Compound paths

A compound path is a path that is made up of two or more sub-paths. Each sub-path has its own starting and ending nodes. For example, to draw a bagel or donut shape (technically called a torus), you could draw two circles (one inside the other) and then combine them into a compound path. If you fill the resulting shape, the area between the circles will be opaque and the area in the middle will be transparent.

Compound paths often result from using path operations such as Front Minus Back or Divide. Similarly, when you convert text to outlines, you get compound paths in characters that have holes in them (like the hole inside the letter "e"). The sub-paths in a compound path don't have to overlap. For instance, you could make a compound path of four non-overlapping squares.

To make a compound path, select two or more paths or shapes and click Compound Object on the Object menu, and then click Make. To convert a compound path back to its original paths, click Compound Object on the Object menu, and then click Release.

In this illustration, three objects — two rectangles and a star — have been selected (1) and then combined into a single compound path (2). A compound path always takes on the attributes of the backmost object (in this case the blue rectangle).

Below, another example of creating a compound path.