Use shape editor to allow individual edit to shape while grouped?



  • One of the things I love about both Affinity and VS, if I click on an object that is sitting on top of another, I can drag a selection box around nodes and delete them without affecting the object below.
    one thing I miss from illustrator, is the way the shape editor tool equivalent can move individually an object that is within a group without requiring un-grouping. is there a way to add this in VS in some form? In illustrator, using the equivalent tool to shape editor tool, if I select on the edge, i can edit the individual nodes, if I click somewhere within the shape, it acts like a temporary transform tool



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    @Boldline Yes, this can be done with the 4 tools in the context panel, visible when the pointer tool is active.
    In order of appearance:

    • normal selection mode, selects groups, but can enter into group with double click.
    • direct object selection. this one selects objects inside groups, but groups cannot be selected.
    • composite shape selection. this one is used to select shapes inside composite shapes. Composite shapes are VS specific (different from grouped objects with shape combination).
    • content selection. this one selects imported or linked content inside objects. For example an image inside its frame can be selected and moved, rotated, scaled independently of its frame.


  • Now that I see the options for the transform tool in the context tool bar - I really like the way you have it set up. I was able to switch over and choose a different function. Illustrator's solution is just what's in my trained brain - but I'm going to play around with it more in VS to see if I can be efficient with it.
    I was assuming Illustrator's way is more efficient, but that may not be the case, because I still have to tap a keystroke to switch over to the white arrow tool and tape another keystroke to go back when I'm done and want to use the black arrow again. that's not much different than clicking an option in the context tool bar - though it's always easier to hit a key on the keyboard than to move the cursor over to another tool.



  • @vectoradmin Thanks for explaining that and your patience with me.