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Author Topic: First experience, first struggle  (Read 711 times)

October 06, 2018, 03:13:22 AM
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Nope

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Hi everyone,

I install inkscape recently. What can I say really ? It's quite nice, free and opensource. A big thanks to the authors

I use inkscape for small modification of mechanical drawing. The feature I like the most is that it can detect the font use inside the pdf and propose a similar one. It's a shame it doesn't work for image yet but it's still nice.

But the other day, I struggle pretty hard on a simple thing : making an arrow (I mean the automatic arrow, the simple one).

It took me nearly 2 hours to finnaly make it. With google, I could see we should use markers so I look everywhere for that but it's not really usefull because even if you find it you can do nothing with that information alone ... Because step one isn't to look for marker it is to make a stroke with  :pen: then step 2 is to right click it/select edge and shape then step 3 go to edge shape's tab and finnaly step 4 : use the line "marker" to make arrow.

This experience tell me 2 things on this particular object : 1 - explaination about this basic form isn't well explained or not reference with google or highlight in forum, tutorials
2 - It isn't ituitive to make arrow. If you know how to make arrow you know but if you don't you have to look through forum and google. For me that function is a basic necessity and it should be more intuitive just as muck as square, circle, triangle and others.

What's your thought on it?
I think this feature should become more intuitive.


My second remark concern a feature that I like :  :meas:
And I was wondering if there is a feature to make this function into an object like this automatically? measurment feature.PNG
*measurment feature.PNG
(6.79 kB . 288x233)
(viewed 131 times)

And same as the first one, I think it sould be more intuitive (I haven't researsh this one a lot though)


My third remark is about a problem that I didn't solve. I work generally with a pdf that I drag and drop on inkscape then I modify it. The problem is when I save as a new pdf a particular file I had only the modifications without the drawing I input ... I read it can be a problem about the path but even when I redid it It didn't work.

Any idea?

To bypass it I use "export the file in PNG format" but it still didn't resolve my initial problem. Why did it not appear when I save it in a pdf or image format?

And it bring me to my final remark, when I export this file in png format and in A2 format, I loose all of the quality of the original (wasn't readable at all). It put the pixel in a pretty much low number when I put the size of the image. I instead put more pixels and certainly have a bigger size than necessary (not critical at all).
So my remark is about this: When saving or exporting a file shouldn't we be warn of the quality of the image in a way or another ? (not just with pixel number) And shouldn't this software propose by itself a setting ?

So here is all my remarks on my personal experience. What do you think of it ?

Sorry for the long post,

Best regards
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October 06, 2018, 02:45:38 PM
Reply #1

Moini

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Quote (selected)
It isn't ituitive to make arrow

Yes, it works differently in Inkscape. Inkscape isn't a charting/presentation program, like LibreOffice Draw, it's a drawing program. See the gallery about what people do with Inkscape: https://inkscape.org/gallery/. While I can see the difficulty, I don't think arrows should have the same importance as rectangles, and the tool box is overly crowded already. I noticed, though, that there's no info about markers in the tutorials that come with Inkscape, which is unfortunate...

A good beginners' guide is available here: http://write.flossmanuals.net/start-with-inkscape/_draft/_v/2.9/why-use-inkscape/


Quote (selected)
And I was wondering if there is a feature to make this function into an object like this automatically?

There will be: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/1.0#Measure_Segments_LPE (some time next year)

Ad 3: I'm not sure, people may want the resolution they selected - at least those who know what they're doing - and the others will have an opportunity to learn about the meaning of px and dpi, which are quite essential if you're doing graphics on a computer, esp. if it's for printing those.

As for the pdf, please share all three files (original pdf, file in Inkscape, exported pdf) plus info about your operating system and your Inkscape version (Help > About, please paste the complete version info). Also explain what the resulting pdf will be used for (printing? web view? importing somewhere else?).

October 06, 2018, 05:12:00 PM
Reply #2

brynn

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Welcome to the forum!

The feature I like the most is that it can detect the font use inside the pdf and propose a similar one. It's a shame it doesn't work for image....

I'm not sure what you mean.  You want Inkscape to propose a similar image....orrr....??  Oh!  Do you mean you want Inkscape to propose a similar font if the text has been converted to paths?  Yeah, I can see how that would be nice.  Although I don't know how it would be possible.  It would have to be something like facial recognition I guess, haha!

....make a stroke with  :pen: then step 2 is to right click it/select edge and shape then step 3 go to edge shape's tab and finnaly step 4 : use the line "marker" to make arrow.

I'm not clear what you meant about "select edge and shape" and "edge shape's tab".  I can't find anything about edge or shape in the context menu, but maybe there's a confusion with translation.  Anyway, here's a shorter route.

1 - draw the path with Pen or Pencil tool
2 - Object menu > Fill and Stroke > Stroke Style tab > Markers

It should take 2 or 3 clicks (after you draw the path), depending on whether you might already have the Fill and Stroke dialog open.  It's kind of a central dialog for using Inkscape, which a lot of users probably keep open most of the time (or at least docked).

Yes, I agree with Moini that Inkscape's primary purpose is for drawing, rather than drafting or CAD.  For some reason, a lot of people expect Inkscape to work like CAD programs, and are surprised that it doesn't.  I'm not quite sure how they have that impression.  But I guess Inkscape can be handy for a LOT of different professions and avocations and fields of study, and users' impressions come from their own unique needs and perspectives.

And I was wondering if there is a feature to make this function into an object like this automatically?

I think there is an extension which will do that.  And as Moini mentioned, a new LPE is under development.  I'm not sure if it might be available in a development version yet?

Ok, here's the extension:  https://github.com/Rutzmoser/inkscape_dimensioning  And here are instructions for installing it:  https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#how-install-new-extensions-palettes-document-templates-symbol-sets-icon-sets-etc   I don't know whether it actually works with your version of Inkscape.  There is another relatively recent message about this, with another good suggestion, but I don't remember the suggestion.  But if you search the forum for "dimension" you'll probably find it.

My third remark is about a problem that I didn't solve. I work generally with a pdf that I drag and drop on inkscape then I modify it. The problem is when I save as a new pdf a particular file I had only the modifications without the drawing I input ... I read it can be a problem about the path but even when I redid it It didn't work.

Any idea?

It's hard to say why the original PDF content does not show up when you save as PDF.  We would need to either see the PDF in question, or at least know all the details about its contents.  There are some bugs with PDFs which I can't recall all of, at the moment.  It seems like recently I read where pattern fills don't always show up.  And there might be other type of objects which don't convert properly.  If the entire contents of the image are not inside the page borders, that might be another reason why it doesn't show up.

For exporting the PNG, the image quality should be quite fine, unless you scale or re-size the PNG later.  If you resize any raster image (or zoom it in an image viewer), it will become pixelated.  But the original PNG from Inkscape, no matter which DPI you choose, should be fine.

Hhmm, not unless the SVG (or PDF which is opened in Inkscape) contains a raster image.  If it contains a raster image, and you export it to PNG at a different dpi from the existing raster image, that image would probably become pixelated.

Yes, a lot of users, including me, are quite confused about DPI and resolution, both in general, and in how Inkscape uses it.  96.0 is the default, and as long as you use 96, the size you set for your image or object or drawing is exactly the size that will be exported.

If you need a PNG with a certain DPI, set that DPI in the Export PNG dialog.  Yes, your image will get larger (or smaller).  But when you're ready to print it, that's when you set the size or dimensions you want for the printed image.  Then when it's printed, it will have the right size and the right DPI.
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October 06, 2018, 05:37:04 PM
Reply #3

Grobe

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About this cad issue/question/case.

Last year I was about to plan a change of the basement of the house, and Inkscape turned out being perfect for that purpose. The alternative would be Librecad, but I'm so familiar with Inkscape and the use of guides that it is the option that takes the less amount of effort - and in the same time give a satisfactory result.

That is just a personal choice since I have used Inkscape much more than Librecad.
At some time I might find time to write something funny at the signature line - for now I just gave the finger som resistance.

October 06, 2018, 06:15:31 PM
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Lazur

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Hi.

As someone who is drafting for a "daytime" job, it was me who beta-tested and added input&functionality suggestions for Jabier -the developer of the measuring extension.
Adding a marker from the dropdown list is easy -making your own, custom arrow marker is where it gets really ugly. (Which, would be necessary if you wanted ISO standard compatible graphics.)

My best bet on the pdf is an embedded raster image which had alpha channel originally, that got represented in the pdf as a flat raster image masked with another raster image.
Inkscape can render that but somehow saving masked objects into pdf-s doesn't really work as far as I could see.

October 07, 2018, 04:31:45 AM
Reply #5

Nope

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Hi everyone,

Thank you for all of your reply  :th:

Moini, brynn, thank you for the links. I think it will be usefull


Quote (selected)
I'm not sure what you mean.  You want Inkscape to propose a similar image....orrr....??  Oh!  Do you mean you want Inkscape to propose a similar font if the text has been converted to paths?  Yeah, I can see how that would be nice.  Although I don't know how it would be possible.  It would have to be something like facial recognition I guess, haha!

Yes you get what I mean. Today you can scan a document and with the help of software you can transform it in existing character. It exist since a few years I don't know how well it work nowaday but 5 years ago it was pretty good with not that many errors on a page. So maybe we can also do a sort of facial recognition. Just an idea  :-D

Quote (selected)
I can't find anything about edge or shape in the context menu, but maybe there's a confusion with translation.

Yes that is a problem of translation. I don't have it in english so I translate myself.

As for the CAD programs part : yes I do use it similary for small modifications on existing drawing. What draw me into inkscape were that it is free, opensource and that the recognition of fonts is really well done and that it is handy for me

Quote (selected)
The alternative would be Librecad

Thank you for the alternative but just as I wrote, it's just some small modifications and with just what I know with inkscape I think I can pretty much do all of these. Furthermore I don't have that many plan. Thanks anyway.

Quote (selected)
As someone who is drafting for a "daytime" job, it was me who beta-tested and added input&functionality suggestions for Jabier -the developer of the measuring extension.
Adding a marker from the dropdown list is easy -making your own, custom arrow marker is where it gets really ugly. (Which, would be necessary if you wanted ISO standard compatible graphics.)
Thanks fo this function and I will keep it in mind.


Then for the pixel things, it was more of a suggestion. When I put the dimension of A2 it put the pixel below 96. I will remember it as a default value. Thanks Moini and brynn.

As for the pdf file, I don't have it with me. It is a scan document in pdf format. A bit old by the way (if we zoom a bit we can see that a stroke doesn't necessarily have all it's pixels). as I read your comments, it certainly is a problem on my file. Other files that I test where working perfectly. I will stick with png export for any other such file (if any).

Thank you all for your answers and time.

Best regards,
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