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Illustrator multi-node bug
November 16, 2007
I use Adobe Illustrator a lot, and use some of its many features constantly. One of my favorites is the ability to draw a path, and hen convert the path to an outlined shape. I do this when preparing artwork for printing and the parts need to be trapped manually (or with Illustrator’s trapping tools which don’t work on strokes alone).
Illustrator does a nice job of expanding a line into a shape, and renders the lines with tremendous precision. It’s especially useful when drawing letters, mapping, and special effects on lettering.
In this example I have converted a single-line path into an outlined object using Illustrator's Outline Stroke command.
This has worked fine in previous versions of Illustrator, but in CS3 it creates duplicate anchor points in coincident locations. This breaks the curve paths, and makes the outline less effective.
In Illustrator CS3, the outline stroke tool (
Object>Path>Outline Stroke) is creating trouble because it erroneously creates duplicate anchor points for every point it makes in the path. This is a minor catastrophe as it is not creating smooth curves, but instead is creating curve segments connected by straight line segments. It is also making hundreds of unnecessary Bézier points in illustrations, each of which has the potential of being altered, misplaced, modified.
If you select and move any anchor point slightly, you will discover another anchor point immediately underneath. This has the potential of making a curve into a zig-zag line.
But – there is a solution to the problem, and it’s simple. After making a stroked shape from a path, select the whole object (
option-click on the shape) and then use the Pathfinder tool (
Shape modes, Add to Shape) by option-clicking on the upper-left tool in that menu. After this action, the shape is repaired, each pair of coincident points converted to a single curve anchor (as appropriate).
The Add to Shape tool, when applied to these paths, solves the problem. It smooths the resulting lines, and removes all duplicate coincident anchor points.
I have no idea how such a big bug...
a) happened to a tool that didn’t need repair in CS2, and
b) got past the many Illustrator beta-testers, and
c) hasn’t been fixed by now. Illustrator CS3 has been on the market since spring, and it seems to me that Illustrator’s software engineers could take the time to fix this. It’s a big one, guys!
Most Illustrator users don’t use the Pathfinder very much (which probably explains how it got past the beta-testers), but I have it on my screen all the time, and I use it often while making illustrations and drawing letters. It’s a lifesaver when drawing complex shapes, or when combining pieces into a whole. Pathfinder is an extraordinarily powerful set of drawing tools (once you understand its quirky functionality), and it can help even the average illustrator immensely.
Earth-to-Adobe: Fix this bug! Quickly!
Posted by Brian Lawler on November 16, 2007 | Comments (3)
