snap to X = Y = 0.

Smart Guides are your friends, saying center or anchor when you are within snapping distance.

When working with another set of similarly symmetricel markers/whatever you can also use the Align palette (centring both horizontally and vertically, after setting the key object by cicking it).

Or do as Ton said.

Dick,

To have both precision and ease you can do completely differently as follows for the second markers, and similarly for other markers (figures made to ease the repetition for other markers):

1a) Unless you need to have each marker as a separate path, you can Click the Artboard with the Line Segment Tool (see below) and set the length to the outer diameter and the angle to 90 degrees, then set the Stroke and Cap (I always set the Join correspondingly although often unnecessary) as desired, then tick Dashed Line and set the first Dash to the marker height and set the first Gap to the diameter less twice the marker height, or

1b) If you need to have each marker as a separate path, you can Click the Artboard with the Line Segment Tool and set the length to the outer diameter and the angle to 90 degrees, then set the Stroke and Cap/Join as desired, then Ctrl/Cmd+C+F to copy, then click the top path and with the top centre Reference Point selected in the Transform palette set the H to the marker height to shorten it, then click the bottom path and with the bottom centre Reference Point selected in the Transform palette set the H to the marker height, so you have a pair;

Now you have (the appearance of) the top and bottom markers;

2) Set the centre of the path to a convenient value, X = Y = 0 being a good way to easily check everything;

3) Effect>Distort & Transform>Transform>Rotate by 360/60 degrees with 30-1 Copies

Now you have them all; you may Object>Expand Appearance if you wish to have individual paths instead of just the one (pair).

And you have rid yourself of the inherent inaccuracy of Bezier circles and similar.

For the Line Segment Tool, see the Advanced Toolbar and instructions here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/tools.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/drawing-simple-lines-shapes.html

In the meantime, I'm not quite sure why a simple (copy) rotation of single lines around a common centre point with the Rotate tool would not be sufficient in that case.

I don't see how all the other suggestions (including my suggestions) would provide more precise results for the watch design industry.

Do I overlook something?

Try an Opacity mask.

Group the lines, fill the circle above the lines with white (no stroke).

Select both and click Make Mask in the Transparency panel.

Understandable, Dick, and I think I know what you mean by high precision when it comes to watch design (not to mention the actual manufacturing).

But as per your description I do not understand why you think that the Shape Builder tool is not the right tool in this case.

How exactly did you use it and what went wrong in your opinion?

If you're trying to create a circle that's divided radially, while I do love the Shape Builder Tool, I'd recommend that you use the Polar Grid Tool. If you double-click on the tool, you can set various options like how many Concentric Dividers (in this case, 0) and Radial Dividers. Then you can draw out the circle with the dividers all set up.