How to Apply a Stroke to Mesh ObjectsMesh objects cannot have a stroke applied to them directly; however, there are a couple tricks to work around this if your project depends on it. Let’s examine how to use a multi-colored star-shaped mesh object that we will use to apply a thick yellow 8pt stroke.
Converting the Mesh Object back into a Regular Path Object The first method is to convert our multi-colored mesh star back into a path object. Select it with the Selection tool (black arrow) and click on Object > Path > Offset Path. In the dialog box that appears, enter for the Offset value and click OK. A new path will be created that exactly outlines the mesh object and you can apply a nice yellow stroke to this path using the Swatches and Stroke panels. Please note this new path object will appear behind the original mesh object. This technique is useful if you don’t like how you’ve colored your mesh object - maybe you’ve applied too many mesh points, etc. - and want to start from scratch. Instead of drawing a new star shape, you can extract the exact same shape from the mesh object using this method.
Using the Appearance Panel The second solution involves using the Appearance panel, so bring this up by clicking on Window > Appearance. With the star selected, click on the top right in the Appearance panel to reveal the Appearance Panel Menu, and then click Add New Stroke.
A new stroke attribute is created in the Appearance panel and you can select this and use the Swatches and Stroke panels to edit the newly created stroke. This method is different from the first because a stroke is applied directly onto the mesh object. It is useful because if you happen to later change the shape of the mesh object, the stroke will reshape automatically because it is an appearance attribute and not a separate path as was in the first method described above.
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