Transforming and Distorting Objects > Combining paths |
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Combining paths
You can create new paths by joining or combining paths. Some of these operations produce composite paths, which consist of individual paths joined together that act as one path.
When you combine paths using the Join command, the selected paths are simply joined as a single composite path. When you combine paths using the Union, Divide, Intersect, Punch, Crop, or Transparency commands, the result might be a composite path or a single path depending on the position of the originals and the path operation you use.
You can specify whether path operations other than Join consume the original paths using Preferences. Hold down Shift as you choose a path operation to retain the original paths, without resetting the defaults.
To set retention options for original paths:
1 |
Choose Edit > Preferences. Click Object. |
2 |
Do one of the following: |
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Select Path Operations Consume Original Paths to delete the original paths on applying a path operation. |
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Deselect this option to keep the original paths. |
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