How to Use the Boolean Operations in Affinity Designer

Posted on 21st June 2023

The Boolean Operations are a set of tools in Affinity Designer that allow you to combine or subtract shapes from one another to create new shapes. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to use the Boolean Operations to create some basic shapes.

Creating a Square

Let’s start by creating a square. We’ll use the Rectangle Tool to draw a rectangle that is 200px wide and 200px high.

Next, we’ll use the Boolean Subtract operation to subtract a circle from our rectangle. To do this, we’ll use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle that is 100px wide and 100px high. With our circle selected, we’ll go to the Boolean Subtract operation in the Affinity Designer toolbox and click on it.

Creating a Triangle

Next, let’s create a triangle. We’ll use the Rectangle Tool to draw a rectangle that is 200px wide and 200px high.

Next, we’ll use the Boolean Subtract operation to subtract a triangle from our rectangle. To do this, we’ll use the Polygon Tool to draw a triangle that is 100px wide and 100px high. With our triangle selected, we’ll go to the Boolean Subtract operation in the Affinity Designer toolbox and click on it.

Creating a Star

Finally, let’s create a star. We’ll use the Polygon Tool to draw a star that is 100px wide and 100px high.

Next, we’ll use the Boolean Add operation to add a circle to our star. To do this, we’ll use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle that is 50px wide and 50px high. With our circle selected, we’ll go to the Boolean Add operation in the Affinity Designer toolbox and click on it.

Conclusion

As you can see, the Boolean Operations are a powerful tool that can be used to create a variety of shapes. In this article, we’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible. Experiment with the different Boolean Operations and see what you can create.

In this tutorial we will learn how to use the boolean operations in Affinity Designer.

Boolean operations are a set of operations that can be performed on two objects to create a new object. The most common boolean operations are union, intersection, and difference.

Union

Union is the most basic boolean operation. It combines two objects into one. The result of a union is a single object that encompasses the entire area of both input objects.

To perform a union in Affinity Designer, select the two objects you want to combine and choose Modify > Union from the menu.

Intersection

Intersection is the opposite of union. It takes two objects and creates a new object that is the overlap of the two input objects. The result of an intersection is an object that is the same shape as the input objects, but only includes the area where the two objects overlap.

To perform an intersection in Affinity Designer, select the two objects you want to combine and choose Modify > Intersect from the menu.

Difference

Difference is similar to intersection, but it takes the first object and subtracts the area of the second object from it. The result of a difference is an object that is the same shape as the first input object, but with the area of the second object removed.

To perform a difference in Affinity Designer, select the two objects you want to combine and choose Modify > Difference from the menu.

Choosing the Right Boolean Operation

Choosing the right boolean operation is often a matter of trial and error. The best way to learn is to experiment with the different operations and see what results you can achieve.

In general, union is the best choice when you want to combine two objects into one. Intersection is a good choice when you want to create an object that is the same shape as the input objects, but only includes the area where they overlap. And difference is a good choice when you want to create an object that is the same shape as the first input object, but with the area of the second object removed.

Of course, there are many other ways to use the boolean operations in Affinity Designer. So experiment and see what you can come up with!

How to Use the Boolean Operations in Affinity Designer

In Affinity Designer, the Boolean operations are used to combine or subtract the shapes of two or more objects. The four Boolean operations are:

• Union
• Subtract
• Intersect
• Exclude Overlap

To use a Boolean operation, first select the objects that you want to combine or subtract. Then, go to the Layer menu and choose Combine Objects. A dialog box will appear with the four Boolean operations.

Union

The Union operation will combine the selected objects into a single object. This is the default operation, so if you just click the Combine button, the Union operation will be performed.

Subtract

The Subtract operation will subtract the top object from the bottom object. So, if you have two objects, the top object will be cut out of the bottom object.

Intersect

The Intersect operation will keep only the overlapping parts of the selected objects. So, if you have two objects, only the part where they overlap will remain.

Exclude Overlap

The Exclude Overlap operation will remove the overlapping parts of the selected objects. So, if you have two objects, the part where they overlap will be removed.

Examples

Let’s take a look at some examples of how to use the Boolean operations.

Union

For this example, we have two objects: a square and a circle. We’ve selected both objects and we’re going to use the Union operation to combine them into a single object.

As you can see, the Union operation has combined the two objects into a single object.

Subtract

For this example, we have two objects: a square and a circle. We’ve selected both objects and we’re going to use the Subtract operation to subtract the top object (the circle) from the bottom object (the square).

As you can see, the Subtract operation has subtracted the top object from the bottom object.

Intersect

For this example, we have two objects: a square and a circle. We’ve selected both objects and we’re going to use the Intersect operation to keep only the overlapping parts of the two objects.

As you can see, the Intersect operation has kept only the overlapping parts of the two objects.

Exclude Overlap

For this example, we have two objects: a square and a circle. We’ve selected both objects and we’re going to use the Exclude Overlap operation to remove the overlapping parts of the two objects.

As you can see, the Exclude Overlap operation has removed the overlapping parts of the two objects.