Hello,

Is there a windows build of the gradient mesh branch?
Will this be included in 0.49?

Thanks

Hello,
I'm not just an user and not a developer but according to this:
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php ... notes/0.49
It seems tome that there is no plan for the 0.49 version

A tip:
In the carpet where it is the inkscape executable there is an example called gradient-mesh-experimental.svgz, which is a way to "simulate" that feature in an svg file.

Your topic give me an idea: You can simulate a gradient mesh grouping radial gradients. It's not a single step operation, but I think it can be done.
I will try to do a workaround/tutorial

Well, I am not interested in simulation. My question is if there is some nightly build with gradient mesh. I'm curious to see it at work, even as draft and ... crashy.

msdobrescu wrote:Well, I am not interested in simulation. My question is if there is some nightly build with gradient mesh. I'm curious to see it at work, even as draft and ... crashy.

Ok...
Check this:
https://code.launchpad.net/~tavmjong-free/inkscape/mesh

Maybe some one more involved with the project can give you more details, or better directions

Eh... just asking... Why? Do you have an specific work that requires a gradient mesh?

I've seen works made in inkscape with a big grade of realism, without a gradient mesh, like this:
http://davatar.deviantart.com/art/Kaley-Cuoco-375124834

Good luck

Well, yes, I do a specific work that requires a light file in form of EPS, as final product. If it's Illustrator 10 compatible, then it's perfect.
I am not a big lover of gradient meshes, but it helps a lot as long as it is a vector without rasters (from blur effects, for instance) and I have to set the color once in a point with effect to adjacent points of the mesh. I could use a simulation, with adjacent paths, but there I can't properly assure the gradients transitions and it's far more complex to maintain. Honestly, isn't clear why the gradient mesh concept it's powerful and productive? Nota bene, I am far from being satisfied by Illustrator's implementation, where I find the handling very hard to manage - luckily there is Mesh Tormentor...

Unfortunately, I couldn't build that branch, due to dependencies build issues.

I could be one of this feature testers, if a build is provided from time to time.

I don't know what uses do you think Inkscape has, but making it provide EPS v10 in Illustrator way and gradient meshes, would give to Inkscape a good business value and bring it many users, and probably more funds too...

The mesh gradient branch has been merged into trunk quite a while ago (May 2012). The GUI for the mesh gradient tool is not enabled by default with current trunk builds (and right now I don't know how the builds in the trunk PPA are configured [***]).

Note that this feature is not complete, still at an experimental state, and even if it is possible to create and render mesh gradients on-canvas, it is not supported yet in export e.g. to PDF/PS/EPS (inkscape-devel mailing list: Subject: Mesh gradient status [*][**]).


[*] Edit: I will update the comment with links to more recent discussions - the one I originally picked actually dates back too far).

[**] Edit 2: Subject: Mesh tool added to trunk

[***] Edit 3: Tested on Ubuntu 13.04 with Inkscape 0.48+devel r12500 from inkscape trunk PPA: the GUI (Mesh tool) is not enabled, but the build can render mesh gradients created with a build which has the mesh tool enabled.

Thanks for all the info you've gathered for me!
I don't use Ubuntu, so I can't test anything of the PPA trunk.
I'm curious... Gradient mesh is supposed to be a "not so interesting" feature due to the fact that Inkscape users don't know it or don't know it as Illustrator's feature at least, or Inkscape users are not interested in it at all?
From what I understand, Cairo graphics library does the export to EPS of the gradient mesh, as long as it implements it.
Still, missing some test build wouldn't help developing it. Anyway, the developers could not sense all the designers basic needs. I say this from my experience as I am a software developer (I think graphic designers being programmers are a very very rare species).

Coming back to an old discussion, but not so off topic, could it be possible to export EPS as Illustrator 10, I mean, in a way that Illustrator could import the work as pure vector? I know, Inkscape saves a pure vector, but Illustrator imports it as an image mapped on a path. I guess this will happen to both gradient types, simple and meshes. This is not about cloning Illustrator, it's about reusing Inkscape drawing in the real life where Adobe is the standard in the industry.

msdobrescu wrote:Thanks for all the info you've gathered for me!
I don't use Ubuntu, so I can't test anything of the PPA trunk.
I'm curious... Gradient mesh is supposed to be a "not so interesting" feature due to the fact that Inkscape users don't know it or don't know it as Illustrator's feature at least, or Inkscape users are not interested in it at all?

The "main" problem with meshes is that inkscape is supposed to be an svg editor or there's no gradient meshes in svg.

But there will be on svg2 and I think we'll all gladfully welcome it when it'll be available.
But I'll be even more happy if/when we'll have diffusion curves that are meshes on steroids

http://maverick.inria.fr/Publications/2 ... /index.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiIxra1Apa0

Indeed, I like diffusion curves more, Inkscape has to wait for svg2 specification (the syntax ...).
My needs are different, as the customers would not accept rasters.
On the other hand, the implementation could be done regardless the svg2, as exporting to svg could be as in emulating the gradient mesh, and to eps as the true gradient mesh, based on Cairo graphics. That until the almighty svg2 is finalized.

I really understand what means and why definition of a standard takes so long, but all browsers today work well with drafts, candidates and recommendations of html and css specifications (for instance, last time I have checked, html 5 specification was planned to be finalized after 2020 - imagine waiting for it what means for business).

Tried gradient mesh and conic gradient and it worked. Then it crashed! The conic gradient seems in particular a very clever but weird adaption of gradient mesh with all these nodes dragged onto one spot... But fun. Not for regular work yet by any means.

In which version and build?

In my experience, in Illustrator, you have a matrix of nodes. You could chose the central node (you must have an odd number of nodes on a side) and construct a circle out of that. This is really complicated, but avoids the overlapping.

But there are so many applications, you know...

Sorry I shold have detailed how to use the gradient mesh so you can also crash your Inkscape. In preferences in a recent unstable build in interface in keyboard shortcuts find gradient mesh and give it a shortcut that's not used for anything like alt M. Now you can have fun with it by calling it from the canvas with the shortcut but afaik there is no other way. repeated editing and repositioning of handles generally leads to a crash.

LOL! It's of a great awesomeness!

P####TA MAdr#####!!!
I was sooo wroooooong!
...
Excuse me, but when did you inform this?? ... I mean, apart from the mailing list... ? It is not this forum a good placeto inform that?! ...maybe I missed.

Druban, you don't say your Operative System...
Anyway, I tested in a recent build of Inkscape 0.49 (inkscape_r12483-201308221257) on Win 7 with AMD processor 64 bits. It didn't crash but, I guees it's because I didn't do nothing big.
Here is a quick test:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/10ikhbd1qqzlu ... meshes.png

And here is other that I did without Gradient meshes in Inkscape 0.48, using cloninng, blur and cliping

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8l8jfj5j1vs8j ... 0color.png

Looks legit. I would love to have a stabile gradient mesh tool and,
let's have another wish: a render engine in blender that could render the model to a 2D vector format with gradient meshes.

Edit: Just found there was a workaround for rendering to svg: http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8624#p43578

@ hulf2012

I got the same latest build and would like to give it a try but couldn`t find Gradient Mesh? I`ve looked trough the menus and, as druban suggested, trough Shortcut Keys but no fun there? Must be I`m missing something?!

Maestral wrote:@ hulf2012

I got the same latest build and would like to give it a try but couldn`t find Gradient Mesh? I`ve looked trough the menus and, as druban suggested, trough Shortcut Keys but no fun there? Must be I`m missing something?!

Look here: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php ... g_Inkscape

The idea is you need to add some shortcuts for the gradient mesh tool to <Inkscape install directory>share/keys/default.xml.
This way only you could access the gradient mesh tool now.

In my case, I have added:

Alt M to activate the gradient mesh is already setup in build 12483. You shouldn't have to map anything. Just draw a shape, Alt M and enjoy. By the way, in preferences>key mapping it's just called "Mesh".

No, I took inkscape_r12483-201308221257 on Windows and it isn't. It didn't work until I've set some shorcuts as I've explained above.

Mr. Tavmjong Bah, I must say you make a tool so full of fun as I can't wait for it to be released!
Is there a way to help you?

Hey guys, must be I`m missing something?!

I have 0.48.4 r9939 already installed on C: and I have r12483 in folder, on Desktop (Win7 x64) but neither changing keys default.xml in root folder nor in the one on desktop does not bring Gradient mesh alive?! Thought that "Use legacy Gradient Editor" from Preferences might have something to do with it - but it doesn`t.

I`ve tried with and without changes on .xml - no fun

Also, perhaps I forgot how to apply G.mesh - I draw a closed shape with stroke and fill (also tried with gradient fill) and then Ctrl(Alt)+m. Zilch!?

I use r12483 for gradient mesh.
Create a closed shape - let say a rectangle. Press Ctrl+m and the tool's settings appear above the drawing, under the regular toolbar and menu. Set how many rows and columns you need. Double-click on the shape, the mesh is set on it. Before applying the mesh, you should convert the shape to a path and then you could easily set the colors by selecting each node of the mesh and picking a color from the palette.

I can't be certain why Alt+M for gradient meshes doesn't work for some out of the box. It's been present for some time. It's in 12483, 12395, and I believe 12248.

YouTube example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c73D8-I ... e=youtu.be

Hello:

Well, that last video of heathenx explains very well how to obtain the tool: GO to EDIT>PREFERENCES> KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS, then search the line that says mesh, and then apply the shortcut.

heathenx wrote:It's been present for some time. It's in 12483, 12395, and I believe 12248.

Where it was informed? On the web page of the project, on the wiki?

On the other hand... i like the tool

I suppose we can be thankful that we even get to play around with it. I can't be bothered to compile Inkscape myself these days so I rely on others to flip switches for me. Now, if we could only get them to resurrect those CAD tools that disappeared as quickly as they showed up.