Inkscape or Illustrator: Combining Cut Lines?

[Dcarr]

I’m having some trouble figuring out the search term for this so forgive me if it’s common knowledge. Let’s say I wanted to cut out a sheet of squares. Instead of dropping in a bunch of squares and wasting material between them I’d like to be edge to edge. However if I create the file and line up a sheet of squares the software will go over each edge twice for the two touching squares.

What is the term I’m looking for to combine the square edges into one cut line but for two pieces?

Thanks.

Edit: What I’m trying to do is make 1" x 2.8" rectangles with .25" rounded corners with shared cut lines on the sides and top.

I thought describing it as basic squares would be easiest.

[eflyguy]

No way I know of in Inkscape, I’d be curious to know if I’ve been missing it.

In this situation, I’ve just used the align and distribute functions to evenly space individual lines, then combine. If I want a 10x10 array, I’ll create 11 copies of a line, put 1 of them 10x the spacing away, then distribute evenly. Repeat for other axis.

It’s how I’ve created rulers/scales also.

[evansd2]

Take a look at inkscape extensions->render->grids->cartesian.

Trivial to make a grid in one go.

[Dcarr]

Thanks for that. That’s pretty straightforward.

What I’m trying to do is make 1" x 2.8" rectangles with .25" rounded corners with shared cut lines on the sides and top.

I thought describing it as basic squares would be easiest.

Any ideas?

[ovm.steve]

@Dcarr

1" x 2.8" rectangles with .25" rounded corners with shared cut lines on the sides and top.

I’m not familiar with Inkscape or Illustrator, but in CorelDRAW, you would create a single square (with the rounded corners), then copy and paste a new one. Place them next to one another and align to top or bottom. Then select both and choose the weld function. I’m sure there is a similar function in each of those programs. Continue this until you have the number of squares you want in a line. Now copy and paste the entire first line of squares and move them below the first, align them, select both and weld. Repeat the steps until you have the size of grid desired.

[eflyguy]

Create one, and duplicate. Lay them out, then use the node edit features to “delete segment between selected nodes”.

Edit a couple, then copy/paste.

[eflyguy]

@ovm.steve

weld function

That’s cool. There appears to be no equivalent function in Inkscape that automatically removes overlapping path segments. The resulting combined objects/paths would have duplicate paths where they overlap, even though there appears to be only one on-screen.

[ovm.steve]

I use it to weld text together.

[ekla]

There’s no function to magically do this in Illustrator. The nature of lines is that they’re continuous strings of anchor points and you can’t have say an Y or X shape of more than 2 segments attached to single anchor point.

To get what you want its’s a straightforward manual thing that doesn’t take long if you’re comfortable working directly with anchor points.

Either:

• arrange your rounded rectangles and then use the white arrow direct selection tool to select and delete the overlapping segments (use the cleanup tool to eliminate stray orphan anchors after)

Or

• make the appropriately needed segments only and duplicate them to get the qty finished rectangles you need.

Here’s an example https://www.dropbox.com/s/1kno7lxy11dooxj/paracordCinch%20mod.pdf?dl=0

[rbtdanforth]

As you lay the squares out, rounded corners and all, make sure they are paths and not objects with the lines overlapping you can go into node mode and grab a line and pull it out leaving the other behind. That curved line can be clicked on and use the Remove line between node

[evansd2]

@Dcarr

1" x 2.8" rectangles with .25" rounded corners with shared cut lines on the sides and top.

Here’s how I’d do it, two ways.

First: the corners, .25 radius or diameter? I am going to assume radius.

Method #1: The quick and dirty.

Make a grid, modify the x and y divisions to be the right size. I went for a 5x2 grid.

Now make a circle.

Convert it to a path.

Break that path apart. (select nodes, button upper left)

Now you have 4 separate arcs.

Rotate or rearrange them thusly and then (optional) rejoin the nodes. (I use rotate because control-[ / control-] is embedded in my brain for 90 degree rotation, but snapping them to each other is just about as easy)

Change snapping to snap centers, end nodes and intersections. make clones or copies and snap them into place. (you can speed this up using align tools)

Note the color coding, black goes first then blue. I’d probably adjust the colors so the little corner cutouts happen first. A nice red should do the trick. (operations are in order of color hex code, lowest to highest. Search the forum for “custom palettes” for more information)

Method #2: the maybe as quick and more elegant solution:

Make a rounded rectangle and convert it to a path.

Manipulate the path using the delete segment between two nodes feature that @rbtdanforth mentioned. You want to excise two edges like so:

Now copy/clone (clones are the best, get familiar with them, it’ll pay you back) and snap them together.

Copy and paste that row and snap it to your first row. Now all you need to do is the opposite of removing segments, joining selected end nodes with a line segment.

And you’re off. The biggest distinction between these two is probably cleanup. Method #1 will make a lot more fiddly little cutout bits. Method #2 is a bit cleaner and will leave 0.25x as many tiny bits (ok slightly less than 0.25x, but you get the gist).

[Dcarr]

Wow way above and beyond what I was expecting, thank you so much. I’ll give this a shot this afternoon.

[bwente]

You can do it in Adobe Illustrator. An oldie, but an invaluable tip!

Removing duplicate paths in Illustrator

I’ve been reading many posts on here and other forums about removing duplicate strokes in illustrator, so that paths are not cut twice. I decided to do a little rooting around in Illustrator to find out how to do this - as I wondered myself. Turns out it is quite easy, so I made a mini tutorial. I hope it’s useful. [image]

[ptodd]

How nice of you to take the time to work through this. Well done!!!

[cynd11]

So that’s what you use the outline tool for. Awesome!

[eflyguy]

So this was bothering me and I’ve been hunting, I found this!

Inkscape: deleting duplicate paths?

This is something that’s been bothering me too, and I’m sufficiently motivated to fix it. I’ll use this as a test case and see how well I can do with it.

Install the removeredundant extension and it works! Only on earlier versions (I have 0.92.2), it errors out on 1.0…

Draw a box, round corners, make and align copies, select all, convert to path, then Extensions/Modify Path/Remove redundant edges.

(I moved them apart to show the result.)

I’m going to try and contact the author to see if they have updated for Inkscape 1.0.

[bwente]

It is pretty quick to do it in illustrator too.

[evansd2]

@eflyguy

removeredundant extension

Nice find.

I’ll be interested to see if they have or will update it.

[eflyguy]

Got a response:

I’m told that all Inkscape extensions will require an update to work
with 1.0.

Unfortunately, I haven’t really had a chance to touch the extension in
a while. Anyone who wants to take it over is welcome to do so, and
I’m happy to provide any help that I can, but that’s probably not very
much.

Best of luck.

The script doesn’t seem all that complicated, I wonder what “update” is needed to get it working in 1.0…

Edit: like I need another rabbit hole…

[jaltschuld]

Can also accomplish this using the Live Paint tools. I’ve had really good experience with how Live Paint stuff comes into the GFUI.