How to see edges (blue lines) of all the objects all time in Illustrator while edit a single object?

[defaultqyq7sfqsaigc]

Can I make Illustrator show the blue lines of all objects present in the artboard, at all times?

{Renamed by MOD}

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. I am afraid this is not possible as of now; the blue line only appears when the object is selected. I will forward this feedback to the Product team. I would suggest if you could also post it here (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/). This way, you will keep getting all the updates related to this feature, and other users can also upvote.

Thanks & regards

Anshul Saini 

[Kurt Gold]

Anshul may have understood your request a bit better than me, but frankly speaking I'm not quite sure what you are looking for.

Perhaps you may want to clarify a bit?

[defaultqyq7sfqsaigc]

Sorry, I should have been more specific, not really sure what I was talking about since im relatively new to Illustrator.

I am doing a project which requires me to connect shapes, and I was wondering if there was a way to have the blue selection lines constantly on, so I could allign the shapes. Now I realise I should have just found a way to connect the shapes automatically.

[Anshul_Saini]

Thank you for sharing the details as asked by @Kurt Gold. You should be able to align the shapes without needing the blue lines. Could you please tell us what you are trying to create so we will be able to help you accordingly?

Regards,

Anshul Saini

[defaultqyq7sfqsaigc]

An isometric square grid.

[Jacob Bugge]

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You can create one cube at the desired size/angle, then move copies to build up the whole structure. Smart Guides are your friends, telling when you are within snapping distance. You can look up tools here,

https://helpx.adobe.com/search-results.html?q=&scope=%5B%22helpx%22%5D&subscope=%5B%5D&limit=10&star...

Working with a basic cube consisting of simple paths, you can:

1) Create the first outer hexagon shape with the Polygon Tool and give it both a stroke and a fill, then rotate it by 30 degrees so you have one point upwards;

2) With the Line Segment Tool ClickDrag from the centre (having center shown) to the three desired corners to form the inner lines with a stroke and no fill, then select everything and hold Ctrl/Cmd and press G to turn the cube into a Group;

3) Copy the value in the W box in the Transform panel, then use the Effect Transform (under Distort & Transform) twice:

3a) Insert the W value for horizontal move and set a suitable number of copies and press Enter (you can Preview);

3b) Insert the W value again and divide by 2 (just add /2 after the value) for the horizontal move, then insert the H value from the Transform panel and multiply by 0.75 (just add *0.75 after the value), and set a suitable number of copies and press Enter (you can Preview); Or you can do it more customized, see below;

4) Rearrange the stacking order (you can use the Layers panel with the Layer expanded) so that certain cubes are hidden under others.

3)  can be done in a customized way depending on the final structure: Switch to the Selection Tool, click an empty spot on the Artboard, then hold Alt/Option and ClickDrag the (new) copy cube by the relevant corner Anchor Point to snap to the desired corner Anchor Point of (one of) the (desired<9 existing cube(s);

You can also fill differently if you wish to have different colours on different faces of the cubes.

You can also change the cube size at any time, and you can rotate the cube set after you have built it completely (otherwise it becomes needlessly complicated to build it).

[Anshul_Saini]

Thank you for sharing that. Suggestions given by @Jacob Bugge & @Mike_Gondek should help you with your workflow. Also, you may check out this youtube tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_UHwqlNQP4) and let us know if this helps you out with your workflow.

If you still need further assistance, feel free to reach out. We'd be happy to help.

Regards,

Anshul Saini

[Mike_Gondek]

Try view outlines mode. You can toogle the mode on or off using Command Y (Mac)  CTRL Y (Win). I a really efficient way to work, and complex drawings refresh quickly.