How to Slice Shapes in Affinity Designer

In Affinity Designer there is no quick way or tool for slicing up a shape. However, shapes can be split up using nodes. This makes the process of slicing areas far more accurate. In this tutorial you will learn how to slice shapes using the Node Tool.

Start by opening Affinity Designer. Click on New Document and adjust the page settings if needed then click Create. To further change settings in Affinity designer click on the preferences panel.

Step 1 - Draw out a shape and convert to curves

We will begin with a simple rectangular shape. On the left side panel click on the Rectangle tool (blue square). On the canvas, click and drag out a rectangle. A new pixel layer is automatically created.

Adjust the width of the stroke to see the rectangle better. This can be done one of two ways. At the top of the screen click on the Stroke menu and adjust the width. The second way is to click the Stroke menu on the right side panel.

The shape needs to be converted to a curve. This will allow us to use the Node Tool. Right click the shape and click Convert to Curves.

Step 2 - Break the nodes apart

To split the rectangle we will be breaking the nodes apart. With the rectangle selected, click on the Node Tool on the left side panel.

Click on the top left corner node, it will highlight in blue. At the top of the screen next to Action click on Break Curve. Repeat this for the bottom right corner.

When Break curve is applied to the second node, the rectangle splits in half. Each half is placed on its own layer.

Step 3 - Close the paths of each object

With the rectangle cut in half we need to close the paths. Click on the one triangle then click on the Node Tool to activate. Select a corner node then click Close Curve top of the screen. The path will be closed and you have now have two triangles.

Step 4 - Add nodes for more slicing options

The shape has been sliced with nodes that were automatically placed. But what if you want to slice areas that don't have nodes? Add a node with a quick easy click that can be placed anywhere you want.

Select one of the triangles and click on the Node Tool. Move your mouse along one side of the triangle. The mouse icon will change to an arrow with a curved line. As you move the mouse, a line will appear. Where this line appears click to add a new node.

Repeat steps 2-3 to break nodes apart and close paths. For each area that is sliced a new layer is created. You can edit each new object independently.

Each shape's stroke, color and size can be edited or you can also put your text in shapes. The creative possibilities are endless.

To take your shape designs a step further, try adding a gradient to them.