This is a read-only archive of the inkscapeforum.com site. You can search for info here or post new questions and comments at Hi there everyone.
I'm a new member here, but I have been playing around with inkscape for well over 12 months and its just a cracking programme! I mainly used it to draw up plans for model airplanes. Nowadays I am looking to use inkscape to draw up a DXF (useing the DXF R12 plugin) file to be imported into CNC software to plot and then also cut out components.
So to my first question regarding drawing a line to plot out a solid shape (drawn with a pen mounted on the machine.)
Is there a quick way (I can do it long hand but its a little tedious!) to draw an irregular shape filled with a series of parallel lines spaced approx 1mm apart joined at alternate ends to create a single continuous line, sort of zigzag with squre ends?
Does anyone make out what I mean?
I can try to attach a sketch if its not clear.
Sometimes I confuse myself! lol
ATB,
Lee.
Newbie, struggling....
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Oooops, I did that without even logging in!
I guess I have a lot to learn!
Thanx again for any help!
Lee.
I guess I have a lot to learn!
Thanx again for any help!
Lee.
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Hi!
I am not sure why you need sqare ends, and i am not sure how to produce those. If it is alright to have ends that parrot the irregular shape, i have a solution (although i am not sure whether it already qualifies as "quick") - Make a template zig-zag module (1 stroke down, one right, one down, one left), clone and tile this, to make a zig zag that is longer than any shape you will use. Make sure the tiles are positioned one below the other to form one continuous line. Mark them all. 'Weld' them (Strg++). Now draw the zig-zag to be as broad as you need it to be, position it under the shape in question and do a Strg+*. Voila.
I am not sure why you need sqare ends, and i am not sure how to produce those. If it is alright to have ends that parrot the irregular shape, i have a solution (although i am not sure whether it already qualifies as "quick") - Make a template zig-zag module (1 stroke down, one right, one down, one left), clone and tile this, to make a zig zag that is longer than any shape you will use. Make sure the tiles are positioned one below the other to form one continuous line. Mark them all. 'Weld' them (Strg++). Now draw the zig-zag to be as broad as you need it to be, position it under the shape in question and do a Strg+*. Voila.
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Try adjusting the grid to 1mm and just use Bezier tool to snap to grid to get parallel and orthogonal parts, should go quite quickly.
just hand over the chocolate and nobody gets hurt
Inkscape Manual on Floss
Inkscape FAQ
very comprehensive Inkscape guide
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook - 109 recipes to learn and explore Inkscape - with SVG examples to download
Inkscape Manual on Floss
Inkscape FAQ
very comprehensive Inkscape guide
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook - 109 recipes to learn and explore Inkscape - with SVG examples to download
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Thanx for the ideas so far, I'll try anything once! I have attached a file (not to scale) just to give an idea of what i'm chasing to do here! The red line in the lower image would not be used and is just to give the idea of a shape that may be used.
Thanx again for the swift input!
Lee.
Thanx again for the swift input!
Lee.
- Attachments
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- Filled Shape.svg
- (10.22 KiB) Downloaded 213 times
Re: Newbie, struggling....
The lower of the two looks like you filled it by hand (the lines are not parallel throughout) - with the method i outlined & prkos' way of getting the lines perfect to begin with, you should be able to make it work.
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EarlyBlake
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:42 pm
Re: Newbie, struggling....
I'm not sure snap will help unless you are going at straight up and down in the regular grid or at a nice even angle in an axonometric grid. If you are going to use snap to grid you will need to rotate the outline you are following so it the lines you are drawing follow the grid type you choose. The new developers version has snap to path intersection. I tried it seems to be working. If you have an out line you want to draw your zig zaggie path over. You can make custom lines to snap to. Draw a simple straight up and down path, then duplicate as needed then distribute using the Align and Distribute dialog. Set the horizontal offset to what you need. That is from the 03/12/09 build for windows. Do a group or combine on the spaced lines and rotate then to the angle you need.
To make square ends, use a duplicate of the grid line perpendicular to each other. The snapping will be harder.
If you don't want to use the developers version you can do a kludge up. Make the spaced line segments. Then combined them and do a cut of the out line you want to follow. Then do a combine on the cut path. There will now be nodes on that out line that you can snap to, but you wont be able to see them. Duplicate the new path and do an effects visualize path number nodes set the font size to zero and the dot size to something small. Now you can see what you are aiming at. When you hot a corner holding down the control key will make the segment you are drawing snap to an angle set in inkscape preferences shift control P > steps. You can probably use that to get the angle you want.
To make square ends, use a duplicate of the grid line perpendicular to each other. The snapping will be harder.
If you don't want to use the developers version you can do a kludge up. Make the spaced line segments. Then combined them and do a cut of the out line you want to follow. Then do a combine on the cut path. There will now be nodes on that out line that you can snap to, but you wont be able to see them. Duplicate the new path and do an effects visualize path number nodes set the font size to zero and the dot size to something small. Now you can see what you are aiming at. When you hot a corner holding down the control key will make the segment you are drawing snap to an angle set in inkscape preferences shift control P > steps. You can probably use that to get the angle you want.
Last edited by EarlyBlake on Tue Mar 17, 2009 11:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Newbie, struggling....
I just tried my (theoretical) solution, and found, to my astonishment, that it is not as simple: The cloned forms do not form one continuous line , but revert to being neighboring rectangles. Very weird. If i only copy them and position them next to each other manually, it works. I got it to work with cloned forms too, once, but i do not know what i did differently that time; also, in that instance the lines were not 90° angles, but only approaches.
EDIT: Also, do not forget to unlink the clones after cloning otherwise it will not work in any way. (Alt+ Shift+ D)
EDIT: Also, do not forget to unlink the clones after cloning otherwise it will not work in any way. (Alt+ Shift+ D)
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EarlyBlake
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:42 pm
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Ouch the 03/12/09 build is hella unstable in windows 
You'd want to down grade after using it.
Did they revert to rectangles? Or did the intersection/union operations which like to produce closes paths, produce rectangles?
__________
I guess in theory you could take two sets of offset rectangles. Then do a couple of intersection operations to get alternating sections of the outline curve. Then cut them in both open. Finally combine a top piece with an alternate bottom piece to get the zig zag. That is a lot of step that need to go right though. And hope you don't run into any round error or such.
What does Strg stand for? Is that the equivalent of control in windows?
You'd want to down grade after using it.loonquawl wrote:I just tried my (theoretical) solution, and found, to my astonishment, that it is not as simple: The cloned forms do not form one continuous line , but revert to being neighboring rectangles.
Did they revert to rectangles? Or did the intersection/union operations which like to produce closes paths, produce rectangles?
__________
I guess in theory you could take two sets of offset rectangles. Then do a couple of intersection operations to get alternating sections of the outline curve. Then cut them in both open. Finally combine a top piece with an alternate bottom piece to get the zig zag. That is a lot of step that need to go right though. And hope you don't run into any round error or such.
loonquawl wrote:... Mark them all. 'Weld' them (Strg++). Now draw the zig-zag to be as broad as you need it to be, position it under the shape in question and do a Strg+*. Voila.
What does Strg stand for? Is that the equivalent of control in windows?
Last edited by EarlyBlake on Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:29 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Newbie, struggling....
Some great Ideas here guy's. Thanx alot!
I too was struggling with the Strg++ command!
I have managed to do another attempt tonight (see attached file!)
I did this one by actually picking up a few pointers in this thread and also the 'Fringed Flowers' thread, sort of how i did it was make a set of verticals and 1mm spacing and combine path, lay over the triangle outline, cut path, delete excess around triangle, then combine the verticals that make the triangle, join nodes of ends of lines alternately, viola. Does that make sense to anyone? Not exactly a quick way but quite acurate none the less!
Sort of very similar to what EarlyBlake said!
Thanx for the input guys!!
Lee.
PS, thanx for the Alt+shift+d tip! I could not get my clones to combine!!
I too was struggling with the Strg++ command!
I have managed to do another attempt tonight (see attached file!)
I did this one by actually picking up a few pointers in this thread and also the 'Fringed Flowers' thread, sort of how i did it was make a set of verticals and 1mm spacing and combine path, lay over the triangle outline, cut path, delete excess around triangle, then combine the verticals that make the triangle, join nodes of ends of lines alternately, viola. Does that make sense to anyone? Not exactly a quick way but quite acurate none the less!
Sort of very similar to what EarlyBlake said!
Thanx for the input guys!!
Lee.
PS, thanx for the Alt+shift+d tip! I could not get my clones to combine!!
- Attachments
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- Large Triangle Vertical Lines.svg
- (23.55 KiB) Downloaded 201 times
Last edited by leebo on Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Newbie, struggling....
I'm still baffeled by the way the Strg/Ctrl+D (Strg ist short for Steuerung,which is german for 'control') works on the previously clonetiled, then unlinked parts. The same thing on manually positioned parts produces the right result (zig zag) but on cloned parts it produces rectangles. weird.
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EarlyBlake
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:42 pm
Re: Newbie, struggling....
I just made it work with intersection, cut and Strg ++ (combine). It was as a pain in the hinterteile. I dunno if it wouldn't work if it was at an angle. Someone else can try that. It would not have been particle without alt select.
We weren't struggling with anything deep like what unlock clones was. Were did know what the letters stood for.
loonquawl wrote:I'm still baffeled by the way the Strg/Ctrl+D (Strg ist short for Steuerung,which is german for 'control') works on the previously clonetiled, then unlinked parts. The same thing on manually positioned parts produces the right result (zig zag) but on cloned parts it produces rectangles. weird.
We weren't struggling with anything deep like what unlock clones was. Were did know what the letters stood for.