Can't get the Envelope Deformation LPE to cooperate.

[VinLAURiA]

warpproblems.png
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This is something I've been wrestling with for a while. Whenever I try to use Envelope Deformation, it always ends up being a disaster. The way I'd expect this to work is like the normal Envelope LPE with the added benefit of being able to curve the sides. As in, warping the left and right edges of the bounding box or top and bottom edges would change the contents relative to those edges. Sort of like using the Interpolation extension with the paths of the two opposite edges to create a smooth transition from one shape to the other in the steps between.

The problem is that the extension loves to "squish" things alongside the perpendicular axis whenever I attempt this, resulting in weird stretchy shapes. Now, I've heard of and used workarounds to get it to sort of do what I want, but even then I can only use it along one axis only and have to turn off one of the pairs of edges. Using it for all four edges makes the results completely unusable with how warped they get.


warpproblems2.png
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The functionality of this tool seems completely broken in this regard. I can't actually use it whenever I try.

[Moini]

Maybe try the same with the grid deformation lpe. If you drag the nodes stricly horizontally/vertically and use a guide to align them (manually, snapping doesn't work - but you can also adjust the numbers, when you know which one is which) to identical position in x / y, it looks like you want it:

(Edit: or use the Bezier envelope extension, that should work, too, didn't test with this one, though https://github.com/shlomif/Bezier-Envelope-for-Inkscape)

[brynn]

Yes, Bezier Envelope extension should work.  Here are instructions for installing an extension:  https://inkscape.org/learn/faq/#how-install-new-extensions-palettes-document-templates-symbol-sets-icon-sets-etc

[VinLAURiA]

Bezier Envelope isn't a LPE and doesn't work with groups, which is what I'm trying to deform (although the results are pretty accurate even if they take a long time for it to finish applying). Lattice Deformation doesn't seem to work right with the coordinates I put in either; I'm using a similar pincushion shape to the one in the second example above, and putting the lattice knots at the same points on the curved grid I made the pincushion shape from (two axes of interpolating curved lines), it ends up ballooning outwards at the middle of the edges rather than the corners.

[brynn]

Are you restricted to using groups or LPEs?  Could you use a compound path instead (Path menu > Combine)?  Or is there some reason why an extension can't be used?

I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean about a pincushion shape.  I've seen pincushions in countless different shapes....but mostly they are roundish, or maybe something like a mushroom cap.  Or rectangular - I've seen sort of wrist cuffs or bracelet with a pincushion attached to it, for seamstresses.

In much older versions of Inkscape, there is a functionality called "node sculpting" that could possibly be used for this.  Recent versions of Inkscape also have node sculpting, but the recent versions they've changed the sculpt behavior from acting like a rubber band (each node moves a tiny but further than the last node) to acting like a bell curve (each node moves a tiny bit further from the last, up until a point, when each node starts moving a tiny bit less than the last).  To me, the bell curve behavior is useless.  I've asked to have it restored to the original behavior, or at least optional, but so far, I haven't seen it happen.

If you'd like to test, out of curiosity -- to use node scupting, use the Node tool.  Select several nodes (on either a single path or a compound path), hold the Alt key, grab one node and drag.  Then you can see the effect happening as you drag.  And just stop dragging when you're happy with it.  I don't know, maybe you'd like, or find some use for the bell curve type of effect?