Advanced(?) Compound Path Manipulation

[ProbePointGrant]

Hello all, 

I am attempting to animate a letter in After Effects with a write-on effect. I know how to do it but am running into the problem that everyone runs into when doing it with scriptive letters and that problem is overlapping of strokes. 

So this A that someone signed as 2 intersections and I want to make it so there are none, as in, the path starts at where the person would naturally start writing an A, and end where it ends. So the path overlaps and does not intersect. Does that make sense?

I tried to use the scissor tool, but that would mess up the entire path and also change the bezier handles of the path. I have tried the knife tool which is not accurate enough and also led to undesirable results. I tried masking in After Effects but these intersections make it extremely difficult to make everything look right.

I want the write on effect to look good and I want to separate the letter the best way possible. What is the best way?

 

  

[Ton Frederiks]

Like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sArQZnpNY5s

[ProbePointGrant]

Yes, that is what I want to achieve, but the problem is when the stroke reaches a intersection, part of the intersecting line gets revealed before it should.

[Ton Frederiks]

Maybe make the brush size of the effect that reveals the stroke smaller at that point, using keyframes?

[Ton Frederiks]

I don't think you can solve that in Illustrator.

Maybe by a temporal mask in After Effects.

Did you check the AE forum with this question?

https://community.adobe.com/t5/After-Effects/bd-p/after-effects

[ProbePointGrant]

I was about to, but then switched gears to here, thinking it would be more of a question for the Illustrator forum. I will ask the same question in there. Thanks.

[Mike_Gondek]

If you want a qualtiy write-on effect that is zoomed in on, you will need to cut the "A" into 2 paths. Draw a path to sue. as cutting tool, then use Pathfinder divide. In After Effects you will need 2 layers & stroke animations for the "A" and overlap where they meet

  

[Mike_Gondek]

Another way is to use the holloow select tool & Join to get to this point.

Then use the penceil tool to round off the bottom right.

You woulf have a copy in the clipbaord of original to then do the same to the other half of the letter.

[ProbePointGrant]

Thank you for your response Mike! The Pathfinder Divide method worked very well for my situation! Had to clean up those curved edges of the intersections and it looks great! I had a hard time what you meant by "sue." but I got it in due time. Now they are on all the separate layers and ready for AE. Again, thanks so much!👍