Shape Builder Tool - Azyrom Help

The Shape Builder tool lets you combine, subtract, and divide overlapping shapes by simply clicking or dragging. It's an intuitive way to create complex shapes from simple primitives.

Getting Started

Create overlapping shapes

Draw two or more shapes that overlap each other.

Select all shapes

Use ⌘/Ctrl + A or click-drag to select all the shapes you want to combine.

Activate Shape Builder

Press Shift + M or click the Shape Builder icon in the toolbar.

Click or drag to combine

Click individual regions to keep them, or drag across multiple regions to merge them into one shape.

Merging Regions

Click and drag across multiple regions to merge them:

A highlight shows which regions will be merged
Release to create a single unified shape
The shape inherits the fill and stroke of the first clicked region

Tip

Draw a continuous line across all regions you want to merge. You don't need to click each region individually—just draw through them all in one stroke.

Deleting Regions

Remove regions from shapes:

Hold Alt/Option while clicking a region
Or hold Alt/Option and drag across multiple regions
The cursor shows a minus sign in delete mode

Extracting Regions

Click a single region without dragging to extract it as a separate shape:

The region becomes its own independent shape
Useful for creating cutouts or separating intersections

Shape Builder Controls

Action	Control
Merge regions	Click and drag across regions
Delete region	`Alt/Option + Click`
Delete multiple regions	`Alt/Option + Drag`
Extract single region	Click (no drag)
Exit tool	`Escape` or `V`

Shape Builder vs Boolean Operations

Shape Builder and Boolean operations (Union, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude) achieve similar results but work differently:

Shape Builder	Boolean Operations
Visual, interactive	Command-based
Choose regions freely	Operates on entire shapes
Great for complex combinations	Great for simple operations
Immediately destructive	Can be non-destructive (compound paths)

Pro Tip

Use Shape Builder when you want precise control over which parts to keep and remove. Use Boolean operations when you want a quick union or subtraction of entire shapes.

Common Use Cases

Creating Logos

Build complex logo shapes from simple circles, rectangles, and triangles. Merge some regions and delete others to create unique forms.

Icon Design

Combine basic shapes to create icons. The Shape Builder makes it easy to create cutouts and negative space.

Custom Patterns

Create repeating patterns by extracting intersections between overlapping shapes.

Cleaning Up Paths

Remove unwanted overlapping sections from imported or complex artwork.

Tips for Best Results

Ensure overlap - Shapes must actually overlap to create mergeable regions
Close paths - Open paths may not divide into regions properly
Zoom in - For precise work, zoom in to see small regions clearly
Use guides - Align shapes precisely before using Shape Builder

Exiting Shape Builder Mode

When you're done:

Press Escape to deselect and exit
Press V to switch to Selection tool
Click outside the shapes to deselect

The resulting shapes are now regular paths you can edit with other tools.