A puzzle

steggy

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Jul 9, 2008, 3:30:43 PM7/9/08

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From another group.

!. If I make two squares and use the scissors to split the right side of
the left square and the left side of the right square I can use the
pentool to connect the two anchor points I created. No problem. I have
one path of two squares connected with a line.

2. Doing the same with a font, for instance two outlines "T"'s, it does
not happen....

I tried everything, expanding, did things I did not believe in, but it
just will not happen.

Anyone?

Dave

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Jul 9, 2008, 4:34:58 PM7/9/08

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Reply from a lurker...

I created a "T" then converted it to outlines, copied it and followed
your directions with the scissors and pen tools with similar results
as you described. However, the error message I received when
attempting to join the two shapes started me thinking...

So then I created a "T", converted it to outlines, selected it and
chose "merge" from the pathfinder pallette. Now, I can copy it, split
both shapes, and join them with no problem. Why does it work? I'll
leave that to the experts...I'm just a hack you know...

Dave

Message has been deleted

steggy

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Jul 9, 2008, 5:49:44 PM7/9/08

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Dave schreef:

Dave..........a miracle;))
But if you do not know either why this is, what made you try it???

steggy

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Jul 9, 2008, 5:50:23 PM7/9/08

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Harry Palms schreef:

> convert the text to outlines.
>
>

Thats why it says: "outlined "T"'s"

steggy

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Jul 9, 2008, 6:06:49 PM7/9/08

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Dave schreef:

Thanks again Dave.

With scissors that works. But two more:

1. The guy who asked me this originally wanted to do it by adding anchor
points on the outlined letters. I adviced the scissors. Why doesn't the
achorpoint-method work I wonder.

2. If we do it by scissors and we give the created line a stroke, the
letters get a stroke also. That I think can be resolved, but at this
time (midnight over here) I have no clue;)

Dave

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Jul 9, 2008, 7:15:09 PM7/9/08

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On Jul 9, 4:49 pm, steggy <ste...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Dave..........a miracle;))
> But if you do not know either why this is, what made you try it???

Well, the error message Illustrator gave initially was:

"Paths joined by the drawing tools must either be in the same group,
or one of them must not be inside any group. The new path has not been
joined with the existing path."

This made me think that when Illustrator outlines a font, it sees it
as more than just a simple shape...then to prove it to myself, I
decided to make my own "T" with simple rectangles...so, I created a
vertically oriented rectangle, then a horizontally oriented rectangle
to make the cross, and I was about to merge them to make the "T" when
I had the idea...go figure, it was a lark...

Dave

steggy

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Jul 9, 2008, 7:18:21 PM7/9/08

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Dave schreef:

Hahahaha sharp thinking....but it makes me think. I see the message all
the time when I try to do stuff like this. Never could figure out why it
was. Still do not understand I must say. But a practical solution is there.

Dave

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Jul 9, 2008, 7:32:53 PM7/9/08

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On Jul 9, 5:06 pm, steggy <ste...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks again Dave.
>
> With scissors that works. But two more:
>
> 1. The guy who asked me this originally wanted to do it by adding anchor
> points on the outlined letters. I adviced the scissors. Why doesn't the
> achorpoint-method work I wonder.

Hmmm...don't know...maybe if I understood the objective you are trying
to achieve?

> 2. If we do it by scissors and we give the created line a stroke, the
> letters get a stroke also. That I think can be resolved, but at this
> time (midnight over here) I have no clue;)

Well, I don't think it can be resolved because the two shapes are now
one path.

Good luck,
Dave

steggy

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Jul 10, 2008, 3:00:43 PM7/10/08

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Dave schreef:

> On Jul 9, 5:06 pm, steggy <ste...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Thanks again Dave.
>>
>> With scissors that works. But two more:
>>
>> 1. The guy who asked me this originally wanted to do it by adding anchor
>> points on the outlined letters. I adviced the scissors. Why doesn't the
>> achorpoint-method work I wonder.
>
> Hmmm...don't know...maybe if I understood the objective you are trying
> to achieve?

Not me but the person (as far as I understand) wants to connect the
characters in a word (no clue what word) with a line, vertically half
way the characters. I assume he is creating a logo. But whatever, the
scissor works just as good I'd say.

>
>> 2. If we do it by scissors and we give the created line a stroke, the
>> letters get a stroke also. That I think can be resolved, but at this
>> time (midnight over here) I have no clue;)
>
> Well, I don't think it can be resolved because the two shapes are now
> one path.
>
> Good luck,
> Dave

Might work if you can live with a stroke around the characters. If it is
a 1 point stroke that might not be a problem. In that way the line will
be 1 point.

I would not be able to live with that. There must be another way, and
sometimes I do not see the reason to have one path.

tphinsf

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Jul 12, 2008, 11:39:26 AM7/12/08

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If it's a matter of simply connecting two outlined "T"s with a line,
and have all one shape, the solution is straghtforward:

Create the layout of the shapes and the line that you would like to
have as a single object. To make this really easy, make sure that the
line extends into the shapes and does not simply touch them. The line
has to have some width and a stroke color.
Select the line, and from the main menu, select Object>Path>Outline
Stroke.
Now select all the objects, and from the Pathfinder panel, select
Merge, then click the Expand button on the panel.
You should now have a single shape, say, two cap T's connected with a
line.

--th

steggy

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Jul 12, 2008, 11:51:06 AM7/12/08

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tphinsf schreef:

Darn.....that was my first suggestion and I thought it did not
work...but it sure does