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Clockridge
Clockridge
New Participant
September 8, 2020
Answered

How do I turn this '''thing''' into a solid shape?

  • September 8, 2020
  • 7 replies
  • 1361 views

I'm about ready to pull out my hair. Let me preface this first - I'm making a VSG so I can use it in a die cut machine, but in order to cleanly cut it requires a solid outline of the object. As you can see in this, there are stray remnants from image trace, they also REFUSE to join. In the side panel, these are apparently a compound path for the top hair, and grouped for the other pieces.

 

 

 

The issue is the die cut machine will literally cut every line, so those dangly bits of hair are not one piece, but 2. It also decides to cut up the single line on the right dangly bit of hair. I have been trying for hours, and I am so incredibly frustrated with AI right now. Is there NO WAY to just WELD it altogether so it's ONE seamless piece?  I want it to join and fill in the slices. I've literally only been able to come up with one solution which is barbaric compared to what AI is capable of, zoom in, print screen, image trace it. That's so much added work when I have 30 of these per character to do.

 

Those straggler bits are pieces of path that are an absolute nightmare to remove and half of them I can't without affecting it's shape. I don't even know if this a PATH that has fill, or a SHAPE that has fill? I'm guessing path because shapes are created inside AI using the SHAPE tool, yes? Please help I am desperate here. It seems like such an incredibly simple thing to do yet this powerful software can't do it with 1 click. I've tried path erase tool which is a gong show of a time, I've tried path joining, shape builder tool, nothing works. Compound paths, uniting, grouping, joining. I'm not about to sit there and use a pen tool to create a new outline. Is there a way to do that faster and easier? Then I can just fill it?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Anna Lander

try this:
1. move an edge of any left shape a bit to overlap them

2. draw small shapes where the strayed lines (= narrow cuts) come to the main edge. The forms are up to you, just to close the holes

3. Use Shapebuilder to unite all. Shapebuilder can fill the holes inside the shape.

the final:

you can improve the shape a bit or keep it as is.

 

 

7 replies

Simmer1
Simmer1
Inspiring
September 9, 2020

Hi,

It might be worth a try to select all, go Object Expand and make sure you have fill and Stroke check if you get a pop up window. 

 

Then try to Unite them wih the Pathfinder Tool.

C
Colton-
Participating Frequently
September 10, 2020

I thought about this method as I perused the menus, but I got no pop up, it sat there and did nothing so I gave up on that idea. Still wouldn't work for me tonight, but Anna on the previous page had a genius solution. Thanks for your help thougth Simmer!

Kurt Gold
Kurt Gold
Braniac
September 9, 2020

In this specific case you may also just apply a very small (~ 0,03 mm) offset path to all objects (Object menu > Path > Offset Path), then select all and apply Pathfinder Add.

    C
    Colton-
    Participating Frequently
    September 10, 2020

    Anna on the previous page actually found a quick way to do it. Interestingly enough tonight I was going to try your method too. Great minds think alike!

    Anna Lander
    Anna LanderCorrect answer
    Inspiring
    September 9, 2020

    try this:
    1. move an edge of any left shape a bit to overlap them

    2. draw small shapes where the strayed lines (= narrow cuts) come to the main edge. The forms are up to you, just to close the holes

    3. Use Shapebuilder to unite all. Shapebuilder can fill the holes inside the shape.

    the final:

    you can improve the shape a bit or keep it as is.

     

     

    C
    Colton-
    Participating Frequently
    September 10, 2020

    You are an absolute legend Anna, thank you so much. It worked like a charm. I'm massively adept at PS and LR (photographer) but AI I am trying to learn and you have just made my life a billion times easier. I was working with a deadline, so what I ended up doing (while in throught 'man.. if I could just take a picture of it' - duh, screenshot) was a print screen, zoomed in super close, over to paint, cropped out the junk, back to AI, traced, and it worked. It made my edges a little sloppier but it did the job for what I needed. Now that you have greatly enlightened me I will be so much better off. I really do appreciate your help, thank you thank you!

     

    To everyone else with suggests, I thank you too!

      Anna Lander
      Anna Lander
      Inspiring
      September 10, 2020

      you're welcome! 🙂

      Ton Frederiks
      Ton Frederiks
      Braniac
      September 9, 2020

      If it was done by tracing an image, you could try to do it again:

      Fill with black instead of yellow.

      Choose Object > Rasterize... and choose a high resolution.

      Autotrace the result (with ignore white).

      Expand  the result .

       

       

      C
      Colton-
      Participating Frequently
      September 10, 2020

      Thanks for the reply! You know I thought about that but I was having issues after doing the rasterize, for some reason it would not let me trace it. The initial trace was a full blown character, so tracing + rasterizing could give me a solid character again, and I needed individual layers. How do I trace after rastereizing? It wouldn't allow me to.

       

      Thanks!

      Ton Frederiks
      Ton Frederiks
      Braniac
      September 10, 2020

      Should be easy, I added some images to show the steps.

      Kurt Gold
      Kurt Gold
      Braniac
      September 8, 2020

      Can you share your sample .ai file with the yellow objects?

      C
      Colton-
      Participating Frequently
      September 9, 2020

      Sure thing, I will do that now!

      Anna Lander
      Anna Lander
      Inspiring
      September 8, 2020

      Do I see well that these separate lines are unwanted in the final shape? I guess, they are included in the Compound path. Try to release it to separate all the pieces.

      If you can share the working file, I would try to repeat the issue. Meanwhile try the follow:
      1. Select all items and unite them using Shape builder.

      2. Another way: delete the separate lines, select Compound path and release it using Object > Compound Path > Release. Then select all and use Unite in Pathfinder panel.

       

      Clockridge
      ClockridgeAuthor
      New Participant
      September 8, 2020

      Essentially I want one solid piece of hair, with a single outline perimeter around it. I'll give those a shot tonight but I believe I tried that already. Thank you both for the replies so far.

      Doug A Roberts
      Doug A Roberts
      Braniac
      September 8, 2020

      Selecting everything there and using Unite from the Pathfinder panel doesn't do what you want?

      Clockridge
      ClockridgeAuthor
      New Participant
      September 8, 2020

      Unfortunately no. It doesn't turn it into a solid object. I want no lines, just a single outline. Pathfinder only does a rudimentary group job. 

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