Hi,

Just newly joined and getting my head around vector software.

I wish to use the trace bitmap on jpeg and png images in order to generate single profile lines for laser cutting. When I use trace bitmap I end up what appears to be a single line around the perimeter of the b&w image I have imported. On closer inspection however I see that it is a double line.

How to I generate just a single line which I can adjust to 0.01mm for export to laser.

Thanks

You'll need to either delete the extra path. Or manually trace a single path from the start. In some situations, a single line trace might work. But at any sharp or almost sharp corners, the single line trace creates a weird kind of knot in the path. (Inkscape's Trace Bitmap does not offer single line trace. I thought I heard about an extension.....or something, which allows Inkscape to do it, but I can't remember where I heard it.)

Reminder....Trace Bitmap is not able to (or intended to) accurately or precisely recreate raster images as vector. It's always as close approximation as it can make. So if you need precision for your laser cutting, it would probably be better if you either "hand trace" the image, or re-draw it entirely as vector.

Gimp can generate SVG paths from color selections; maybe worth a try.

Cheers
P.

Extension for center line tracing: https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-centerline-trace

I went to that center line tracing link that Moini suggested and downloaded the zip file. There does not seem to be an install file that will install this extention into inkscape. Can anybody explain the procedure? That too, was not present on the website (we are not all coders)

Install instructions for extensions:

https://inkscape.org/en/gallery/=extension/
https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#how- ... n-sets-etc

Thank=you very much. I was able to get Centerline Trace installed only to have it complain about Autotrace not being installed. I have created a separate post on how to get that issue fixed. Thanks again.

For those who are looking for the same answer, this is where discussion continues...:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=32654