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Shaping involves modifying the areas of two or more vector objects by either combining or removing portions to form new shapes. The three primary shaping operations are Union, Difference, and Intersection.
These commands work on objects selected with the Transform Tool (arrow) or in the Object Inspector.
To learn how to use shaping commands as a mask for splitting objects, please read the Use of the Mask to Split Vector Objects chapter.
The Main Menu > Transform > Shaping commands allow you to modify and combine selected objects using Boolean operations like Union, Intersection, and Difference. They work only with solid objects of Fill, Mesh, Sfumato, and Column type.
Note: These commands do not work with Outlines, Manual Stitches, and Connections.
To use these commands, first select several objects.
Two selected objects: a star and a rectangle. The star has an opening.
The Union command creates a new object (or objects) that contains all the selected objects merged together. Nodes and edge segments inside the filled areas are erased. If the selected objects do not overlap, the result of the union will be copies of the original objects.
Note: This command can be used to create an underlay (fill without cover stitches) beneath the entire design, for example. Select all objects and use the Union command to merge them. Then, open the Parameters window and set the underlay parameters. Uncheck the "Make Cover Stitches" box to eliminate the top stitches and leave only the underlay.
Union of two objects.
The Intersection command creates a new object (or several objects) that represents the intersection of the selected objects. If the selected objects do not overlap, this function will not produce any new object (as no intersection exists).
Intersection of two objects.
The Difference command subtracts the selected objects from the object that is first among the selected objects in the Object Inspector. It is necessary to arrange the order of the respective objects in the Object Inspector list before using this function to ensure the proper order of operations. The newly created object (or objects) will contain only those areas of the first object that are not covered by the subsequent objects.
Difference of two objects.