Help with vector texture and the pathfinder tool...

iyiyi · 02-05-2013, 05:15 AM

Hey guys.
Just getting in vector textures. I really like them.
However, they look great just applied over a shape...but when I make a compound path out of the all the little texture pieces and subtract it from a shape with the pathfinder tool...part of it goes away

(see pic number one. Regular texture is on the left and the right is what it looks like after I subtract it from the shape)

After subtraction all of the shapes/paths are there if click but a lot of them have not actually been subtracted (you can see in the second picture all the highlighted paths, but only about 50-60% of them are showing)

I'm so confused here. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

PrintDriver · 02-05-2013, 11:25 AM

A lot of 'grundge' textures are made sloppy. They are made with many open-ended shapes. If the tiny little shape isn't 'closed' it won't knock out of the background. It's just a line segment that the fill is closing without the shape really being closed. Like drawing a two sided triangle and filling it.

I will warn you that a vector drawing containing hundreds of thousands of points is a Rip Killer. Even if you have the patience to wait for the redraws, there comes a point where the printer will charge you extra system time if there is a lag in the rip. There is actually a point where Illustrator will truncate your design. I don't know what the point limit is now in Illustrator, but there is one. It used to be in the 150,000 point area.

**Typically** · 02-05-2013, 01:21 PM

i would use divide in the pathfinder rather than subtract.

PrintDriver · 02-05-2013, 01:50 PM

Wow, learn something new every day.
Thanks Typ.

But if some of those itty bits are just stroked line segments, they will vanish.
You can try selecting all and going to Object>Path>outline stroke and see what happens.

**Typically** · 02-05-2013, 01:52 PM

glad to help! love those pathfinder tools

iyiyi · 02-05-2013, 02:49 PM

Thanks for the input guys!

Once the shapes are subtracted or divided though, the files size/etc is brought down again right? Or no...
I haven't had any problems yet.

I have to use vector texture for what I'm doing really...so I need to find a way.

The thing that I don't get is that the little shapes don't disappear once I subtract (as you can see in the last picture) they are still there...just not cut out of the shape

thanks again!

iyiyi · 02-05-2013, 03:13 PM

PS..when I use "divide" all of the little pieces stay...once again, some get subtracted, but then I have all of the pieces that overlapped over the shape there....

Just seems like there would have to be a way to do this even if some of the little shapes aren't closed...

Microswede · 02-05-2013, 04:35 PM

Try selecting all of the individual objects - the grundge shapes - then just click the knife tool and use it to draw a circle around the shapes. It will automatically close all open paths. There are scripts out there as well, but this generally works best for me. Here's a link to a tutorial: http://one-stop-creative-cafe.blogsp...simple-to.html

iyiyi · 02-05-2013, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Microswede

Try selecting all of the individual objects - the grundge shapes - then just click the knife tool and use it to draw a circle around the shapes. It will automatically close all open paths. There are scripts out there as well, but this generally works best for me. Here's a link to a tutorial: http://one-stop-creative-cafe.blogsp...simple-to.html

Same result :/

I'll keep playing around...

PrintDriver · 02-05-2013, 04:55 PM

Did you try outlining strokes?