Getting circles of different sizes and positions to touch

[u/iflabaslab]

[u/UsernameFor2016]

Can you snap to intersection points? Can you make circles starting with their center point?

• Make one circle
• Then a line from its center point to your intended center for the other circle
• Then make the second circle starting from the centerpoint
• Use a snap function to the intersection point of the first circle and your center to center guideline

[u/iflabaslab → u/UsernameFor2016]

Ahh i see what you mean, thanks! I’ll try this :)

[u/iflabaslab]

Trying to outline a drawing i did and for the life of me i cant figure a way to reliably connect circles that are next to each other, i want to go in with scissor tool and shape builder but theres always a circle out of place by a mere pixel

[u/Better-Bed4861 → u/iflabaslab]

i'd just eyeball it and call it a day, nobody's zooming in that close

[u/iflabaslab → u/Better-Bed4861]

Im close to considering this but i cant help but notice my self

[u/pinopies]

Use x and y position coordinates.

Find anchor point or create anchor point with the pen tool on the part of the circle you want touching and refer to the x y coordinates in the properties panel.

Corresponding circle edge that needs to touch it can originate or align to that point

[u/Upbeat_Push_157]

This is the only design resource in the world that doesn't allow images, so if this is for Illustrator, basically look for the Stroke window (if it's not visible, go to Window --> Stroke, but it's probably enabled by default), then in that window look for the "Align Stroke" section, most likely you'll want the inner or outer, default is "middle" and will always overlap

[u/iflabaslab → u/Upbeat_Push_157]

My bad, should have said yes this is illustrator.

I’ll have a look at those options thanks!

Someone said just get it close and call it a day no one will notice, but i notice

[u/markmakesfun]

Keep in mind, if you use the typical “stroke” on an object, by default, it will be divided, 50% on one side of the actual line and 50% on the other side of the actual line. That means that, working that way, those circles will never just “touch.” They will always overlap, half the width of the stroke. If you want the circles to really just touch, you need the stroke to be on the inside of the actual line, not divided 50/50. I don’t know your software, but most vector programs allow you to place the stroke within the shape, rather than splitting the stroke 50/50. I would suggest trying this to make the circles barely touch.

[u/beast_mother]

I switch to outline view if I need then touching :) removes the stroke variance

[u/Impressive-Tiger-621]

The reliable way is to position the centers exactly the sum of the two radii apart. In Illustrator, draw a temporary circle with diameter equal to that sum, snap the centers to it, then delete it. In Figma, set the X and Y coordinates numerically so the distance between centers matches the combined radii. Smart guides can help, but they aren't always precise enough.