Some Questions From A Long Time Adobe Illustrator User

[ScrotieFlapWack]

Hi Guys,

I have been using Inkscape for a couple of days now. I come from Adobe Illustrator originally.

I am slowly beginning to get comfortable in Inkscape now but there are a few things that by default bug me a little and I wanted to know if they can be changed on my end through some sort of preferences.

Is it possible to have an interactive zoom where I can click, hold and drag on the canvas and it zoom in, rather than having to create a marquee selection around the area I want to zoom in on?

When using the 'Edit Path By Nodes' tool (I consider this the "Direct Selection Tool") I noticed that the path of the object highlights in red when you hover over the object (without clicking and selecting it). Is it possible to have that highlight remain on the object for however long the mouse is hovering over it? I noticed that the highlight only stays for about 2 seconds.

I have taken a look around the web to see if I could find some answers to my questions but couldn't find anything. Whilst there is some great tutorials on Inkscape there isn't a lot of customizing/personalizing Inkscape.

[Moini]

Zoom:
- use + / - keys
- or hold Ctrl + use scroll wheel (my favourite method)
- use scroll wheel over zoom indicator
- use one of the preset zooms listed in the keys + mouse reference: https://inkscape.org/en/doc/keys092.html#d0e722

All of these work without the zoom tool being selected. Zoom steps can be set in the preferences.

Highlight duration:
- can be set in preferences. Double-click on node tool icon, then select the options you want for it.

To familiiarize yourself a little more with what's avaiable, you can take a closer look at the keys+mouse reference, and also dive into the preferences (Edit-> Preferences). There are many settings that can be made there. If you're not sure what they do, most of them are mentioned in the manual, but some are newer - if in doubt, just ask

As for customizing, you can use a different icon set, add custom markers/extensions/patterns/symbol sets/filters/templates/keyboard maps to the stock ones, select between 3 different views (no customizable tool bars) + fullscreen + 'almost full screen', and edit the settings for all tools and many behaviours in the preferences (what I always recommend is to enable autosaves!).

[brynn]

Customize Your Inkscape Tools' Styles

In Inkscape Preferences, almost every option has a tool tip (hover text), so if you don't understand what the option is or does, the extra explanation helps.  I use that a lot, haha!

For that red path highlight, I've turned it off entirely.  I don't understand what the purpose is, and it just adds visual noise for me. 

Some things can be customized on a per document basis, and those are found in Document Properties dialog (grids, certain snapping options).  Oh, and there's a tutorial for making custom document templates, if I can find it.....  Here it goes:  http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/using-templates-in-inkscape 

[Torynado]

i too seek the "interactive zoom" i.e. navigator panel of which you speak.   

[cc]

Hi, on the topic of 'Some Questions From Long Time Adobe Illustrator Users'… is it possible to turn off the ‘Bounding Box’ & use EDGES for everything, all the time, as can be done with Rectangle & 3D Box? Preferences: “Conversion to guides uses Edges instead of Bounding Box”? Or, I believe, also called ‘selection cue’, from what I’ve seen.

With product design & very detailed work, the bounding boxes are more difficult (at least for me) to accurately overlay complex layers & are more visibly intrusive (see screenshots), especially I find, when importing files that all seem to come into Inkscape automatically grouped. And when I’ve searched I’ve not found a solution… (which I realize may not bode well, & what usually comes up is related to Illustrator.)
Interesting that there IS the option to turn OFF the Bounding Box for those 2 items —that I’ve found, would be so helpful to have this option for everything. Thank you. 

[Lazur]

Hi.

I haven't seen such an option to hide selection boxes, afraid it's "hard wired". Probably one could compile inkscape with a different kind of visual reference.
Would be a nice feature to have.

[brynn]

It used to be possible to turn off the bounding box.  It was an option to used the dashed line rectangle, which we think of as the bounding box, or something else, which was had less visual impact.  It was something like a dot in each corner.  Yes, it was called "selection cue".

In those 2 options about using edges instead of bounding box, that's for using Object to Guides.  It doesn't affect the bounding box.

There is an option to use Geometrical bounding box or Visual bounding box.  The Visual bounding box, which is the default, includes stroke widths.  The Geometric bounding box ignore stroke width.  But both are still the dashed line rectangle.

I don't know why the selection cue option was removed, or when.  And I don't know why there hasn't been any noise from professionals about it.

I'm going to ask on the mailing list about it.  Maybe it's there, but has been made more obscure way to change it, for some bizarre reason?  I'll let you know what I learn 

[Moini]

@Brynn: That option still exists. Double-click on selection tool icon, then use the radio buttons for 'Per object selection cue'.

[brynn]

Hah!  If it was a snake, it would have bit me 

Good news for cc!

[cc]

Hi, thank you all for responding. @Lazur sorry I’m not clear as to what you mean: “Probably one could compile Inkscape with a different kind of visual reference.” ??

Oh YEA, thank goodness!! Turning OFF ‘selection cue’ AKA: Bounding Box is a LIFE SAVER for my eyes!! Whew, not sure what the “Mark” selection is but going to play with it now! 

Also, *cough* @ScrotieFlapWack, regarding the Zoom, I see you’re on a PC but out of habit from using AI forever, I accidentally found ANOTHER alternative to Moini’s suggestions. Just like in AI, I can Zoom In using: Command, Spacebar, Click (sorry IDK the PC conversion for Command key, it’s NOT Alt, that’s Mac’s Option Key & NOT Control Mac has one too.) To Zoom Out: Shift, Command, Spacebar, Click. Yes, on a Mac, but perhaps there’s a similar PC shortcut in AI that also transfers to Inkscape?? Worth a shot…

[Moini]

Here's the keys+mouse reference section for zooming:
https://inkscape.org/en/doc/keys092.html#d0e727

and for the zoom tool:
https://inkscape.org/en/doc/keys092.html#d0e4592

and the corresponding manual section:
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/View-Zoom.html