Repeater : what do I do wrong ?

[Pat]

I'm testing the repeater feature but I don't get it. I've read some forum topics and the doc but the issue I encounter are not there.
First, I define an object as symbol, easy:

Then, I pick this symbol from the repaeter panel, easy:

Then, I select the object used for repeating and I press the 'plus' sign, easy:

and I get this:

it's not what I want, so I change the gormetry, fine:

but I want smaller objects at the periphery, therefore I do change the style & I get... black dots:

Ok, I press on "edit" & don't see my symbol. :

I add my symbol & delete the black one (many steps already) Ok but not yet what I want.

every time I change the style, I get black dots and I have again to repeat all the steps but I never succeed to get what I want.

Thanks for any tips

[Subpath]

@Pat

pat

It is difficult for me to know what result you are aiming for.
i guess a video with your steps would be maybe a little more helpful
( or a sketch of the end result )

My guess is that you want to have smaller objects
on the outer edge of the circle

Here is a video the way I did it with a simple
object in the repeater.

In case you may not know here a nice Screen recording Tool (Win)
ScreenToGif (free, very cool Tool)
i often record my gif´s with it and rerecording
it then with Recordit. ( i guess you know recordit )

[Pat]

@Subpath ok thanks a lot

It will help me but I still wonder why when we change the style in the 'Repeater' panel the symbol used is not the one we defined at the beginning as a symbol? It remains non intuitive for me...

I won't have much time to test VS for the next few weeks. I'll use it again when I can design layouts like a desktop publishing software can do.

Patrick

Edit: no, I don't know Recordit. We have all the tools internally at work to share files and videos. For work, I use Camtasia but it's a bit heavy to use for this. Thanks again for your feedback

[Subpath]

@Pat said in Repeater : what do I do wrong ?:

Edit: no, I don't know Recordit. We have all the tools internally at work to share files and videos. For work, I use Camtasia but it's a bit heavy to use for this. Thanks again for your feedback

I know Camtasia for Screen recording and video editing.

ScreenToGif (free, Win) also has some video editing tools
it always impresses me, because it is such a small program
and offers many tools.

Recordit, (free, Mac and Win) is a simple screen recording tool.
The best part is that it uploads the Gif video to the Recordit Cloud.
You can then post the link to the video here on the forum.
With the free version it is possible to record 5 minute long gifs.

[VectorStyler]

@Pat I think one of the issues here is that there is no scaling intensity set.

In the attached example, a repeater is created from a smaller object filling a larger one.

• this can be simply done by selecting both the smaller and the larger objects and creating the repeater from the panel.

The smaller objects fills the larger (and it is clipped). The larger object has a circular gradient (see it in the Appearance panel), that can also be edited with the interactive gradient tool.

Now the trick is: in the Repeater panel, in the "Scaling" field the "Object Content" mode is selected. This means that the repeated object is scaled according to the intensities in the object content (that is the gradient in this example).

Obviously, this extends to other objects (or groups), including images, where the image content can be used to scale the repeated object.

Recording: https://recordit.co/1C1RFNyn86

Example: 0_1676295592293_expample1.vstyler

[Pat]

@VectorStyler said in Repeater : what do I do wrong ?:

@Pat I think one of the issues here is that there is no scaling intensity set.

In the attached example, a repeater is created from a smaller object filling a larger one.

• this can be simply done by selecting both the smaller and the larger objects and creating the repeater from the panel. The smaller objects fills the larger (and it is clipped).

Thanks Yes, I get this but I thought it was better to make it a symbol... & I would prefer that the small object is not clipped to be able to modify it. Is this possible?

The larger object has a circular gradient (see it in the Appearance panel), that can also be edited with the interactive gradient tool.

Ok, I didn't think about the appearance panel. I will.

Now the trick is: in the Repeater panel, in the "Scaling" field the "Object Content" mode is selected. This means that the repeated object is scaled according to the intensities in the object content (that is the gradient in this example).

Ok, I get this too. But why can't I change the style without loosing my small object & getting just simple black dots.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler ... and when I select both object and create a repeater through the panel hamburger (top right), I get this:

[Pat]

@VectorStyler ... and the 'preview' option in the intensity window (Scaling --> Gradient) doesn't preview.

[VectorStyler]

@Pat said in Repeater : what do I do wrong ?:

Yes, I get this but I thought it was better to make it a symbol

Symbol will also work for this.

I would prefer that the small object is not clipped to be able to modify it. Is this possible?

Yes, in the Repeater panel menu uncheck "Clipped Content"

But why can't I change the style without loosing my small object & getting just simple black dots

This does not happen if the symbol is used. In the example I did not use a symbol, but with symbol it will work the same.

and the 'preview' option in the intensity window (Scaling --> Gradient) doesn't preview

I added this to the backlog.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler

But why can't I change the style without loosing my small object & getting just simple black dots

This does not happen if the symbol is used. In the example I did not use a symbol, but with symbol it will work the same.

When the style is changed, the symbol is changed (black dots) even if my object has been defined first as a symbol. I simply don't get it. The object we defined ourselves as a symbol should remain in the design whether or not the style is changed IMHO... but fine, I'll get used to this.

[VectorStyler]

@Pat Send me the example, I will try to figure out what is going on.

BTW: if the repeater uses a colorizer, then the color in the symbols is also changed.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler I have just sent you the file including various VS tests and of course this one Thanks.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler I've defined the object as a symbol but changing its colour, adding a stroke are not repeated on the large object.

[VectorStyler]

@Pat Sorry for the late reply
Got the email with the example. One thing I noticed is that there are two repeaters added to the larger object (see in Appearance panel). This will be supported better in the future. For now, only one of these repeaters is shown.

As for the symbol case: not sure how the above example was created, but I attached an example with a symbol where changing the symbol style updates the style in the repeater also (of course, no colorizer is used here).

Not sure if this was documented well, but if we want to use a symbol in a repeater, then that symbol must be drag&droped onto the Repeater panel from the Symbols panel (and most not be selected on the canvas).

If there is a specific thing you would like to achieve with the repeater, maybe I can explain better how.

0_1676451052712_repeater2.vstyler

[Pat]

@VectorStyler said in Repeater : what do I do wrong ?:

@Pat Sorry for the late reply
Got the email with the example. One thing I noticed is that there are two repeaters added to the larger object (see in Appearance panel). This will be supported better in the future. For now, only one of these repeaters is shown.

Yes, I did a second repeater on the same object because the first one did not work.
Thanks.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler I've expended the repeater and got this:

[VectorStyler]

@Pat Yes, this is because it has a fill (that was hidden).

I will try to find a way to deal with these.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler when I go back in the history, I don't come back to the inital state at the repeater object

[VectorStyler]

@Pat said in Repeater : what do I do wrong ?:

@VectorStyler when I go back in the history, I don't come back to the inital state at the repeater object

This could be a bug, added it to the backlog.

[Pat]

@VectorStyler To define an object as symbol, I did through the Symbol panel menu (Create Symbol) but when I go to the menu (Object-> Object role), it is not marked as symbol.