Why has my image disappeared

[Hairybehr]

I recently updated to Inkscape 0.92.1 from 0.91.   I had started working on a new design image in 0.92.1 but during this process the image completely disappeared.  When I 'select all' the objects that make up the image are indicated by dotted boxes (see attached).  I have looked at the Alpha channel, fills and strokes but can't identify what the problem is. 

Can anyone assist me with restoring the image, please?

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

Try checking the layer opacity.  I think you have to open the Layers dialog, which is at the bottom of the Layer menu.

Another thing to check -- after you select all, look at Object menu > Fill and Stroke > Fill paint tab and make sure the Blur slider is set on zero, with the bar all the way to the right.  If everything got blurred to 100%, it would look like everything is transparent.

I don't know if it's the quality of your JPG, but I think I do detect a huge blur for everything.  Everything is strokes in the file?  No fills, or not very many?  That's how it looks to me.

Or you might have accidentally applied some other kind of filter (besides a simple blur).  Select All and look at the status bar.  It will tell you what kind of filter - simple blue or otherwise. 

In fact, rather than just adjusting the Blur slider, use Filters menu > Remove Filters (near the bottom of menu, I think).  That will be more thorough, in case somehow there are different blur settings.  So you won't have to look at each object individually.

[Hairybehr]

Hi Brynn,

Thanks for your suggestions.  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be any of the issues you've suggested. 

I'm happy to send you the SVG file for you to peruse, if you like?

Regards,

Neil

[brynn]

Yes, that would be a good idea.  You coujld either attach here, to  your next message, or upload wherever you want, and give us the link.  To attach here, you have to use the full editor, and then click "Attachments and other options".

[Hairybehr]

Hi Brynn,

Thanks for your message. 

Please find attached the Facebear1.svg  file. 

I have noticed that whenever I am working with Bezier curves or lines using the Triangle option that my design images seem to disappear.  I guess this must be a bug in Inkscape 0.92.1?

Regards,

Neil

[Moini]

Eek. Yes, this happens for me, too. It's a totally crazy bug... I can't remember having seen it before, but it's very obvious. Happens every time in 0.92.1, whenever I use 'triangle in' or 'triangle out' (i.e. the Powerstroke path effect directly during drawing).

Reported here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1687514 (couldn't find this reported yet, but might also be a duplicate - we'll see)

[Hairybehr]

Hi Moini,

Yes, it does appear to be a weird bug. 

Regards,

Neil

[brynn]

Well I don't see anything missing or transparent in that file.  Can you show us a file which has something missing or transparent?

Switchinig the Pen/Bezier to Triangle In/Out, however, I do see a very obvious problem!  And it's not limited to your file.  Surely it musts be already reported.....

This is quite strange!  After drawing a few simple paths (2 or 3 nodes) with Pen/Bezier in Triangle In/Out shape, but still in Straight Line Mode (my default), I find that I'm unable to select anything on the canvas.  And when I look away to type something in this message, nd then go back to the file to test further, everything seems to have disappeared from the canvas!

Still investigating....

[brynn]

Wow Moini! Posted and reported bug, all while I'm still testing!

Edit
I added new Comment with additional observations.

[Hairybehr]

Brynn,

In the SVG file I posted for you, all the shapes and lines have disappeared.  Prior to something happening with the 0.92.1 bug, I could see all of these shapes/lines, including their colours.

If you know a way to restore them, would you please inform me. 

Regards,

Neil

[brynn]

No, that transparency is part of this new bug.  Let me do some testing.  There may be some way around this.  I'll post back in a few minutes.

[brynn]

So far, I can't find a work-around.  But in the bug report Maren made, she wondered whether this might already be fixed in the developement version.  I think both of us are surprised that it hasn't aleady been reported, and that could be because it's so blatant that it was fixed right away (which means the original bug report might already removed, which could be why we can't find a report).

So since Inkscape is free, it won't hurt to try the dev version.  You're on Windows?  I see there's a 64-bit version posted as recently as yesterday http://download.tuxfamily.org/inkscape/win64/inkscape_r15653_win64_MSYS2.7z  Since it's a 7z version, you won't need to uninstall, if you previously installed using exe or msi.  Just don't unpack into the same folder as the exe/msi version.

If you decide to try it, good luck 

Oh, well wouldn't you know, now I finally find a possible work-around.  After you draw a path with triangle in/out, and even if it's invisible, open Path menu > Path Effects (all the way at the bottom).  In that dialog, see where it says CubicBezierJohan?  In that dropdown menu, make a different choice.  CubicBezierSmooth seems to be the best, but I didn't try them all yet.  At least so far, that seems to stop the problem.

Well, you could either try changing the Interpolator Type, or try the dev version.  Or both.  Let us know how it goes.

[Hairybehr]

Brynn,

I downloaded the development version of Inkscape but I have no idea how to install it.  I tried to extract the file contents into a folder but that wouldn't work for me.

Regarding your second suggestion:  I opened the 'Path Effects' menu and went down to list to try and find 'CubicBezierJohan', but I couldn't find it listed. 

[brynn]

Hhm...I guess you might have to have the 7zip program installed, to be able to extract a 7z file.  It's a very small, free, and I've found very useful program to have, if you wanted to go to that much trouble.  Now that I think about it, that might be the reason I installed it, so I could extract the 7z versions.  But I've used it for so many other things too.  But that's up to you, I guess.

To change the Interpolator option, you have to have the object selected.  So draw just a short path, 2 or 3 nodes, with the Pen tool, with the Shape set to Triangle In or Out.  Then without deselecting, look at the Path Effect dialog.  It should be already showing the options for powerstroke.  Don't click the blue plus sign.  Just look at the dialog that's showing.

If it's not showing, I'll have to investigate further.  But it should be showing.

Oh wait.  On the Pen tool control bar, do you have any Mode enabled?  Are you in regular bezier mode?  Or maybe Spiro Spline?  or other?  If so, then in the Path Effects dialog might be showing the spiro spline dialog.y  So you would need to click on Powerstroke at the top of the dialog.  Then you should see it.

Sorry to be making you learn so much, so fast.

[Hairybehr]

Brynn,

I followed your suggestion re trying the Triangle In/Out with CubicBezierSmooth.  It appears to make the line darker. 

I tried to unzip and install the Inkscape development version using 9zip, from the Microsoft Store, but it didn't work. 

Is there any way I can restore the svg file I sent you?  Were you able to view it in the Development version? 

[Moini]

Please check out the bug report comments for a workaround.

[Hairybehr]

Moini,

To which bug report comments are you suggesting for a workaround? 

I have followed Brynn's suggestions, to the best of my ability, but, unfortunately, they haven't restored my file.  I wouldn't regard myself as a power user, so I am doing my best. 

Thanks.

[brynn]

She means this one, which she posted after we realized you had found a new bug:  https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1687514

It seems someone has posted a work-around, which I can barely understand myself.  Well actually I'm going to have to ask what it means.  But as soon as I understand, I'll tell you how.

Or meanwhile, here's the 7zip website, where you can download it.  http://www.7-zip.org/  (I was surprised that you mentioned finding it on MS Store, so I looked it up.  When I search MS Store, it's not there.  So maybe you didn't have the right program?)

For changing the Interpolator option, I found that changing it to almost any of the other options seems to fix it.  But that one I suggested....well actually, I could not know if it made any change to the line, because I still can't see anything drawn with triangle in/out.  So I didn't realize it was changing the appearance.  I can see that CubicBezierFit makes a big bump on the end of it.  Linear sometimes doesn't fix it.

To be honest, this technically isn't a fix for the problem.  Maybe it's more like a work-around.

When you say it's making it darker, do you mean thicker or wider?  Because you can adjust that with the pink node.  Or if you mean a darker color, you can change the color of the line yourself.

I'm not sure what you mean by restoring the SVG file.  Do you mean make everything visible again?  I guess if you just delete all the lines that you made with powerstroke, it should restore it.  Or if you just open the file by clicking on the attachment, the file looks ok to me.  I can't find any invisible objects.

I'll try to find out what that cryptic comment means (I mean in the bug report).

[Hairybehr]

OK, first off, apologies but I mistakenly attached the wrong SVG to demonstrate the problem.  Please find attached the SVG file that I can't see any of the Bezier lines on.   This should make sense regarding my comments about restoring it, so that I can see it properly now.

I didn't find 7zip on the Microsoft store, I was using 9zip, which I guess is some sort of alternative.  I will try 7zip now, thanks for your link.

[brynn]

Here it is attached.  I removed the path effect from the last item you drew, and everything came magically back into view!

[Hairybehr]

Brynn,

Thank you so much for that.   I am delighted to see my image again.

Do you think there's a bug between the Line Triangle In/Out and Path Effects together? 

[brynn]

Yes, it's exactly the line with Pen/Bezier tool (and maybe Pencil tool, although I haven't tested) with Triangle In and Out which has the bug.  The triangle in and out automatically applies the powerstroke path effect to the path that you draw with that tool. 

Curiously, when I apply the path effect separately -- I mean draw a regular path, with no shape, and then open Path Effects dialog, and apply Powerstroke -- I don't see the problem.  So I don't know what that means really, but maybe it's a good clue for the developers to be able to track it down.

So to avoid this in the future, you need to not use the triangle in/out shape for the Pen.  There are a couple of ways to still get that kind of adjustable path width, that you get with triangle in/out.  Would you like me to explain how?  It's kind of the long way around, compared to using triangle in/out, but at least you can still get that kind of effect.

[Hairybehr]

Brynn,

Yes, hopefully the developers can resolve that bug issue when time permits. 

I have an idea how to make a triangular path from a regular path.  Thanks for your offer though. 

Neil