How to create an object that is an outline of a group of unclosed objects?

[LanaPinkie]

Is there a way to outline a group of unclosed objects to create an object that is a combination of all the others but without any of the interior lines? I realize that I can select just the lines along the perimeter, cut all the extending lines one by one and join them, but is there a more expedient way?

Group of unclosed objects:

Just the objects along the permiter:


The unclosed objects will not join properly:


The goal is to get an outline of this shape:

[tromboniator · Accepted solution]

I'm assuming that A: you want to keep a copy of the original group and B: the original group's open paths are all strokes with no fill. This is not a problem; it just means that the final path will have a stroke of the original paths' fill.

Peter

[LanaPinkie]

Thank you Peter! You were correct to assume that the original group's open paths are all strokes with no fill. There were still some interior points I had to delete (see below), not sure why, but it was still much more efficient.

[tromboniator]

You're welcome, Lana, I'm glad you found it useful. Did you do the last two steps? If so, try it again, it might fix it. Of course, if you've moved on it's not necessary; I'm just curious.

Peter

[LanaPinkie]

I did do the last two steps. However, the group is pretty messy, drawn freehand with some paths that don't meet and others that twist around a point - at least that's what I noticed when I was cleaning it up. All in all, it was a huge time saver and I'll be using this procedure frequently in the future. Thanks again! 

[tromboniator]

Okay, thank you, I appreciate the information. Always glad to know how my 'children' behave once they leave home!