Sometimes cannot remove stroke from a shape

Ric44 · Post by **Ric44** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:11 pm

Hi. I started using ASP7 a few weeks ago and am very impressed. However, when playing around I seem to have somehow created a shape that I cannot remove the stroke from. Strange thing is if I create another shape on the same layer I can add and remove the stroke without any problem.

In more detail : I have two shapes on a layer (A and B).

1. I select the select shape tool.
2. I click on shape A. It goes checkboardy.
3. I turn on the checkbox to the left of "Stroke" in the style palette.
4. A stroke appears around shape A.

then :

1. I select the select shape tool.
2. I click on shape B. It goes checkboardy.
3. I turn off the checkbox to the left of "Stroke" in the style palette.
4. Nothing happens.
5. I turn on the checkbox to the left of "Stroke" in the style palette.
6. Nothing happens.

Any thoughts?

It could be something to do with the fact that I gave shape B a name at some point, or it may be I played around with the line width tool on shape B.

Actually, now I say it, I realise that if I use the line width tool with all of shape B selected all the line segments but two change width. Also, the stroke exposure tool does not effect these two same segments. There is something odd about shape B. In any case, I still cannot remove the stroke.

Am I confusing different kinds of line widths?

PARKER · Post by **PARKER** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:53 pm

Thats weird, it doesnt happen to me but one weird thing that does happen is that when you have a vector layer selected and this one is inside a group layer, try to take away the visibility of it by making click on the eyes icon and you will see that nothing happen, at least this happens on my computer.

Ric44 · Post by **Ric44** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:10 pm

Parker - I think this confused me for a bit. The currently selected layer is ALWAYS visible, even if the eyes are turned off. Try turning off the eyes for the vector layer and then selecting a different layer. You should find that as soon as a different layer is selected the one without the eyes vanishes.
Or did I miss the point?

PARKER · Post by **PARKER** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:27 pm

Ric44 wrote:Parker - I think this confused me for a bit. The currently selected layer is ALWAYS visible, even if the eyes are turned off. Try turning off the eyes for the vector layer and then selecting a different layer. You should find that as soon as a different layer is selected the one without the eyes vanishes.
Or did I miss the point?

In v6 things wasnt like that, may be this is the new and "improved" way v7 works.

Post by **Víctor Paredes** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:56 pm

Probably the shape were painted twice. Try totally erasing the shape (using delete shape tool) and paint it again.

Ric44 · Post by **Ric44** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:21 pm

Thanks Selgin. That works. I must say I thought it would, I just don't know how I got into that state. It wasn't painted twice though - before deleting it I pushed it to one side and there was nothing underneath.

gravly · Post by **gravly** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:56 am

There is no way to 'push the shape aside' to see if there is another one underneath. Anime Studio is a different way of working and realising this is one of the first breakthroughs.

The same points can be used as elements within an arbitary number of shapes. In your case a set of points is used twice to create an identical shape. When you push away the top shape you are also pushing away the one underneath.

So I guess the correct method is: delete the shape. If another one does not appear then undo.

Ric44 · Post by **Ric44** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:14 pm

Gravly : Maybe I'm missing something, or possibly Anime Studio Pro 7 works differently from earlier versions. I can do the following :

1. start a new project
2. draw a rectangle (it is selected after drawing it)
3. copy it (press ctrl-C)
4. paste it (press ctrl-V) - pasted rectangle on top of original
5. at this point it seems only the top rectangle is selected
6. I can then move the top rectangle using the translate points tool
7. the original rectangle stays put

That's all I meant by pushing the shape aside. In the end I deleted the shape and re-drew it and the new one didn't have any problems. Just odd that the shape seemed to have two line segments in it that behaved incorrectly. As far as I could tell it was a simple continuous enclosed shape with no "branches" welded on (if you see what I mean).

I realise it is possible to weld two shapes together (there's an example in the official guide that demonstrates connecting two eye shapes togther with a hidden line) but I'm pretty sure I hadn't done that. If I had done something similar then moving one eye would also move the other. But then surely these are treated as a single shape so all the tools should modify all the line segments.

gravly · Post by **gravly** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:09 am

I think you can duplicate points and shapes that way in all Anime Studio versions (and most other programs) with copy and paste operations (I use both 6.2 and 7.1). However you can also define a shape twice across the same points (by accident or purpose). You can't copy and paste just the shapes themselves - only point sets with shapes which is what you just described. Shapes and points do not have a one to one relationship. A single point might belong to two or more different shapes.

The square/circle shape creating tool you mentioned (step 2 in your last post) actually creates the points, and then defines a shape over those points in a single operation. But it is two separate operations for the logic of the program.

So both the behaviour you mentioned is possible as well as the one I described. I think for new users the behaviour I described is the one that causes the most confusion since it is unlike any other program I've seen to be able to reuse the same points to create more than one shape.

Ric44 · Post by **Ric44** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:53 am

Oh I see (I think). So if you select a set of points and then use create shape twice you really do end up with two shapes that just happen to use the same set of points? This could be what happened.

Dana · Post by **Dana** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:47 am

That happened to me. I was trying different colors and outlines on a shape, and every time I tried a new color combination, I used the Create Shape tool on the same points. I ended up with a stack of six or seven shapes! It took me quite awhile to figure out what had happened and then unscramble it. I finally selected the entire mess, deleted it, and started over by creating a new shape!