Knowing the best ways to break things apart
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This is where I am currently struggling in VS - I'm sure it's just me, but I need to be able to find ways to quickly break apart joined items - whether they are a grouped set of objects after a boolean operation, or after expanding a stroke. I would think that "ungrouping" would work, or sometimes "break apart" but there are often times I can't seem to figure out what works and I just start guessing and hoping I figure it out. I don't want to have to guess and try four methods to find a way - I'd like to be able to just do it and know what purpose is for what goal.
I really like the "break apart" tool - but in times like this example, it does not seem the best answer. All I want to do in this situation is remove the inner white stroke turned fill. I had a stroke that was red that I expanded and then added a white stroke set to the outside. My intention was to keep the exterior white stroke and remove the interior. Ideally in my mind, I could grab the white former stroke (now a fill), ungroup it, and then click on the interior piece and delete it without it being connected in any form or way to the outer one.
I'm sure there's an easy understanding that I'm missing, but right now this leaves me a little frustrated trying to guess each time wondering if it will work. The working file is attached.
Thanks in advance!
UPDATE: I was able to do it with the break apart (ignore my first merge attempt) but that was a lot of steps to get what could be accomplished with a simple option to release compound shapes.
0_1636674502235_shield test.vstyler -
@Boldline Yes, in this case having a single composite shape Ungroup will be inactive. And break apart does too much, by breaking it into the 4 constituent shapes.
Maybe a *smarter" break apart is needed here that separates into the filled areas? -
@vectoradmin I'm not sure what to ask for because I'm not developer-savvy. It sounds like you understand the dilemma a situation like I highlighted presents, so I leave that solution in your capable hands! A smart break option would be really helpful to cover these unique situations . In relating it to what I know in Illustrator, when I run into these situations, i usually can hit ungroup, or it's a clipping mask or a composite shape and there's the option to release it.
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@Boldline Works as a walkaround https://recordit.co/F8h2EBO2BO.
I support that there should be an option to separate individual filled areas.
I tried to do it with Shape Builder but it was making a total mess -
@vectoradmin Isn't the resulting shape (the two white "frames") a composite shape? Or at least it looks like one.
I would make 'Separate Paths' also work for such composite shapes and leave 'Break Apart' unchanged.
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@b77 Yes, I think the solution is to make Separate Path smarter.
