Hi, I am attempting to create two lines and constrain them to be parallel. As far as I am aware there is no way to do this as Inkscape is not a CAD program.
However is there a way to create two parallel guidelines? I recently learned how to create an angled guide from this page:
http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entr ... -beginners
Now I would like to either copy/paste my angled guide or create another angled guide and constrain it parallel to the first.
Are either of these two ideas possible?
Thanks

Hi.

You can convert objects to paths by pressing Shift+G.
By drawing a 2 noded straight path segment with the pen tool /snapping its nodes to the desired guide lines/nodes with the node tool,
you can convert duplicants (Ctrl+D) of it to guide lines and pull them to position -snap again to nodes.
This way you can create parallel -and perpendicular, mirrored, etc.- guides easily.

Another approach to set up angled guides by a given angle is by double clicking the guide line and typing in the values
-but as the tutorial showed freehand rotation in the first place, the match may not be exact.

Great stuff here, thank you. I did not know you could convert objects to paths, I'll have to try that.
I also read up on copy/clone duplicate here:
http://booki.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/ ... duplicate/

Lazur URH wrote:You can convert objects to paths by pressing Shift+G.

What does it mean to convert an object to a path? If I wanted a circular guideline for instance, could I create one by drawing a circle and pressing Shift+G? It seems to me that this just creates a guideline tangential to the circle...
Can guides only be straight continuous lines or can shapes be used as guides as well?
Thanks

Guide lines are straight lines. So you can make the most use of that Shift+G feature with paths of straight segments.
Shapes cannot be converted to guide lines that way.

But on an other hand, you can use paths as guides thanks to the snapping features -snap nodes to path segments and intersections.

I haven't quite been following this thread. I used to have headaches about making parallel lines that weren't perfectly horizontal or vertical. But then one day, it dawned on me (duh!). Just draw one line, and duplicate it, and move it over! Snapping can be used for alignment, but the lines are parallel automatically.