Post by: brynn on October 19, 2017, 08:07:23 AM
Over the last few months, I've heard more and more questions about the possibility of using Inkscape for machine embroidery. It seems there are a lot of bits and pieces around, although few if any work with the current stable version of Inkscape (0.92.2) afaik. But I wanted to try and pull it all together into one place - mostly so I don't have to run around gathering all the info, every time someone asks.
So I'm just going to start a list, and if others can help fill in the gaps, especially if you know which version of Inkscape the various extensions work with, it would be helpful. (Some of these may be the same thing under a different name.) I don't think any of them were ever fully fledged embroidery programs. As far as I understand, they all lack the digitizing component. But they prepare the Inkscape file to be converted or digitized. In no particular order:
https://github.com/stesie/inkscape-embroidery (known not to work in Inkscape 0.48.3 on Unbuntu 12.04)
https://github.com/garfieldkass/embroidery
http://www.jonh.net/~jonh/inkscape-embroidery/
https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery
This isn't really an Inkscape extension, but provides tutorials for using Inkscape to prepare the needed files, and offers to convert uploaded SVG files to embroidery files. http://svg2embr.wasbo.net/index.php
There is some good news on the horizon, which might make all of that moot. Someone has been working on, as far as I know, a fully fledged embroidery tool. This mailing list thread is where the author has been getting help from Inkscape developers: https://sourceforge.net/p/inkscape/mailman/message/34888776 Skipping to the last message there, it sounds like the last hurdle has been jumped, and all that's needed now is to code it all out (that's my simple understanding). It sounds like part of it could be availabe sooner than the whole thing (sounds like it might be hung up awaiting developers review?) (merge requests). But it seems unclear when it might become available for users.
Post by: Moini on October 19, 2017, 03:34:10 PM
Post by: brynn on October 22, 2017, 04:58:03 AM
I think ha1flosse has noted that it has some problems: http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&p=100096&sid=f7303afbfe7af0898850e383a88a5ff1#p101696
Post by: Moini on October 22, 2017, 06:49:46 PM
Post by: Moini on October 22, 2017, 06:53:59 PM
I wonder is sergstetsuk the same as lexelby? ha1flosse was reporting to / about the extension by sergstetsuk...
Post by: brynn on October 22, 2017, 09:22:56 PM
Maybe ha1flosse knows?
Off-Topic: show
Meanwhile, as SMF is open source sw, I'm advocating (https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=460049.msg3945748#msg3945748) for a fixed or better mod. Not much else I could do but offer to test.Post by: brynn on October 25, 2017, 07:52:38 PM
https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery
Post by: Moini on October 26, 2017, 03:10:00 PM
Post by: brynn on November 14, 2017, 06:21:20 AM
Post by: brynn on November 14, 2017, 08:29:09 AM
From ha1flosse's topic which displays his recent work, he wrote this, to help someone else get started:
Quote
choose the package you want to use - 2.7. or 3.4, download the file and click to install python:
Python 2.7 for Win 64bit
https://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.7.14/python-2.7.14.amd64.msi
Python 3.4 for Win 64bit
https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.4.1/python-3.4.1.amd64.msi
/break/
It's my understanding that Inkscape installs python for its own use, and that a separate installation of phython is not necessary. Is there something different about this extension, which requires Python to be installed separately?
If so, how does one decide which version to get?
After that, he tells about installing the Shapely module:Quoteafter the installation is finished, choose the python package you need regarding the python version you previously installed:
Python Shapely 1.4.0 for Windows 64bit and Python 2.7 - Installer
https://pypi.python.org/packages/9b/9f/1a9c26b8e8a2f74fe3bc97c560ce80cecef09291776f7d8e6d8172d8632e/Shapely-1.4.0.win-amd64-py2.7.exe#md5=38aad844178d3aa78065cae51849d3ca
Python Shapely 1.4.0 for Windows 64bit and Python 3.4 - Installer
https://pypi.python.org/packages/73/f4/61ae7814edef3d9711b9ecae3cc4ad76c4be049151dc315525d308f80e5d/Shapely-1.4.0.win-amd64-py3.4.exe#md5=6dd955382488f3bb3477e269360a210d
click the downloaded file to install it. then start inkscape and the extension should work correctly.
In case I'm correct, that Inkscape already contains all the python it needs, then which version of Shapely should be installed? Hah! Think I just found the answer on my own. It looks like Inkscape 0.92.2 uses Python 2.7. Correct? (....so python is a library? thought was more....thought was a programming language)
Download :
- https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery
- Python and/or Shapely module (will make a link when the correct version is confirmed)
Install:
- instructions for installing the extension (https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#how-install-new-extensions-palettes-document-templates-symbol-sets-icon-sets-etc)
- Python and/or Shapely module -- On Windows, navigate to where you have Inkscape installed (probably C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86)) find Inkscape\lib\Python2.7 and....
Ok, I need some help here. Will Shapely need to be unpacked somewhere else, and pasted here, or installed directly into this folder? (my own attempt to install) (https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php?topic=790.msg5818#msg5818)
Post by: lexelby on November 14, 2017, 10:03:39 AM
First off, no, I am not the same as sergstetsuk. Here's how things played out:
- ages ago, jonh made this, a very basic extension that could do simple satin and fills: http://www.jonh.net/~jonh/inkscape-embroidery/ (http://www.jonh.net/~jonh/inkscape-embroidery/)
- github user stesie uploaded that code and made some modifications: https://github.com/stesie/inkscape-embroidery (https://github.com/stesie/inkscape-embroidery)
- I "forked" (made a copy of) stesie's code and made a ton of modifications: https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery (https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery)
- sergstetsuk forked mine (I think, maybe stesie's) and made their own modifications: https://github.com/sergstetsuk/inkscape-embroidery (https://github.com/sergstetsuk/inkscape-embroidery)
- sergstetsuk made a few changes to their copy and suggested I merge them into mine, which I chose not to do: https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aclosed+author%3Asergstetsuk (https://github.com/lexelby/inkscape-embroidery/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aclosed+author%3Asergstetsuk)
I've changed the code so much that I've touched nearly every line of it at some point. Features I've added:
- satin column: zig-zag stitching between two paths that are not necessarily parallel, with a high degree of control over how the stitching works
- enhanced fill: fill stitching used to be spaced randomly, resulting in weird divots and troughs. I rewrote the code to space the stitches evenly, staggering successive rows to make a nice fill pattern.
- params: you can set options (implemented as additional properties in the SVG XML that inkscape itself ignores) controlling how a given object is stitched out, including zig-zag spacing, fill spacing, pull compensation, and a ton of others.
- params dialog: a GUI that lets you view and edit the embroidery parameters easily and includes editable presets
- auto-fill: jonh's code did its best to break fill areas into sections and then do those sections in an order that reduced jump stitches. It only sort of worked, it was slow, and it often put jump stitches all over. My algorithm avoids jump stitches and can fill an entire complex region automatically.
Post by: brynn on November 14, 2017, 06:08:09 PM
I bought a home sewing machine back in the....mmm, mid to late 80s! It was some off-brand. It was supposed to do embroidery, but I never could make it work. The most I could get out of it was a zipzag stitch. And that machine is a piece of crap, compared to my mom's 1950s era Singer, which still works perfectly! Perfectly, no exaggeration!
Sigh! I yearn for the day when people took pride in building quaility products, especially machines. Maybe when the human culture has used up enough resources, they'll start to make things that last longer, once again.
Post by: Moini on November 15, 2017, 04:20:48 AM
Post by: lexelby on December 06, 2017, 12:05:43 PM
I added captions that explain what I'm doing and why the heck I'm doing it. :)
Post by: Moini on December 06, 2017, 01:01:22 PM