Hi,

So far this forum has been able to find solutions where I could not.
So I'm going to keep asking.

Today's issue is with Cloned Tiles.
Let's look at a small example:

Top left is the original, the 'pin wheel' is made up of 6 Cloned Tiles.
I have found 2 methods for Cloning more than one object at the same time:

Select + Group
Select + Object -> Path + Path Combine

Works great, any node tweaks I perform on the original are immediately copied to all 6 clones.


The problem is that neither method allows me to easily add a third swirl to the original.


The only option I have found is:

- Delete the 6 cloned tiles
- Group (or Combine) the new swirl with the previous original
- Manually drag the rotation point to where I had it before
- Create the cloned tiles again

That would be workable in the given 'simple' example, but if I have a second generation of Clones it becomes cumbersome.
In the example below, my original is:

Cloned as a mirrored pair with a shift
One clone is manually repositioned
the pair is then cloned for times with a shift and a rotation.

In this second example the steps required to add a third swirl are significant. It would now take me 2min to add a new swirl to my design, as I would need to reset the details in 3 tabs of the Create Cloned Tiles tool twice.


Is there an easier / different way to get there?
Ideally I would be able to clone an "area" and anything I draw in this area is shown in my clones.
This would allow me to gauge the visual balance of my design at every step, rather than working on just the original while imagining what the final outcome will look like.

Hi.


If you clone a group of object, you can add new object to the parent group.
For instance draw the new swirl, cut it (Ctrl+X),
enter the parent group (by double clicking or Ctrl+Enter)
paste in place (Ctrl+Alt+V).

Then remember to exit the group (Ctrl+Backspace or selecting anything outside the group).


Cloning a group can be handy indeed -you can combine paths (Ctrl+K) inside-.
On a side note, if you enter the parent group and reposition all objects at once, all the clones will be translated too.
While moving the group doesn't have that effect.

Thank you Lazur.

That does indeed solve the problem.
Double Clicking on a group = Edit group. (now I know)
After the double click, anything I draw is part of the group and the clones, it's perfect

Click-away = end group edit.

Thank you!

You are welcome!

My number one tip for using Inkscape is to keep an eye on the status bar at the bottom. There's a popup there that shows you what layer is active - but when you're in a group it shows the ID of the group instead (it usually starts with "#g..."). This makes it easy to see when you're in a group and any new elements will be added to it, or if you've come out of the group back to the main layers.

You can also have groups within groups (within groups within groups...).

Take a look at part 8 of my tutorial series for more details and tips for working with groups.