Problems creating / selecting / filling objects made with Bezier Tool

[MattCole]

Hi

New to Inkscape and to graphics. I've tried to fix this one myself and think I've got some clues to solve the issue but can't grasp it. Hope someone can help! Please excuse ignorance and detail... I'm working with 0.92.

My project involves importing images of maps, creating a new layer and tracing key map boundaries with the Bezier tool and deleting the original map image layer to leave me with a basic map outline of segments. (as per image bezier.tool.issues.1)

I then want to select each segment of the map and fill with different colours. While playing around, I managed partially to succeed  (image bezier.tool.issues.2), using the select tool and fill dialogue.

But then I found that some areas of the map would not allow themselves to be selected. I knew realise Inkscape has to see these segments as an individual entity  (whether shape / object / closed path / group or other I don't know - though I think 'closed path'?), but I do not know which or how to do this nor what separates the segments I did manage to fill with colour from those I did not.  One thought that occurred to me was that if the segments shared a boundary line (ie I hadn't bothered to draw 2 separate lines next to each other but instead just joined the line of nodes to a single shared boundary) that this might disqualify the segments been seen as closed paths (or whatever entity Inkscape needs to them to be). But I am pretty sure that 2 of the segments (the large ones on the left in image 2) share a boundary in this way and these I could fill.

I also thought that I may have failed to 'close the loop' on some paths so that they were not closed paths, but as far as I could see this was not the case.

I also noticed that when trying to select map segments unsuccessfully, the selection would either be of a tiny portion of the segment boundary (the path between 2 nodes, image 3 ) or of the whole 'canvas'(?) (image 4).

Incidentally I found accidentally by dragging objects that in the partially successful filled image (2), the process seemed to have created another (partial) trace of the segment lines over the top of the original. This looked to me to be a big clue as to what was going on but I can't figure it (image 5).

Lastly - apologies for the detail, but hopefully it helps - when doing experiments with random shapes with the Bezier tool (images 6 and 7), I found that the select tool would only partially select a Bezier segment created with the Regular Bezier setting (image 1), while the Spiro setting automatically selected the whole segment (image 2).

Can anyone break down what steps I need to go through to make sure I can create an map outline with segments using the Bezier tool (Regular as well as Spiro) and then select and fill? Even though I have had partial success this was only through trial and error and I am not  clear on what I did do when I succeeded - meaning I am not sure I can repeat it!

[brynn]

I wrote a tutorial for exactly this situation.  So this should help you quite a bit.  https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?action=articles;sa=view;article=47

For your question about selecting, it sounds like it's time for you to discover the status bar.  Whenever you are using the Selection tool  , the status bar will identify whatever is selected.  So in your screenshot #4, you can see that the status bar say "Group....".  Since you've traced everything yourself, apparently at some point, you grouped some things.  If you had downloaded the file from somewhere, or converted it from another format, groups are automatically created.  But in this case, it sounds like you must have done it yourself, but forgot? (Or possibly you were just experimenting.)

So all you need to do for that problem is Ungroup.  You might have to ungroup more than once.  But just watch the status bar.  When it says "Path...." then you're down to the basic path and rid of the groups.

For the problem identified in image 5, it looks like you're using the Paint Bucket tool, to fill with color, rather than a traditional fill.  I would suggest not to use the Paint Bucket tool.  Not using it will require you to have a separate closed path for each object.  So there will be extra work.  But you will have a better file in the end.

The reason when you pull away the black line, and the color stays behind, is because of how the Paint Bucket tool works.  It creates a brand new path to hold the color.  This tool has good uses, but only once you understand what's happening, can you decide if that's best for your project.  If you're drawing (tracing) the paths yourself, you might as well create duplicates of the paths which are shared by adjacent objects, so you can have a separate closed path for each one.  Then they can be filled with a traditional fill.

I would suggest not to use the SpiroSpline mode for a map.  It's specifically for creating fancy smooth curves.  If you want the map to have curves rather than strict boundaries, that's fine.  But it's bound to be confusing for a new user.  The regular bezier mode can make curves too, but not necessarily  the special kind of mathematical curve which spiro spline mode creates.

It's not because of using spiro spline mode that you can select the whole path.  From what I can tell, it's just a coincidence.  It's likely when you were drawing the path (in regular bezier mode), and you accidentally ended the path before you were finished.  And when you started to continue the path, you didn't continue it properly.  So you ended up with separate shorter segments instead of a longer whole one.

I don't remember specifically whether that tutorial covers continuning a path, but it probably does.  If you find it doesn't, just let me know and I'll explain.  And after you go through the tutorial, if you have more question, please feel free to ask.

[MattCole]

Hi - thanks so much for your very detailed reply, this is massively helpful. And apologies for the late response. Partly distraction on other projects, and partly that I don't think I got an email alert for your reply. Either way, thanks again!