Pathfinder: Build Anything from Simple Shapes

One of the biggest myths in digital illustration is that you need to draw complex shapes freehand. In reality, professional artists build almost everything from basic geometric forms combined intelligently. Brinimate’s Pathfinder is the tool that makes this possible.

Available in the right-side Inspector (when two or more objects are selected) and in the Quick Sidebar, Pathfinder offers four powerful boolean operations.

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🔵 Unite — The Shape Merger

What it does: Combines all selected shapes into a single unified shape. The result takes the color of the bottom-most shape.

Step-by-step — Building a Puffy Cloud:

1. Draw 5 circles of slightly different sizes.
2. Overlap them so they form a cloud silhouette.
3. Select all 5 circles (use the marquee box or Shift+Click).
4. Open the Inspector or Quick Sidebar → click Unite.
5. You now have a single, perfectly smooth cloud shape with one fill, one stroke, and one object to animate.

Why this matters for animation: One object = one layer = one clean keyframe history. Before Pathfinder, you’d be animating 5 separate circles trying to keep them moving together perfectly. Now it’s one click to keyframe.

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🌙 Subtract — The Cookie Cutter

What it does: Uses the top shape to “cut out” from the bottom shape. The top shape is consumed in the operation.

Step-by-step — Drawing a Crescent Moon:

1. Draw a large yellow circle (the full moon).
2. Draw a second circle of similar size.
3. Move the second circle so it overlaps the right side of the first.
4. Select both (bottom circle first, then the top).
5. Click Subtract.
6. The second circle carves a perfect crescent from the first.

Tip on order: The Z-order (stack order) matters. The shape higher in the stack (painted last / in front) is the cutter. Use Bring to Front from the Quick Sidebar if your shape doesn’t cut correctly.

Other uses for Subtract:

• Create windows in a building (subtract rectangles from a larger rectangle).
• Make a “pouring” vase effect (subtract a rounded triangle from the top of a jar shape).
• Design custom arrows by subtracting a triangle from a rounded rectangle.

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❌ Intersect — The Overlap Keeper

What it does: Deletes everything except the area where the shapes overlap.

Step-by-step — Drawing a Leaf:

1. Draw a circle.
2. Move it slightly.
3. Duplicate it (Alt+drag) and position the duplicate overlapping the original at an angle.
4. Select both.
5. Click Intersect.
6. Only the lens-shaped overlap remains — a perfect leaf petal.

Use cases:

• Petals, leaves, and organic forms.
• Lens flares and eye highlights.
• Abstract geometric shapes with a modern design aesthetic.

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🔘 Exclude — The Anti-Overlap

What it does: Keeps everything except the overlapping area — the inverse of Intersect. Useful for rings, halos, and hollow shapes.

Step-by-step — Drawing a Ring / Halo:

1. Draw a large circle.
2. Draw a smaller circle centered inside it.
3. Select both.
4. Click Exclude.
5. The center is now cut out, leaving a perfect ring.

Use cases:

• Life preservers, rings, donuts.
• Target/bullseye shapes.
• Letter “O” or “D” shapes built precisely from geometry.
• Gear-like shapes combined with Unite afterwards.

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🔧 Accessing Pathfinder

Two ways to reach these operations:

1. Inspector (Right panel): Select 2+ objects → scroll to the Pathfinder section in the Inspector. All four operations appear as buttons.
2. Quick Sidebar (Left): Select 2+ objects → the sidebar automatically reveals Pathfinder quick buttons at the bottom.

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💡 Pro Tip: Chain Pathfinder operations for complex results. For example:

1. Unite several circles to make a cloud.
2. Subtract a triangle from the bottom to make a thought-bubble cloud.
3. Draw small circles below it and Unite again to add the “thought dots.”
4. Total time: under 2 minutes for a professional speech bubble asset — no pen tool required.

Ready to bring your shapes to life? Head to the Animation & Timeline guide to start adding motion to everything you’ve built.