Drawing double line

[Max Wild]

How can I draw a double line (i.e., =)? I can't find this in the style palette. It seems like something very basic. For instance, I'd like 1pt lines with 1-2pt gap between them. How can I find or create a style for this, or should I be using the offset path function?

[Teri Pettit]

Max,

If it is OK for the gap to be white, it is very easy:

E.g., if the lines are 1 pt and the gap is 2 pts, make a 4 pt stroke. Then do an Add New Stroke in the Appearance palette, make that stroke width 2 pts, and the color white.

If you want the gap between the lines to be transparent, it is a little trickier, but can still be done.

One way is to start as above, but then select your white stroke and make it fully transparent (0% opacity). Not the whole object, just the stroke. Then select the Transparency row for the whole object, and turn on the Knockout Group object. That means that any transparency in the object will knock out other parts of the same object, and only become transparent with respect to things outside the object. (When you turn on "Knockout Group" for a path, it is treated as a group of its fills and strokes.)

If you don't want to introduce transparency into your file (which can trigger flattening), another way to get a double stroke is as you suggest, using the offset path function. (Give the object two 1 pt strokes and inset or outset one or both of them.) But it isn't quite as convenient for editing, since you have to select both of them to change the stroke color or width, which you don't have to do if both edges are coming from the bottom stroke.

[Alexander Kogan.]

Teri,

The trick with the knockout group is fantastic! It saves (in some cases) from pathfinding and such... Thanx for that one!

The last method you mentioned won't work on the open paths, though, cause it will offset the line "bothwards", making it kind of bended rectangle.

[Alexander Kogan.]

Max, you can simply drag the object to the Styles palette and it will stay there (for this document, only).

If you want it to be available through the Libraries menu, read the next Teri's explanation: junefy "How I can save my new brush in a single file in Illutstrator 10?" 9/9/02 6:46pm </cgi-bin/webx?13@@.1de5a664>

[Max Wild]

Thanks for such a detailed answer. Your solutions will definitely work for me. To avoid having to repeat this process every time, can I somehow incorporate this as a style in the palette?

[Joel Stransky]

There is also the meathod of creating one small segment of your outline, draging it into the swatch pallete, chooseing New Art Brush and applying it as a stroke.