Why does creating a compound path change how my design looks?

Question

Hi Everyone, I am a newbi AI user and I am struggling to figure this out. Any help would be much appreciated. I am trying to draw a simple happy face in AI and make it a single layer so I can export it as an SVG for my wife's Cricut. I've done this a few times with success; however, this happy face will be the end of me lol. Here is the issue:

1. I make a happy face and it looks fine.

2. Now I select everything and press Control + 8 (Object > Compound Path > Make) and this is what happens (see below). The eyes lose their fill and I can figure out how to fix this and keep it all together.

Please let me know why this is happening if you know. I've literally tried everything I can think of.

Thanks for the help in advance! Alex

thejanebradbury · Accepted Answer

Hello Alex! Are the circle and mouth strokes, while the eyes are filled circle shapes? If the answer is yes that is your answer. You cannot mix shapes that have a stroke but not fill with filled shapes with no strokes in a compound path.

Try this:

Duplicate your face - it's always worth working on a copy and keeping the original.
On your circle and mouth if they are strokes go to Object>Path>Outline Stroke. Now the lines will be shapes.
Now try making your compound path.

Hope that helps!

Bobby Henderson · Answer

Generally speaking, any vector art that is intended to be sent to a cutting tool, be it a vinyl cutter/plotter or a routing table should be expanded into editable shapes. For instance, a line stroke that is rendered as a mere 2 anchor point line path should be expanded into a long filled rectangle shape with 4 anchor points. Cutting tools like vinyl cutters and routers do not "see" live line strokes. They only detect absolute real vector shapes. I'm not familiar with Cricut devices. Its software may have some tricks it performs to deal with live line strokes. Most vinyl cutters and routing tables will only cut along actual paths, regardless of any live stroke applied to them. Or they might cut the original centerline path and cut the line stroke around the source path. That can create a real mess.

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