Splitting & Merging Surfaces

When one Surface is created, it is reusable on every Slide in the project. This page contains instructions on how to merge and split surfaces on a single slide.

How to Merge Surfaces

1. Select at least two Surface layers
   • Mac: Select more than one layer by pressing ⌘ and clicking on an additional layer
   • Windows: Select more than one layer by pressing CTRL and clicking on an additional layer
2. Right-click on the selected Surface layers to display the context menu
3. Click on Merge Surfaces
4. The selected surfaces will merge into one surface and generate a list of paths based on the name of the original surfaces in the Path's section of the Properties Panel

Recommendations:

• Give your surfaces a meaningful name before performing a merge. This makes it easier to tell the paths apart in the surface properties panel. For example, in this screenshot, a surface named "circle" and a surface named "square" were merged. Note that the paths have the old surface's name as a prefix, making it easy to determine what the paths represent:
  
• If possible, merge your surfaces before adding content to the surfaces. Some content, such as video and some effects, depend on the dimensions of the surface when calculating their appearance. Since the dimensions of the surface change after a merge, this may require you to readjust some content.

How to Split Surfaces

1. Right-click on a surface with at least 2 or more paths
2. Click on Split Surfaces
3. The paths within the surface will split into their own individual surfaces 

Using Paths within Merged or Split Surfaces

Once two or more surfaces are merged together, the paths from each surface are broken out to individual paths in the Path's section of the properties panel. Similarly, when a surface is split, the paths from that surface are broken out into separate surfaces. 

You can utilize boolean path operations to cut holes out of surfaces using subtraction or to merge holes together using union. You may find other uses after experimenting with each. 

Paths Properties

• Auto-Name Paths: Indicates whether paths are automatically named. This setting is enabled by default. This feature is helpful when creating surfaces and then merging them together using the Merge Surfaces feature. In this case, the path names retain the name of the surface from which they came. However, later in the surface/path editing process you may find it helpful to disable this setting.
• Paths List: The list of paths that the surface is composed of. The paths are composed from the bottom to the top (similar to the Layers panel), with each path having a "boolean" operation that indicates how it should be combined with the previous ones. The boolean operations and other options are available in the popup menu displayed by clicking the button to the right of each path's name:
  

Path Operations

Select the icon to the right of the top path to choose a boolean operation from below.

• Union/Subtract/Intersect/Exclude: The boolean operation for the path. These settings are available for all but the first (bottom-most) path. When a boolean operation is selected, the icon on the button changes.
• Split to New Surface: Removes the path from the surface and adds it to a newly created surface. This option is disabled if the surface only has one path.
• Duplicate to New Surface: Duplicates the path, placing the duplicate into a newly created surface.
• Delete: Deletes the path. This option is disabled if the surface has only one path.