Combining Paths
Use these commands to create new paths or modify existing paths from the interaction between two or more path objects.
Combining Paths
- Click Selection Tool
on the Tool Palette.
- While holding down the <Shift> key, click on each of the path objects you want to combine.
- Select the [Modify > Combine Path] submenu, or click the triangle on the Combine Path button on the Object Toolbar.
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- To combine selected path objects into one, click Union
or select the [Modify > Combine Path > Union] menu command. If all of the original paths overlap at least one other selected path, the bottom-most path will be changed to the union of the original paths. Otherwise, a new Compound Path object will be created with the same stroke and fill as the bottom-most original path.
- To reduce the selected paths to just their intersection (the area where all the paths overlap), click Intersect
or select the [Modify > Combine Path > Intersect] menu command. The bottom-most original path will be changed to the intersection of the original paths. (The command will not work if each of the original paths does not overlap every other.)
- To create a compound path combining the non-overlapping parts of the selected paths with the parts where an odd number of selected paths overlap, click Exclude
or select the [Modify > Combine Path > Exclude] menu command. A new Compound Path object will be created with the same stroke and fill as the bottom-most original path.
- To reduce the selected paths to just the non-overlapped part of the bottom-most path, click Subtract
or select the [Modify > Combine Path > Subtract] menu command. The bottom-most original path will be reduced to its formerly non-overlapped part, and the other paths will be removed.
- To combine selected path objects into one, click Union
Examples of combining paths
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Union |
Intersect |
Exclude |
Subtract |
