Question: (Illustrator) randomize layer "depth" of shatter brush objects

[ZUZ3L]

Hello guys and women...

I am creating a layout where I have made 3 strokes with 'shatter brush'. Each stroke has it's 'shatter brush objects'. There are a stoke with green, red and blue. When I make theese, they are on top of each other... The colors aren't random in depth, if you know what I mean?

How can I randomize the depth of the objects, so the it doesn't seem that it's 3 objects on top of each other, but hundreds of objects interfeering eachother...?

Thank you ...
.
Sorry for my very bad english... ;(

//ZUZ3L

[blueocto]

Try selecting the items, and going to Object > Blend

[ZUZ3L]

Originally Posted by blueocto

Try selecting the items, and going to Object > Blend

Hi BlueOcto

It's not what I mean...

Look at the attached image. As you can see, the red are alle on the top and the blue are all on top of the green.

I would like to mix the colors... The 'layer depth' I call it - but don't know if it's right to call it that.... in web terms it's called z-index...

you know?

[El Peligroso]

if you set the opacity levels to 60% or whatever for everything the colours automatically blend I think

[ZUZ3L]

It's not "blending"... I like to have some reds to go to the back, an some in the middle, some blue in the front, some in the middle and some in the back. I want this for all colors... so it seems random, so you can't see that the colors are on seperate layers...

[El Peligroso]

then put them in the same layer and then start pushing things to the back and bringing things to the front until you get the effect you are looking for.

It might be a bit of faffing about but shouldn't take too long

[ZUZ3L]

I have done this, but what if I had 1million objects... there must be a automated solution?

[El Peligroso]

then you'd have a lock of clicking to do...

seriously though, I don't know if they would make a preset for this as it is a pretty unique request. How often would you have a million things to reorder?
The other way would be to do them all one colour to start with then just randomly select them and change to the required colour.

[PR Design]

Maybe convert to symbols and use the symbol manipulation tools to move 'em? Not 100% as I'm not much of a power AI user.

[MARZY]

i'm thinking that you could use two methods one will give a random start then control after and the other control first then a random finish.

method1).
more layers! with more spacing between objects!
So the red object would have say 6 layers and blue 6 and then play with the layer orders.T his way you can have just the layer palette open and more layers in front of each other. Plus if you find that some objects are needed on other layers collapsing the particular layer and clicking the object shows a blue box in the layer palette moving that box to another layer will shift the box on the desired layer.

method 2)
use groups of symbols!
setup combinations of different coloured objects ie red on top, blue middle, and green bottom. Then make that a symbol. Make a symbol and try another combination till your symbols palette is jam full of variations and spray away. This one might need more experimentation with spray settings.