I want to export the whole artboard area from the Asset Export tool

[Benjamin M. Root IV]

I'm building some technical illustrations for import into Powerpoint. These illstrations will be animated in PPT using subsets of the whole illustration. E.G. one part of the illustration appears, and then addtional elements are added in stages. This is a perfect  situation for using the Asset Export tool because I can create a new asset for each animation frame.

The challenge is that I can't seem to get the export files to be the size of the artboard. They are only the size of the elements in the the asset. If the dimensions of each file are different (depending on the elements, rather than the whole artboard) then positioning/alignment in PowerPoint get really tricky. This prevents a seamless transition from one image to the next.

It would be better if each export file were the same size (the size of the artboard), then each file/frame could be scaled and positioned exactly the same in PPT.

I can get the export to include the unused artboard area if I use the File>Export>Export for Screens, but then I cant get the different assets (combinations of elements) necessary for the stages of the animation.

Is there a way to force artboard area to define the size of an export using the Asset Export tool?

[Monika Gause]

Put a small element at the bottom left corner that you can use for alignment?

Maybe outside of the artboard and then in Powerpoint it can be positioned outside the canvas as well?

[Benjamin M. Root IV]

Yea, I thought about making single point at all 4 corners. Without a stroke thickenss, they'd just hide there invisible, but affecting the total image area (I know this because I've had them happen on accident before). The trick is that they'd have to be unlocked (both layer and element) to become part of the assett, so they'd be susseptable to being moved, lost, missed, etc. Seems like a tedious work-around for something that should be an easy feature.

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Or add an invisible no fill/stroke rectangle the size of the artboard and Option Drag it together with the Artwork to the Asset Export panel.

[Benjamin M. Root IV]

Yea, that's probably a better solution than a single point at each corner..