Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

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lightmare
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:29 am

Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby lightmare » Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:01 am

Hello. I'm new to Inkscape and this forum, but I'm enjoying the software. I'm designing a basic protractor, and after arranging 5 degree lines all the way around a semicircle, I decided I wanted to add 1 degree increments between the 5 degree lines using tiny lines just inside the edge of the semi-circle. I drew a tiny line, made it highest in level, then selected the semicircle object and made it a path. I selected the extension "Generate from Path: Scatter" and experimented with it. The selections that eventually nearly worked were: "follow path orientation" "stretch spaces to fit skeleton length" "space between copies=1" "normal offset=3". The only problem is that the tiny 1 degree lines were not uniformly pointing to the hub of the protractor. It appears as though the software told the lines to be randomly wiggled slightly off of the direct line to the hub and also not perfectly uniform at the top of each line where it intersects with the semicircle. They're very close to correct but not close enough.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Jeff

Polygon
Posts: 393
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:27 am

Re: Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby Polygon » Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:04 pm

Hi.
I´m not sure if the result in the end counts or you´re just testing the tools.
For a protractor I´d use the star tool and delete&cut what I don´t need from that:
protractor.jpg
protractor.jpg (47.96 KiB) Viewed 1037 times


Cheers

lightmare
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:29 am

Re: Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby lightmare » Sun Jul 08, 2018 1:22 am

Interesting! Yes, the 180 lines in the protractor would have to be spaced in precise 1 degree increments. I haven't used the star tool yet. I'll learn it later today. Except for the line lengths, your picture is what I'm going for. It looks like an even distribution all pointing down to the guide intersection hub.

lightmare
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:29 am

Re: Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby lightmare » Sun Jul 08, 2018 2:10 am

Thanks for the suggestion to use the start tool. It almost works but somehow misses slightly. I just tried it with 360 spokes, and it looks great but sadly isn't accurate enough. Here's a screen shot showing guides at 0,15,30,45,60,75, and 90 degrees. You can see how from 0 degrees to 15 degrees I get almost but not quite 15 hash marks. As the marks continue up to 90 degrees it becomes more obvious that they aren't placed properly. So still trying to figure out the best way. Any ideas?

StarToolProtractor1.jpg
StarToolProtractor1.jpg (150.49 KiB) Viewed 969 times

Moini
Posts: 3381
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2015 10:44 am

Re: Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby Moini » Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:38 am

If there weren't the extension that creates dials, I'd use tiled clones.

Dial extension:
https://github.com/brathering82/inkscape

Tiled clones for circular arrangement:
e.g. http://www.chrishilbig.com/spin-with-cr ... ed-clones/
Something doesn't work? - Keeping an eye on the status bar can save you a lot of time!

Inkscape FAQ - Learning Resources - Website with tutorials (German and English)

lightmare
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:29 am

Re: Generate from Path, Scatter without deformation?

Postby lightmare » Sun Jul 08, 2018 8:23 am

Thank you, Moini. That solves my problem. The tiled clones rotation worked beautifully. Here's a screen shot showing that the guides at 15 degree increments line up perfectly with each set of 15 hash marks.

Tiled Clones Rotation.jpg
Tiled Clones Rotation.jpg (159.29 KiB) Viewed 969 times


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