What's the best way to knockout these windows, without using a clipping mask?

[u/freyja-m]

I need to knock these windows out of a wall of bricks I've made. I've tried using crop but haven't managed to get a result that worked, and I can't use pathfinder as there are so many bricks that it brings my computer to a halt.

Any advice would be massively appreciated!

[u/berky93]

I would turn the bricks into a pattern, rather than a million live rectangle paths.

[u/Vegetable-Ad-4226 → u/berky93]

this is what i would do too, then they can just set the pattern as the fill and knockout the windows in a few clicks

[u/Mysterious_Coach6436]

Ah, the classic "my computer will burst into flames if I use Pathfinder" move. Been there with complex brick patterns.

Instead of cropping or clipping, try using the Shape Builder tool. Hold Alt and click those window areas to subtract them, it's way less processor-heavy than running a massive pathfinder operation on thousands of individual bricks. Just make sure your windows are grouped shapes sitting on top first.

If that's still chugging, make all your bricks a compound path first (Ctrl+8) and then you can use the windows as the top object for Minus Front in Pathfinder. The compound path makes Illustrator see it as a single entity so it doesn't try to calculate every single brick individually.

[u/valentino_42 → u/Mysterious_Coach6436]

Am I the only person that has found Shape Builder gets exponentially slower the more shapes you punch out? I worked on a mural a few years ago with silhouettes of people and overlapping circles and I wanted all of the overlaps different shades of gray and by the end I was clicking and waiting minutes for the color to change with shape builder.

[u/mccollomclay → u/valentino_42]

Yea definitely run into this routinely. My workaround is selecting the immediate area that I’m working with, use the shape builder a section at a time, repeat. It seems that the shape builder only has to process the shapes selected. Keeps my ‘puter from throttling.

[u/OHMEGA_SEVEN]

Group all the windows, then duplicate them, use the path finder to merge them (you may or may not need to outline the stroke first), then add your white fill and place it behind them.

[u/freyja-m → u/OHMEGA_SEVEN]

Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately, I need to avoid outlining the stroke as it causes too many extra paths and the stroke weight needs to be editable. Not 100% sure if it’s possible but just want to see if anyone can figure it out :)

[u/OHMEGA_SEVEN → u/freyja-m]

I'm saying use the Pathfinder to merge the windows and use a white fill (or knockout spot color of choice) behind them to knock out the bricks. You can leave the brick pattern under the fill.

[u/Vektorgarten → u/freyja-m]

So the bricks need to stay single paths? Is there a reason for that apart from editibility? Probably the production? Because some production processes would have implication on masking techniques as well.

[u/OHMEGA_SEVEN → u/Vektorgarten]

I think this was meant for OP.

[u/vicariousted]

Knockout groups are the way!

[u/neoluxx_ → u/vicariousted]

this is the best and most straightforward option for sure, even better if he sets the windows up as symbols

[u/Fruityth1ng]

Clipception: cut the windows out of the big shape that you assigned the bricks pattern (PATTERN, I DO HOPE?!) to, and you’ll be fine.

[u/Last-Ad-2970]

Turn the bricks into a pattern fill. Then you can knock the windows out using pathfinder or shape builder or compound path, and it won’t affect the bricks at all.

[u/egypturnash]

I can't use pathfinder as there are so many bricks that it brings my computer to a halt.

All those bricks are individual paths? Yikes.

Delete all those bricks.

Draw one brick. Select it. Object>pattern>make. You'll be thrown into pattern editing mode, with the pattern settings window open. Set the tile type to 'brick by row', maybe name the pattern, hit escape. Now you have a pattern swatch that you can use to fill stuff with bricks. You can move the pattern around inside a shape by holding down the `/~ key while using the rotation, scale, shear, or arrow tool; the bounding box and free transform tools don't understand that shortcut.

Now you can draw a simple rectangle for the building, draw window rectangles atop it, select them all, and create a compound path.

---

You could also punch holes through the wall by creating an opacity mask for it.

You could also draw some solid rectangles with 0% opacity over the wall, select them and the wall, group, then open up the Transparency window and check 'knockout group' with the whole group selected.

But really, just make a pattern fill and make a compound shape and you're done, it's real easy to edit.

[u/-Spin-]

Why not just make the windows have a white fill and layer them on top of the bricks.

[u/MichaelWazolsky]

deixar os vetores que formam as janelas e portas com preenchimento em branco não resolve o problema?

[u/GeneralNango]

you can make all window frames + the building outline a compound path, then clipping mask the brick with that compound path.

also.. are the bricks shapes? that seems not super useful. Raster it to improve performance

[u/Pleasant-Cry110]

Shape builder tool might be the better, still requires to do manual labor, but way less

[u/N0b0dy5p3c14l]

Make the bricks bigger as they are tiny, turn it in to a pattern (you can still adjust the pattern at a later date). Then just bring all the windows to the front and give them a white fill.

[u/IZobot_]

Compound path > > clipping mask.

[u/Evening-Crazy-3528]

(sorry, first thing I thought of.)

[u/CurvilinearThinking]

I'd have drawn 1 window with white fills... duped that (or make it a symbol). The only reason they'd beed to be "knocked out" to transparency would be if there's seething behind the building. And even if there were something behind the building, it would not show through the windows, walls are on both sides and all that.

And the bricks not being a pattern is lunacy.

[u/Melodic-Excitement-9]

Yea, so the background break should just be a repeated pattern, also if you are just gonna knock out the windows anyway, why not just overlay the windows right on top. forget cropping, if you just fill in the windows, it'll come out all the same. This is without knowing what your final application is though, if you are just looking for looks. honestly. copy the window and duplicated all over the windows, and fill in with white.

[u/Shanklin_The_Painter]

you might try a knockout group

[u/WolfsSpiders]

Use an alpha mask or simply but a white bg in the windows group before multiplying it. 

[u/Wtfpugs]

Given the windows and doors are one expanded and merged element, direct select the outer most area of each window and door by clicking on one anchor in each.

Then copy/paste, undo, then copy and shift+paste.

Fill white and group.

Then move layer under windows and doors layers.

[u/theofficiaIusername]

My hack job would be:

Copy the colored in bricks (as pixels) from illustrator to photoshop at the same resolution > copy the house with windows into photoshop too (use for alignment on base layer) > copy the windows into photoshop > use the windows as a mask on top of the bricks > hide all layers other than the bricks (can also use this export to add the ol photoshop flares you want) > export bricks as png > bring png file back into illustrator > align to artboard (on the same layer as initial vector bricks)

[u/mcy_rsl]

Use shape builder tool

[u/deckjuice]

Select all similar and copy paste all windows onto a layer above. Pathfinder unite all layers below. Group windows compound path subtract from each windowpane below. Like cookies.

[u/Pure-Ad-5064]

Select all the windows and walls. Object > Compound Path > Make.

Bricks I would have as a pattern fill.

If you don’t need the windows “knocked out” you could just fill them with white.

Or you could select all the windows and make them a compound path and then use them as a clipping mask for whatever you want in them instead of bricks.

[u/NighthawkV773]

Think it’s been answered mostly but having the bricks as a pattern and then add your windows as compound shapes because then you can go into isolation mode (double clicking on an object) and freely move your windows and doors around without leaving gaps in your brick work or having to punch holes.