A function to connect lines (paths) that endpoints are near each other?

[michael_affeld@adobeforums.com]

I am pretty sure I read this in the manual somewhere, but is there a function to connect lines (paths) that endpoints are near each other? I have imported some .dwg files, the work looks like it is all "connected" however when I select it to fill, only one line is selected. It would be easier for me to recreate the object rather than selecting each path and conecting them, again is there a function to conect all of the endpoints if they are right next to each other, so that I can fill it with a color?
thanks for your help.

[hitpawz@adobeforums.com]

Like a global merge with a min/max distance to merge points? I use this ALL the time in Lightwave but am absolutely unsure if AI has the feature. I know it can be scripted, but not by my unseasoned hand.

In the meantime cmnd-option-shift J will join/average 2 points, but you have to manually go through the entire document to miraculously get them all.

[Larry_G._Schneider@adobeforums.com]

michael,

Check out Rick Johnson's Concatenate PlugIn for Illustrator. You can select a line by color and put it together into a real line so that a dashed effect will work.

Larry

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

This is not the most precise method, but you can try this:

Select all the strokes
Outline Stroke
Apply Pathfinder Add (and Expand)
Select the outside path of the compound object this creates, and delete it.

What's left is pretty close to your original, and you can apply whatever stroke and fill the original seemed to have. You may need to use Offset Path to set it back out to original position (e.g., if your path was 2 pts wide, after you outlined it and deleted the outside, your new path is 1 point to the inside of the original, so you can offset it by 1 pt to try to get it back).

You may need to do a little clean-up by hand.

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

Btw, when you imported the dwg file, did you have "Unite Separate Paths" checked? That might solve the whole thing.

[michael_affeld@adobeforums.com]

I brought them into aics just by opening them from ai. Is the 'unite seperate paths" function anywhere else (it sounds like exactly what i need and i will be going to look for it after i finish writing this). Again, the objects are already in ai and the source deleted so i will be looking for a function that will do this within ai.
thanks

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

When you open a ,dwg and .dxf file it gives you this option.

But if you go here

<http://personalpages.tds.net/~graffix/software/plugins.html>

and download Concatenate you will find you have more control and options
and I can't tell you how many times people have thanked me for recommending this to them.

[hitpawz@adobeforums.com]

set thanks to thanks + 1

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

If the source is deleted you can try exporting your file as a .dwg and re-opening it in AI. The "Unite Separate Paths" box should be in the Open dialog.

[Kurt_Gold@adobeforums.com]

Michael,

have a try with this action:

<http://share.studio.adobe.com/axAssetDetailSubmit.asp?aID=9948>

Please notice the instructions in the sample file included in the zip file. As there are some restrictions I recommend Rick Johnsons Plugin as Wade already did.

Kurt Gold