General Question Shape Builder Tool

[nickerssan.]

I made a floral shape pattern and wanted to cut out the middle by aligning a round white circle in the centre like a sun flower. I then removed the centre by using the shape builder tool (minus –) and dragging the cursor creating a doughnut shape without a fill. I then saved the document. My question is can I ever return or revert to the original shape so that I can re-edit the circle making it smaller? It seems to only way to to do this is to start again.

[Monika Gause]

You should have used Live Paint. WIth live paint it's possible to edit the base shapes even years later.

With the shapebuilder tool it depends. I don't want to try and picture what you've done, please post a screenshot of what you want to edit.

[jane-e]

Hi NKS

The Shape Builder creates a Shaper Group. Click on it once with your Selection tool to confirm it says this in the Control panel and/or Properties panel.

To edit this group, double-click with your selection tool to enter isolation mode. Now you should be able to select the individual shapes to move and resize them. If you have trouble, use Outline View and select by clicking the path.

Escape takes you out of Isolation mode.

[Monika Gause]

jane-e  schrieb

Hi NKS 

The Shape Builder creates a Shaper Group.

That's the Shaper Tool

[jane-e]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause  wrote

jane-e   schrieb

The Shape Builder creates a Shaper Group.

That's the Shaper Tool

That’s answering before coffee!

[Monika Gause]

  schrieb

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause   wrote

    schrieb

The Shape Builder creates a Shaper Group.

That's the Shaper Tool

That’s answering before coffee!

Yeah, I know the feeling 🙂

[John Mensinger]

You should have used Live Paint.

With the shapebuilder tool it depends.

I second this advice. For some time I used the Shapebuilder features to make "coherent" object-editable artwork from Engineering stuff (CAD, solid models), which typically comes into Illustrator as nothing but unconnected segments. Since changing to Live Paint for this, everything is better; it's much faster, much easier, and produces a more useful result.

[nickerssan.]

thanks everyone for your replies. Just so it is clearer, I used the shape builder to knockout the middle and want to revert to the original on the left. It doesn't allow me to remove the white circle in isolation mode as it is now hollow like a doughnut. I suspect it can't be done

[John Mensinger]

NKS  wrote

I suspect it can't be done

You're correct. The Shapebuilder is "destructive". What's gone is gone.

At least your design has symmetry and mathematical basis enough that it won't be very hard to construct again.