Filling multiple shapes with a gradient

[edegrave]

I'm trying to get 16 shapes (rectangular basic shape) to fill with gradient. Now I can fill them all at once but the gradient applies to the individual shapes. What I'm trying to do is get the fist shape light blue, the second shape a bit darker and so on. Now I can select them one at a time and fill them but I guess there must be a more efficient way to do this. In this drawing I have a lot of 'series' that needs to get filled with colors going darker. I hope this is possible otherwise I'm applying fillings until next week

Regards

[vojo]

no simple way to do that....2 options I can think of

1.   Add a line to each shape and have a control point to one end...other end touches the shape  (in essence 10 shapes each with a dangling line with a control point at the end).
     Line up all the control points (no matter how far from shape) in say lower left corner.   Then fill all shapes with gradient.
     Once happy, can go into the line geometry and set to no show

2.   Play with the operations tab to combine/sum/mix/etc the pool of shapes.   Simply grouping shapes wont do what you want.
     The add gradient.   I believe this will take some trial and error....so make copies

Good luck

[Visio Guy]

Hi edegrave,

Have a look at the attached image.

1. The first box is just a big rectangle with a gradient fill.
2. The second bunch of boxes are combined so that holes show through. Draw 16 boxes, plus one big frame. Select them all, then combine them using Shape > Operations > Combine.
3. Now put the "grid" on top of the gradient fill.

This might help you to do what you want.

[wapperdude]

After aligning the shapes, then, if you 1st select the gradient filled shape, and next, holding the shift key down, add the grid shape to the selection, go to operations > subtract and you should be left with 16 squares that have just the gradient fill that was under them.

Wapperdude

[Yacine]

how cool is that? thanks for sharing

[Visio Guy]

Nice tip on boolean Subtraction, wapperdude!

[vojo]

so does this approach work for group shapes?

Say a 3X3 of group shapes (with subshapes)....boolean subtraction.....gradient over all?

[Visio Guy]

Boolean is pretty destructive. A group will be dissolved and its pieces handled separately. Best just to try it, it's hard to describe and hard to understand exactly what you are asking.

[vojo]

My gut feel says that it would destroy groups and such.
So if edegrave has complex shapes (for whatever reason), the approaches cited would destroy alot of that.

I guess my point is to edegrave....heads up and be careful