This image shows something I made in Adobe Illustrator; on the right is the Preview of what's on the left and show the threads blend I set up.

Can Inkscape do something like this?


thanks!

inkcat

There is the interpolate effect, but it only works on paths, not groups or objects: http://inkscape.org/doc/interpolate/tut ... te.en.html

But your example looks like a simple tiled clone to me.

-Rob A>

ok, so tiled clones are the way to get what I made?

icat

Yeah. It looks like you have 9 identical turns on that bolt. Make one of the turns and create tiled clones of it. Using clones allows you to go back and edit the original and having the clones automatically update.

OK that is sweet...Now, I have tried the tile clone tool and got thoroughly confused, probably because it doesn't work like Illustrator's tools...do you have a link to something that makes it easy to learn?

icat

InkCat wrote:(…) do you have a link to something that makes it easy to learn?

I'd recommend to start with the Inkscape manual: Inkscape > Tiling

I do note that the fill on each of the turns is a little different - looks like the same gradient, but with the nodes moved a little - (might be a conical gradient!!) - that might make reproducing this graphic using tiled clones a little more complicated. ... The leftmost turn also looks smaller than the rightmost. All this means that interpolate is more likely a solution than cloning....
Just saying.

druban wrote:I do note that the fill on each of the turns is a little different - looks like the same gradient, but with the nodes moved a little - (might be a conical gradient!!) - that might make reproducing this graphic using tiled clones a little more complicated. ... The leftmost turn also looks smaller than the rightmost. All this means that interpolate is more likely a solution than cloning....
Just saying.

I noticed that as well but couldn't think of a reason why a bolt would be wider at the base than the tip, so I just assumed that the real goal was uniformity of the turns. I don't think I see any conical gradients, just two separate linear gradients (one for the "top" and one for the "groove"). Cloning has the major advantage of easy editing after the fact (e.g., wanting to change the lighting with different gradients).

the thread doesn't look that great (i mean realistic) in the illustrator original drawing. should be a bit more like a typical bolt thread?

It looks like a sparkplug to me, not a bolt. They are tapered and have sharper looking threads.

I hadn't noticed the tapering threads when I initially suggested using tiled clones, sorry.

-Rob A>

I'm the OP here...not sure what you mean by tapered...I probably did adjust the first and last instance of the blend, in other words, the illustration required a slightly different curve on those parts at one end than at the other end of the blend, but nothing radical...if you slapped one shape on top of the other, they'd be a pretty close match in shape.

icat

This is a quick attempt to show how I'd use the two different techniques to get similar results. Hope it helps.

Thanks, brynn. Haven't had a lot of time for doodles lately (and to be honest these last few days have been moments stolen from what I should be doing) but I don't want to get too far out of touch.

'Pathetic attempt" looks pretty darn excellent...

Thanks, druban. I always get frustrated trying to do metallic gradients.

llogg-

Nice go! If you angle the metallic highlights a bit more it will emphasize the threads and amke them look "higher":


I made one thread, cloned it and moved it to the end, then stamped 7 more threads and used align and distribute, so when I tweaked the gradient of the one they all change.

-Rob A>

maybe my brain is not seeing your picture right..but looks like each thread has a wide high flat/rounded section and very little groove. as in a symmetrical regular zig-zag, like http://www.eworldwire.com/mediauploads/ ... 052518.jpg
if you're not after accurate realism or whatever, the gradients look pretty good anyway.