Join nodes on all corners in a drawing

[jim cubie]

I am working on a drawing with about 30 places that I want good corners. I have made this drawing with pencil lines so Inkscape does not automatically make clean corners.  I have figured out that if I select the 2 nodes on the corner and click on the "combine nodes" button that it makes a good corner.  Clicking on the "make corner" button does not seem to work

Is there anyway I can select the entire drawing and tell it to make all the corners clean by clicking on " combine nodes" once? rather than going corner by corner.  By "clean" I mean that if they are at a right angle, there is a right angle corner in which the 2 lines making the corner are joined and if it is a place were two lines join at some other angle (like a triangle)  that they become pointed.

Many thanks for all of your help.

[brynn]

Hi Jim

I'm guessing the "make corner" button you're referring to is "Make selected nodes corner" button.  This changes the node type to a corner (or also known as cusp node).  I think I explained about different kinds of nodes to you previously, somewhere.  So it's about changing the type of node, rather than joining nodes together.

You can select the nodes all at once, and join them all at once, ONLY

 -- if all the nodes involved are the End Nodes
 -- they are precisely on top of each other
 -- they are already located where you want the corner to be

Snapping can be extremely helpful with getting the nodes precisely on top of each other, and precisely where you want the corner to be.

There are ways to draw the paths from the start, where most of the nodes are already joined.....

I wonder if you had considered using a CAD program, when you first started on this project?  I know you've spent a lot of time learning Inkscape.  But I think a CAD program might work in a way which fits your style better.  As far as I understand, you can set the length of a line while you are drawing it.  I'm sure there must be some free CAD programs around.

The reason I mention that, is because it seems like the reason you need to join nodes in the corner, is because you need the lines in a specific length.  And for the ways I referred to for drawing the path with the corners already connected, it makes it more complicated if the lines need to be a specific length (with Inkscape).

In any case, Snapping can be helpful.  I'll try to make a video for you.

[brynn]

(View at full screen for best results.)

Here's one way you can make your line lengths specific, and also draw with the Pen/Bezier tool, to make the nodes automatically connected.  In the video, I used Guides.  But you could set up a grid for snapping instead, if you prefer (Document Properties > Grids tab).

Also, you'll see I circled the Snap control bar on the right edge of the window.  Snapping is a sophisticated feature, which takes some times to learn.  But you can set up your Snap bar just like mine, to do this job. 

(For future reference, it's best to only have the snap options that you need, for the particular task at hand.  If you have all the options enable, Inkscape will try to snap to everything in sight, which is really very hard to control.  So for newbies, I always suggest only having what you need enabled.)

There's one difference you'll see on your canvas.  Normally, I don't keep the snap notification visible.  (Too lazy to make the video again  )  But they are visible by default.  So when you click to place the node, you'll see a very small bit of text, that says.....I think it's going to say "node to guide intersection".  Even if your mouse is not precisely on the intersection, Inkscape will snap the new node right to it.  If you don't see the notification, or the notification doesn't say what you meant to snap to, then it's not on the intersection.

In Document Properties > Snap you can set what distance you want for snapping.  Although I really think of it more as the strength of the snap, than the distance.  If you set Always Snap, it makes a very strong snap from further away.  If you set let's say for 10, you have to get closer, and it's harder to notice when the snap happens.

The other important thing to notice, when I switched to the Pen tool, notice that small white box on the beginning of the arch path.  When you place the Pen tool in that box, it turns red to indicate you're in the proper position to continue the path.  Click once in the box.  Then move down to the first guides intersection, and then on until you're back to the end of the arch path.

Again, it's very important to click in the white box (which turns red when the mouse is in the proper position.  Just click once.

Now you have 5 nodes creating the window shape, and they're all connected.  I filled it with gray, to show that they are connected.  Although if my mouse was not in the box when I started or finished, the window still would have been filled, mostly.  However, it's really better to ensure closed paths, whenever possible (for reasons that you might not need yet).

[Moini]

Have you tried selecting all the paths and, using the node tool, clicking on the button that says 'Join selected nodes'? You describe something very similar, but perhaps this hasn't worked for you?

It is going to merge every pair of selected nodes that are close to each other, and only have one other node connected to each of them, into a single node.

Does it create deformations?

[brynn]

I think the problem is that he's been drawing single straight segments with the Pencil tool, without snapping.  He needs the segments to be a specific length, as far as I remember.  So the end nodes are not lining up where he wants the corners to be.

So as I explained, it can be done all at once.  But based on the previous files he's shown us, it would mess up his careful measurements, to do it all at once, without some changes in the process.  Thus my suggestion to switch to the Pen tool.

[brynn]

Actually, there is a way to continue using the Pencil tool, and still make the lines a specific length, and have the 3 right angle corners automatically connected.  But there will always have to be separate step to connect the curved top, using the Pencil tool.  I still would suggest switching to the Pen tool and learn to use snapping, though.

[flamingolady]

I find that by highlighting the corner node and a few of the closest nodes, then double clicking on the corner node, that it 'fixes' the corner nicely and quickly, because it pulls the handles back in, so the line doesn't bulge anymore. I wish corner nodes would automatically not have any handles showing, they seems to always cause issues.  I personally don't like drawing with the pencil as Brynn says, it's just not as good at making lines and corners.

[jim cubie]

1.  Many thanks for the help.
2.  I have used nodes snapping for a long time
3.  Your suggestion that I learn a different CAD program is interesting.  I use inkscape in part because cricut like svg files, however it likes very clean corners or it won't cut the corner perfectly and I have to cut them with a hobby knife.
4.  I'm going to take a look at freecad.

[brynn]

Oh, I forgot about the SVG requirement.  Then you are probably still better off with Inkscape.  Certainly this can be done with Inkscape.  It's just a matter of learning the right way.

But just let us know whenever we can help.