Difference between "Compound path" and "Compound shape"?

[Roger Breton]

I confess I shied away for many years to use "Compound shape", found in the Pathfinder menu.

Now, what is the difference, conceptually, between a Compound "shape" and "path"?

"Shape" does not behave like a "true" Compound path, in that overlapping paths are not "transparent". That much is plain to see.

Is "Shape" a way to force paths to share common attributes? I don't get why they were created in the first place but I suspect they have something to do with the "live" behavior of Pathfinders that was introduced a few years ago...

I'll try combing the web some more on my own... 

Thanks in advance for any help and tips 🙂

[Monika Gause]

Long ago I've written some long text about it. https://www.vektorgarten.de/illustrator-compound-path-shape.html 

[Jacob Bugge]

An exquisite text, Monika, and no longer than needed.

[Monika Gause]

Thank you, Jacob!

[Roger Breton]

Danke shön, liebe Monika.

After reading your artikel, I still don't see warum "Compound shapes" were invented by the Illustrator team?

I suggest, to improve on your original artikel, that you add the fact that Compound path have been with Illustrator from day one, since it is a fundamental Postscript construct. Compound shapes were introduced much later, around 2016 or thereabout. They are a more recent construct. 

So I was on the right "path" when I suggested they have something to do mit neüe Pathfinder modes, aka "Live" modes. Because, before, all Pathfinder operations were "Static", click on the Unite button and the form were changed for ever. I remember, when they first ontroduced these new modes that users complained? Because, all of a sudden, operations were NOT static anymore? That's when they made them static again UND introduced the Alt key to make these operations "Dynamic". 

I also remember reading about Compound shapes in the context of importing Illustrator artwork in Photoshop. Aber we now have direct support for Illustrator Layers in Photoshop, I am not sure these Compound shape constructs are still needed? Other than the creative "nested" (hierarchical) operations you allude in your artikel....

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

[Monika Gause]

Compound shapes have been there since at least 2005 (that's when I started to use Illustrator). They have been there longer than that, but I don't have the time to consult all those old manuals I collected.

[Roger Breton]

You're right about that. According to Marti's video, they date as back as Illustrtaor 10. Sorry...

[femkeblanco]

Mordy Golding has a video that I think explains things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNxAmAIkuhM 

[Roger Breton]

Thanks! That was helpful. I think I get it now that "Compound shapes" go beyond mere Boolean operations and are based on a larger set of variables than simply the intersection of paths.