Hi,

I already have made an icon (stop-sign-button) in Inkscape. Now i want to use it on a 3d-box ( similar to the grunge-box-tutorial http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/icon-design/use-inkscape-to-create-a-grunge-rss-box-icon/ )
I applied the envelope transformation but the result looks pretty strange.
In the following picture ( i've also attached the source-file) the black line shape shows the origin as well as the destination shape. The funny bended shape was an inner shadow element if you wonder.
Thanks for your help.

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

In the tutorial, the icon was flat, with no shadows or highlights. Your icon looks like it has a rounded top, because of the shadow and highlight. I think it looks strange with perspective because now it looks like the box has a rounded surface. Note that I haven't loooked at your file yet, though. I'll have a look at it in a few minutes, and add a new reply if I have more comments.

Here are some of the reasons you are having problems with your stop sign.

1. There are several gradients. When you envelope these objects they appear to lose their gradient because the defintion of the gradient is left in the original position. to see this select the new object and switch to the gradient or node tool.
2. One of your objects has a filter and then a transformation applied to it. The envelope extension does not work predictably with transformation attributes, therefore the transform has to be removed, however you cannot remove a transformed filter without removing the filter first...

The solutions - do not use gradient fill until after the envelope extension. Do not filter until after all transformation (scaling etc.) The envelope extension will work on filtered objects but I believe it is both slower and, since it uses the bounding box for the blurred bitmap as a size, also inaccurate; for best results do not blur until after using the extension.

Thx for your answers. But the strange thing is the bended shape which was an inner shadow element and not the gradients. I removed all gradients and applied the envelope transformation again but the result is similar wrong. And in my example transformation all gradients were allright by the way.
It seems that the envelope transformation is just a little bit buggy.
I dont understand the internals of inkscape but the best explanation i could imagine is that the transformation for the shadow element uses a false reference point.
I rebuild the icon with MS Expression Design and applied the envelope transformation without problems.
Indeed strange.

if your envelope path is drawn right around your object the gradients probably will not show any change...

Nagilum wrote:But the strange thing is the bended shape which was an inner shadow element

This is the only element that has a filter and a transform (look in the xml - edit menu) that is causing the distortion.
I am glad you got it to work in mS ED, if your needs don't go beyond that program's capabilities it should be a good choice

~suv wrote:Hmm - the original example file does use the live Path Effect 'Envelope Deformation' on a group of paths, not the extension 'Modify Path > Envelope'…

~suv, as always you have cut straight to the heart of the matter! All my comments were directed to the use of the extension, not the LPE! sorry, everyone!