Missing xml data when embedding linked illustrator files with some gradients.

Hi there,

Not sure it matters, but my workflow is CMYK/300PPI

I'm using a Macbook Pro 16'' M1 max chip, 32 gigs CPU, 24 gigs GPU.

I'm currently on Monterey and have not updated, and certainly I will try that.

A colleague cannot replicate the problem on his PC.

For context: I use illustrator's variable feature to import illustrator art across multiple artboards.

However I should note I can recreate this problem regardless of how the .ai file is placed into the document and then embedded (whether copied/pasted, dragged, or using illustrator's place menu option.)

1) It is essential that I use illustrator's variable feature/csv workflow to import linked .ai assets. Manual input would require thousands of hours, and it's essential the variables remain dynamic to our spreadsheets.

2) It is essential that these be linked to .ai. They cannot be PNG, JPEG or any other format for a variety of reasons.

3) The artwork is pretty optimized, flattened transparencies and very efficient use of lines and points, but still it requires a lot of complex gradient work and overlaps.

The issue:

There are a select few pieces of art that import properly as linked files, but then seem to collapse when they are embedded. Some gradients "shrink" and the gradiated strokes "break". Imagine anything you want, they look fragmanted and artifacted.

I'm not by any means a coder, but I pulled the SVG data from a copy and pasted asset vs an embedded linked object into a diff program to compare the data, and after a lot of troubleshooting it's clear that the embedding process is simply removing some key data that's defining the perameters of the gradients in these few instances.

I can workaround this with the gradiated strokes by converting these to outlines, fine. I can also save a few gradients by flattening transparency, fine. But there are still gradients that clearly lose information, and its not consistent or replicable across artwork. It's just a handful of art pieces that seem to collapse, with no clear reason as to why.

Has anyone encountered this issue? Is it simply how mac talks to illustrator? Is there anything I can do to preserve this data in the embedding process?