How to use the Pathfinder panel in Vectornation by Zaweba

Combining shapes by rule rather than by hand is what the Pathfinder panel is for. In Vectornation by Zaweba the panel has all ten operations, plus live compound shapes, and the same operations are also available as live effects. Between those three routes you can choose whether a combination is permanent, editable, or part of an object's appearance.

Operations by rule

The Pathfinder works on a selection of overlapping shapes and applies one operation to all of them at once. The familiar kinds join shapes into a single outline, cut the front shape out of the one behind, keep only the overlap, or remove the overlap and keep the rest, and others split artwork into its separate pieces. Because the panel has the full set of ten, the operation you are used to from other vector programs should be there.

The benefit over a drag tool such as the Shape builder is precision and repeatability. If you select fifty shapes and apply one operation, all fifty are treated the same way, with no chance of a drag clipping the wrong region. It is the tool for jobs like knocking a logo out of a badge, cutting a set of holes through a panel or merging a whole row of letters into one outline for a cutter.

Live compound shapes

A plain Pathfinder operation changes the paths for good. A live compound shape keeps the original shapes inside and shows the combined result, so you can still adjust the parts and the combined outline follows. That is far kinder when a design is still being worked on, because you are never stuck with a cut you made too early.

A good rule is to use live compound shapes while a design is in progress and only flatten them when the artwork is final, or when another program or a cutter needs simple paths. Keep the live version on a hidden layer or in an earlier save if you think you may come back to it. Version history, under File, keeps earlier saves of a drawing on your PC, which is a useful safety net here.

As live effects

The same operations are also available as live effects. That route is useful when you want the combination to belong to an object's appearance rather than to its structure. Applied as an effect, the operation sits in the Appearance panel alongside fills, strokes and other effects, and you can remove it later without touching the paths at all. Because graphic styles save appearances, a look that includes a Pathfinder effect can be saved and applied to other artwork too.

Choosing between the routes

If you want a clean, finished outline now, use a plain operation from the panel. If you want the combination to stay adjustable while you design, use a live compound shape. If you want the operation to be part of a look you can switch on and off or share as a style, use the effect. And if you'd rather choose regions by eye, reach for the Shape builder or the Shape merger instead, or live paint when the job is really about colouring areas between lines.

Getting the result you expect

Order matters for operations that cut with the front shape, so check the stacking order before you apply one. The Layers panel shows objects in order and lets you rearrange them. Groups in the selection can also change how an operation behaves, so if a result looks odd, try opening the group in isolation and applying it again.

Strokes are another source of surprises. The operations work on the shapes' paths, so a thick stroke that makes two shapes look as if they overlap won't count if the paths themselves don't. If you need the stroke to take part, turn it into a filled outline first.

Check the colour of the result, too. The combined shape has to take its fill from somewhere, and that is usually one of the source shapes. If you are cutting a logo out of a coloured badge, set the colours you want after the operation rather than before.

In a typical piece of work the Pathfinder sits between drawing and finishing. You draw rough shapes, combine them by rule, then add strokes, gradients and effects. For print and cutting it is often the last step before export, because a plotter or a printer's preflight is happiest with single, closed outlines. Ten operations is a small set, but with live compound shapes and effects alongside them they cover nearly every way of combining shapes you will need in Vectornation.