Hi Friends,
I first heard about Ponyscape (which a derivative of Inkscape) a year or 2 ago, and thought it was just under developement. But I just happened across their deviantART homepage http://ponyscape-vectors.deviantart.com/ and found downloads available. (There is a ponyscape.org, but not open yet.)

Of course I had to download and try it. And guess what I found? A gradient mesh tool!! I'm still looking for some kind of guide or tutorial. But just clicking around, it seems to work, at least partially!

How awesome is that?!!

Can it be used to link an other object in a live way?
In my humble opinion gradient meshes without that feature is painful to work with.
Nor would they handle problems like drawing a knot or a siple loop with them -I'm wondering what it renders for those.


Edit:

• Adhere as close as possible to the SVG 1.1 standard, but don't let this get in the way of the previously listed goals

Now that is the main thing that should be worked on.
Sticking with svg just because it is supported by current browsers, or to come up with a really cutting edge format that won't be rendered there.

It's not just the gradient mesh. It adds more Live Path Effect, and Object Navigator, and some other stuff.
It seems that future objective is to create a new SVG-Vector-drawing program, and not just a fork of Inkscape

Great job!





Allthough I like the result, I don't like that My Little Pony Cult

May I quote my post from Inkscapecommunity on my idea of gradient meshes (yes, promoting):

Lazur wrote:Made an example image of what I'm thinking gradient meshes should be made for, but are working in a way that's far beyond:



This is an svg that was made by about 950 objects (doubled the numbers of the necessary objects for the original effect, to blend colours with blurring).
It was made with a cloned path with 12 nodes, and resulting in 11400 nodes in total, while only a portion of the fill value is making up the final picture.
And, as they are clones, you can change not only the gradient's steps, but even the direction/shape of it, making each complex gradient appear on the ring in a live way.

By gradient meshes you cannot define how the interpolation steps between defined colours follow eachother -the exact shape of those, as far as I know.
But you definitely cannot change all the colours of an existing gradient mesh, in a precise manner, all at once.
Like changing a texture on a 3D model, previously unwrapped.
In 3D -blender for example- you unwrap a 3D model, create a layout from the unwrapped faces, then can map a simple image exactly as that uv layout.
Then can change the image used. Can even use videos on 3D shape's surfaces.
How could that be, in 3D such idea works like a charm, while 2D lacks the possibilities?

I cannot imagine if svg would get to the point when browsers could render them right with a fine solution for such images.

DeviantArt lacks a "no pony" options in search tools. :\

Hmm...interesting.

Correction.

Ponyscape 0.4 patched, which appears to be the current stable version, does not have the gradient mesh tool. Although it does have a Measurement tool!

I had initially downloaded the "Super Ultra Beta", which is the one with gradient mesh. And it looks like it's only available for Windows.

Sorry if this is stupid question, but I don't know how this things works.
The question is: why ponyscape is not in launchpad?


Ponny

Well, Launchpad is Inkscape's bug tracker. Other software developers also use Launchpad, and have their own accounts there. Inkscape used to use the facilties at Sourceforge, for bug tracking, but moved over to Launchpad several years ago. And I'm sure there are other sites similar to Launchpad, that provide bug tracking services.

I guess the people who are building Ponyscape, just use a different way to handle bugs. I notice on their homepage at dA (http://ponyscape-vectors.deviantart.com/) they have a group of members called "Beta Testers" and another group called "Ponyscape Power Users". (Beta testing is like looking for bugs in new versions of software, before it gets released to public.) My guess would be because this project has very few developers, they must communicate either privately, or they use some other bug tracking system.

I'm sure they would welcome input from more people. Since I don't visit dA very much, I'm not sure how members communicate with each other. But there must be some way to contact members. I would try to contact either the Lead Developer, or one of the Beta Testers, and ask how you can participate.

Maybe they will have a forum on their new website? I don't know. But I'd say that dA page would be the best place to start, to learn how they handle bugs.