Which tool allows you to join or subtract shapes to form a single shape in Illustrator?

Which tool allows you to join or subtract shapes to form a single shape in Illustrator?

• A. Shape Builder Tool (Shift + M)
• B. Pathfinder Tool
• C. Pen Tool (P)
• D. Brush Tool (B)

Answer: (A)

The Shape Builder Tool is designed for sculpting filled areas of multiple shapes into one form. After you select the shapes, you can drag the cursor across the regions you want to merge, and those areas become a single shape with one fill. If you need to remove a part, hold the Alt/Option key and drag over that portion to subtract it. This interactive, paint-like approach makes it the fastest way to join or cut away pieces to create a single shape. The other options aren’t as direct for this task. The Pathfinder set provides similar operations, but through separate commands rather than an on-the-fly sculpting tool. The Pen Tool draws new paths, and the Brush Tool paints strokes, neither of which are geared to merging multiple shapes into one filled region.

The Shape Builder Tool is designed for sculpting filled areas of multiple shapes into one form. After you select the shapes, you can drag the cursor across the regions you want to merge, and those areas become a single shape with one fill. If you need to remove a part, hold the Alt/Option key and drag over that portion to subtract it. This interactive, paint-like approach makes it the fastest way to join or cut away pieces to create a single shape.

The other options aren’t as direct for this task. The Pathfinder set provides similar operations, but through separate commands rather than an on-the-fly sculpting tool. The Pen Tool draws new paths, and the Brush Tool paints strokes, neither of which are geared to merging multiple shapes into one filled region.