Joining shapes and fills question

[no@spam.net]

In Illustrator 10, I have two shapes I am trying to join. One is a T-shape with a fill, and the other is a simple box. I'm trying to put one of the transepts of the T into the side of the box. Using Pathfinder, this is, of course, trivial, and it looks fine.

However, I don't want the fill which I've applie to the T to become a fill in the box. So rather than using Pathfinder, I can use Scissors to open the path at the end of the transept and also open the path in the box where the two shapes meet, and that looks fine.

The problem occurs when I additionally try to open the path on the other end of the transept or at the bottom of the T. The fill in the T suddenly leaps out to cover the open space between the transepts and the bottom because of all these open paths.

The only solution I can come up with is to make a line with the same stroke color as the page and overlay it on top of the path segments I want to blank out. This works, but it certainly seems to be an inelegant solution, and it would of course have to be modified anytime the page color changed. Is there a better way? Thanks for any help.

Chris

[Dee Holmes]

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right.

If you want to join two points, select the direct selection tool and choose the two points you want to join and hit Command/J.

Hope this is what you're looking for, good luck.

[no@spam.net]

No, actually I want all these open paths. The problem is how the fill reacts to them. Let's say you draw the text letter T, outline it to make a T-shape, and then fill it with some pattern. Now I want to be able to go to each of the three ends of the T and open up the paths there. Magnified, each end would just look like two parallel lines rather than the end of a box. I want to do all this and keep the fill inside the shape. This works when opening up one end of the transept of the T. When you open up the bottom, however, the fill jumps out of the T. Any help?

Chris

[Robert_E._Caruthers@adobeforums.com]

Chris,

You may have to use two T's and two boxes, one filled and the other with the altered outlines.
Then you can put the outlined T and box on top of the filled T and box and group them.

hth, Bob

[no@spam.net]

That's the ticket! Thanks a mill.

[Dee Holmes]

Glad you could see what was going on, Robert. That is my problem, understanding what needs you have in words to be done.

I'm better with a picture.

[Dee Holmes]

I would like to see a sample anyway. Can anyone post one?

[no@spam.net]