I'm new here so I wanted to say hello to everybody!

I was watching some video tutorials dedicated for Adobe Illustrator application and I've found something very interesting for me. Mainly, an author of this video was creating a simple illustration in that way the ends of contour lines were overlapping. Then, after applying a few operations (like "Expand appearance" and so on) he was able to remove the unwanted parts of contour lines. Here is the exact moment of this video when the magic happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFj47YD-5rQ&feature=youtu.be&t=628.

So I would like to ask you gents if it is possible to achieve something similar using Inkscape? I'm pretty sure it can be done by duplication of paths and logical operations, but what would be the simplest approach?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Yes, it's possible to remove overlapping paths in Inkscape.

I would use Path menu > Cut Path. Or in some cases, Path menu > Difference or Intersection or Division might be more appropriate.

It might not be so simple in every file. So we might need to see the SVG file to give specific steps. (For example, a clone would have to be converted to a path, before you could do that. A group might have to be ungrouped. A compound path might need to be broken apart into smaller pieces. Etc. etc.)

Seems you didn´t watch the video. It´s about kind of vector eraser tool which Inkscape didn´t offer in a rudimentarily form.
AI´s shape builder tool is hard to match.

Cheers
P.

Hello. Thank you all for your responses!

The only way I see to do it in a similar way is presented here: https://gfycat.com/LikableMinorEgg
Basically this process should be repeated twice in every node. Do you see any chance to speed it up?

I can't tell exactly what that 2nd video is doing, because I can't read that language. I'm also not sure what you mean by "twice in every node".

If the path has a variable width, as it appears in both videos (I notice in the 2nd video, they used Spiro Spline mode), you would first have to convert it back to a regular path (Path menu > Object to Path). If you're going to use another variable width path to cut the first one, both will need to be converted.

Path menu > Object to Path
Then select both.
Path menu > Cut Path
Delete the unwanted pieces.

As we often find with Inkscape everyone has their own personal preference, and so someone else might offer a different solution. But essentially, they all do the same thing. As I said before, in certain situations, you might save a step (the step to delete the unwanted parts) by using Difference or Intersection or Division.

I can't think of a faster or easier way. Maybe someone else can?

Note that Inkscape is not being developed as a free replacement for AI. The 2 programs don't work the same way, and Inkscape never will be developed to work the same way, except by coincidence.

The only other way I can think to do it, would be to either drag the nodes of the path, or draw them so that they don't overlap in the first place. I guess it depends on your particiular, specific, unique situation, which would be better.