(Using version 0.46)

Is it possible to reduce the number of nodes while using the pencil (freehand tool) in inkscape?

Here's my experience:

Using the freehand tool (pencil) with slow drawing motions creates waaay too many nodes. If I draw with a quick motion, there are a reasonable number of nodes created.

Compare this with illustrator's pencil too, which creates a minimal number of nodes whether I draw slowly or quickly.

I'd hoped the smoothing/tolerance setting for the inkscape pencil tool would be the answer for node reduction while drawing slowly, but increasing the smoothing still generates too many nodes with slow drawing motions, albeit with a line that is rounded out and not a precise reproduction of my drawing motion.

There may be a better answer, but I just hit ctrl-L afterwards as many times as I think it's needed.

Hey, thanks Slow Dog. Although, while Control + L does reduce nodes, unfortunately it's at the price of distorting the line. I'd hope to be able to have as few nodes as necessary while keeping the line I initially create.

To achieve that maybe you'd be better off with the Pen tool so you can control each node.

In the development version there i an option for Pencil tool to increase or decrease smoothing, greater smoothing gives less nodes. Try a dev version, you can have both Inkscape versions installed at the same time.

Dan Heywood wrote:Control + L does reduce nodes, unfortunately it's at the price of distorting the line.

You can control how aggressive the simply function is in your Inkscape Preferences by changing the Simplifications Threshold value. Unfortunately, the threshold you need depends on the complexity of the object your are simplifying--so you may find yourself changing that value per-object you simplify.