I am attempting to work with some U.S.Census maps (public domain)
using the pdf files (not the GIS tiger files).
An example
http://ftp2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk...
005.pdf

The application that created the artwork created a path for each
street and then apparently an identical path and used the duplicate
path for the text of the street name. This duplicate path is directly
on top of the street path and on the same layer.

Now in the PDF, this is simply two identical paths, one on top of the
other, again on the same layer. The text is converted to individual
paths and no longer associated with the street paths. When I open the
PDF with Illustrator SC2, I can select a street path with the direct
selection tool and delete it, and there is still an underlying path
below.

There are far too many duplicate paths to delete them manually and
since there are so many this is unnecessarily making the file size
larger ( a problem when I begin to join map segments, [additional
PDF's]).

Does anybody have any thoughts on how to go about removing these
unwanted duplicate paths?

I have
starting with the PDF doc
removed all text, red path highlighting,  and colored polygons in a
temp file ( using enfocus pitstop)
saved the paths as a .png image
placed the png image in a new .ai document
live traced the image as Detailed Illustration
expanded the paths

I now have the paths, with no duplications underneath.
They are maybe about 99% perfect, some small paths ends get curved a
little.


This just seems like a lot of work, and I wondered if anybody had a
better way.

thanks
jbl

> This just seems like a lot of work, and I wondered if anybody had a
> better way.
>
> thanks
> jbl

Try selecting the object and choose Object/Path/Simplify. Repeat until
satisfied (or discovering unwanted effects...).

Nic

"N. Lindhard" wrote:
>
> 
>
> Try selecting the object and choose Object/Path/Simplify. Repeat until
> satisfied (or discovering unwanted effects...).
>
> Nic

Also: try selecting same colors/strokes, but well if then it
selects bunches of stuff you wanna keep........
--
steg

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:36:54 +0200, steggy <steggy2001@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>"N. Lindhard" wrote: 
>
>Also: try selecting same colors/strokes, but well if then it
>selects bunches of stuff you wanna keep........

I'll give simplify a try but I think that this will just remove anchor
points, and change the path in the process.

The paths are"identical" including stroke width, and color. They are
not different in any way that the select option could distinguish, not
different at all actually.
My problem is that they are identical and on the same layer.

In the layers pallet I can see them in the thumbnail view and each one
is duplicated. Out of thousands of paths, I could just select every
other one and delete it but that is obviously a slow and tedious
process.

thanks
jbl

Can you lock the one path from each of the duped paths' groups you want to
keep
then select all and delete everything else?

__Gem


"jbl" <jbl02no@spamhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:s4dgj1dsnjrpoo4f0cr7mv61h77qla97ps@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:36:54 +0200, steggy <steggy2001@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>
> I'll give simplify a try but I think that this will just remove anchor
> points, and change the path in the process.
>
> The paths are"identical" including stroke width, and color. They are
> not different in any way that the select option could distinguish, not
> different at all actually.
> My problem is that they are identical and on the same layer.
>
> In the layers pallet I can see them in the thumbnail view and each one
> is duplicated. Out of thousands of paths, I could just select every
> other one and delete it but that is obviously a slow and tedious
> process.
>
> thanks
> jbl
>

On 9/26/05 3:28 PM, Gem uttered:

> Can you lock the one path from each of the duped paths' groups you want to
> keep then select all and delete everything else?
>
> __Gem


I think jbl is trying to find a way around having to select each of hundreds
of paths:( I downloaded the PDF, but won't fool with it since it has
security, so I didn't give it a good look. What I don't get is that the text
paths have the same stroke color. Usually when you apply text to a path the
path automatically has no stroke. Is there some automated way, a plugin
maybe, to select text paths or to reorder the paths in the layers palette?

jbl,

Text color is a fill, not a stroke, even when coverted to outline. So, might
you not be able to select same fill color (Black?) and end up with all those
text objects? Wouldn't it select the path the text is on as a part of the
object? You might have to deselect some stuff you want to keep, but it
doesn't seem like there's a lot of other black fill (unless the stroke have
been converted to outline).

inez

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 20:49:25 GMT, iehsmith
<inezhsmithspammenot@earthlink.net> wrote:

>On 9/26/05 3:28 PM, Gem uttered:
> 
>
>
>I think jbl is trying to find a way around having to select each of hundred
s
>of paths:( I downloaded the PDF, but won't fool with it since it has
>security, so I didn't give it a good look. What I don't get is that the tex
t
>paths have the same stroke color. Usually when you apply text to a path the
>path automatically has no stroke. Is there some automated way, a plugin
>maybe, to select text paths or to reorder the paths in the layers palette?
>
>jbl,
>
>Text color is a fill, not a stroke, even when coverted to outline. So, migh
t
>you not be able to select same fill color (Black?) and end up with all thos
e
>text objects? Wouldn't it select the path the text is on as a part of the
>object? You might have to deselect some stuff you want to keep, but it
>doesn't seem like there's a lot of other black fill (unless the stroke have
>been converted to outline).
>
>inez
Maybe I confused the issue when I first mentioned the text and how I
thought the street paths got duplicated in the first place.

<snip>
The application that created the artwork created a path for each
street and then apparently an identical path and used the duplicate
path for the text of the street name. This duplicate path is directly
on top of the street path and on the same layer.
<snip>

I am not concerned with the text, I can easily put that on a new layer
or delete it. It is easily selectable.

I am concerned with the duplicate path that was left.

However it got that way, there is just a exact duplicate of every
street path (all are open paths), one on top of the other, on the same
layer. I simply cannot figure a way to have Illustrator to
distinguish, "all" the top ones from "all" the bottom ones.

You are right, text on a path does convert the stroke color to none.

I have a small sample (version CS2) file but no where to upload it for
anyone to look at.

There doesn't seem to be a simple way. I can re-create single paths
quicker than I could manually delete all of the extra paths.

thanks
jbl

On 9/26/05 4:52 PM, jbl uttered:

> However it got that way, there is just a exact duplicate of every
> street path (all are open paths), one on top of the other, on the same
> layer. I simply cannot figure a way to have Illustrator to
> distinguish, "all" the top ones from "all" the bottom ones.


Can you easily select all the duplicated paths? I just experimented with 3
dupicated open paths on top of each other, 1pt black stroke. Selected them
all, clicked Outline in the Transform palette and I ended up with a single,
unstroked path. I applied black to the stroke and it seems to work; it's a
single stroked path.

I also tried it with a few sets of duplicated paths. It works, but it makes
them a group. Doesn't seem too much of a problem, though intersecting lines
break into separate lines.


inez

In article <BF5E2929.3C33F%inezhsmithspammenot@earthlink.net>, iehsmith
<inezhsmithspammenot@earthlink.net> wrote:

> On 9/26/05 4:52 PM, jbl uttered:
> 
>
>
> Can you easily select all the duplicated paths? I just experimented with 3
> dupicated open paths on top of each other, 1pt black stroke. Selected them
> all, clicked Outline in the Transform palette and I ended up with a single
,
> unstroked path. I applied black to the stroke and it seems to work; it's a
> single stroked path.
>
> I also tried it with a few sets of duplicated paths. It works, but it make
s
> them a group. Doesn't seem too much of a problem, though intersecting line
s
> break into separate lines.
>
>
> inez
>
you could try this perhaps: select all of the paths which have
duplicates lying on top of one another. That was the easy part. Now
with all of the paths selected, you have to manually deselect the upper
path whilst pressing the shift key. I know, it is a lot of work, but
that way you can delete all of the underlying paths except the topmost
path.

One way would be to manually select the paths you know you want to keep,
"Lock" them (Command 2 ~ Mac, Control 2 ~ Windoze) those and then delete
everything else. That way you wouldn't have to worry about deleting the
wrong ones.

Too, you could manually select the correct paths, move them to another
layer, lock the layer and then delete the remaining layer.

I use the "Lock" feature all the time. Especially on complicated
illustrations (I do alot of technical illustrations for the military ~
many will have over 1000 components/paths, with each section as
"modules") . . .  it's a life-saver!! (-:

Hope this helps, albeit a bit late! (-:

--
Constance Pierce
principal/designer
pierceDESIGN
www.pierceillus.com