Help drawing basic knots

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neverusedinkscape
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:56 pm

Help drawing basic knots

Postby neverusedinkscape » Wed Oct 29, 2014 12:08 am

Hi,

I have absolutely no idea where to start, I've never used any drawing program other than ms paint when I was in primary school (please don't laugh at me :oops: haha).

I'm doing a project on knot theory and need to draw basic knots like the trefoil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trefoil_kn ... t_left.svg) etc, I just don't know what on earth I'm doing, where would I start?!

Thanks for any help at all.
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hulf2012
Posts: 716
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:37 pm

Re: Help drawing basic knots

Postby hulf2012 » Wed Oct 29, 2014 1:16 am

Welcome

If you don't know nothing about Inkscape first learn:
the Inkscape Guide

About your specific problem , it would help to learn about
Extensions
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... sions.html

Live Path Effect
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... fects.html

check this for graphing your trefoil, just using the equations that appears on wikipedia:

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... ionPlotter

If you want to simulate the appearance of knots:

Attachments
trefoil knot.svg
See this example
(9.62 KiB) Downloaded 229 times
If you have problems:
1.- Post a sample (or samples) of your file please.
2.- Please check here:
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/index.html
3.- If you manage to solve your problem, please post here your solution.
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Lazur
Posts: 4717
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:38 am

Re: Help drawing basic knots

Postby Lazur » Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:59 am

Welcome aboard!


Drawing knots? Where did I saw that, hmm... oh it was at the end of the manual, at the challenges.

Worry not, it's not that complicated to replicate. First, get used to the basics with the pen/Bezier tool and the node editor I would suggest.
Ms paint curves rely on the same structure.

related reading:

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Paths-Creating.html#Paths-Bezier

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Paths-Editing.html#Paths-Editing-Node


To draw knots, stroked paths with no fill is good for a start.
After that the z-ordering of the objects can be adjusted and you will have a knot already.
There are some possibilities with the artistic rendering, once you have got the shapes right.

svg example (non-knot)
exported png from it

diffuse filtered trefoil knot example


By the way, do you have a good source on decorative knot works, similar to the "discipline" logos?
http://web.mclink.it/MI9809/graphix-vart/images/discipline_pshop.jpg and http://seeklogo.com/images/D/discipline-global-mobile-logo-78CF593A1F-seeklogo.com.gif
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Janne
Posts: 228
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Help drawing basic knots

Postby Janne » Wed Oct 29, 2014 5:41 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxnHQAo6Sc
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neverusedinkscape
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2014 11:56 pm

Re: Help drawing basic knots

Postby neverusedinkscape » Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:15 am

Hi,

Thanks for all replies, I found that youtube tutorial myself but can't work out how I would make more complicated knots.

I'm a final year University student trying to write my dissertation on Knot Theory for a mathematics degree, so I don't have an awful lot of time to spend learning to use inkscape as I have plenty of work on my plate already!

Also, I'm running inkscape on a mac and hoping to use my images in LyX (if I can get to grips with that too).
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