How do I make the shape of a group of text match a particular bend. It might sound kind of vague, but it's similar to how in Adobe programs, it is possible to manipulate the edges of the entire shape to create a non-symmetrical shape.

I found a logo using this effect.


In the words "BADMINTON", the top is flat and the bottom is curved. How can I create an effect similar to that one?

I think we had a similar question before so you might want to search for it to see the answers, but basically you can apply an Envelope Path Effect, or even use Node sculpting.

For both options I think you'll get best results if you have a lot of nodes in the path. So you first convert the text to a path, ungroup and combine into a single path, then use the Add nodes extension to load the path with nodes. After that try Envelope or node sculpting http://www.inkscape.org/screenshots/gal ... lpting.png

mystery wrote:How do I make the shape of a group of text match a particular bend (…) In the words "BADMINTON", the top is flat and the bottom is curved. How can I create an effect similar to that one?

Another technique for arched text is illustrated in Arched Text: An Inkscape Tutorial at SixThings.

Note: The tutorial was written with an older Inkscape version in mind: Inkscape 0.47 now already creates a group of individual shapes when converting text to path i.e. the step between in figure 3 and 4 doesn't require 'Break Apart' (and recombine individual letters) but 'Ungroup'. Use the status line to inspect the type of the current selected object to avoid confusion ;)

I would like to point out that the path effects method of envelope deformation is vastly superior to the envelope extension which can be very frustrating and nonfunctional and probably is destined to be taken out in future versions (that's just my guess)
Path effects - the best addition to Inkscape ever!

druban wrote:I would like to point out that the path effects method of envelope deformation is vastly superior to the envelope extension

I'd say it depends on your goal - I never succeed to get the precise text deformation I want for a logo when using the envelope path effect whereas applying the envelope extension to individual letters does.

Ah, the extensions and path effects create nice effects. I never realized Inkscape had it. I'll try it and see if I get the effect I want.

hi SUV! It seems that you got the envelope extension to behave for you! Just for your future reference: if you don't want the curving sides when you deform something using Path effects just uncheck the box that says "enable right and left side ...". Bingo - absolutely straight sides - at least it works for me that way.
The envelope extension requires the control box to be drawn in a certain order that never seems to be the one I use... much trial and error ensues - or ensued rather since now I use path effects.

druban wrote:if you don't want the curving sides when you deform something using Path effects just uncheck the box that says "enable right and left side ...". Bingo - absolutely straight sides - at least it works for me that way.

The logo in my first example has '[ ] Enable left and right paths' unchecked.

Here's another example with a reworked 'Envelope Path Effect' logo using all four bend paths, it better illustrates my issues with the LPE if I want the transformations to keep straight edges or the proportions of the deformed letters:

druban wrote:The envelope extension requires the control box to be drawn in a certain order that never seems to be the one I use...

orientation of the quadrilateral used for the Envelope extension:and the selection order is

1. path to be deformed
2. quadrilateral

Hi SUV maybe you can tell me what I am doing wrong in this sequence! I am sure it is something simple...
Starting with a text object that has been converted to paths and then combined into one path:

Drawing the control path in the specified order:

Selected first the writing, then the quadrilateral:


(Continued in next post)

(continued from previous post)

Picked Envelope extension:


This is the result!


Here is the SVG:

Just in case I need to do one letter at a time,here's another one:
single letter, converted to path

Drawing control box:

Selecting first the text then the box:


(continued)

(cont.)

Voila!


Here's the file from just before doing the envelope.


Thanks for any help you might have to offer!

druban wrote:maybe you can tell me what I am doing wrong in this sequence! I am sure it is something simple...

You are doing nothing "wrong" - it's just that the 'Envelope' extension obviously has the same deficiencies as the 'Perspective' extension when dealing with (nested) groups with 'transform' attributes - related bug reports are Bug #168942 “perspective extension fails on group with transforms” and Bug #253296 “Perspective effect wrong when drawing size changed”. I'll add more details how to avoid those errors later tonight or tomorrow.

(2nd version of "BEND THIS"):



[Edit: hint - I have removed 'transform' attributes of "Layer 1" and of the path to be transformed in the XML Editor (menu 'Edit > XML Editor…') - prior to applying the 'Envelope' extension.]

If I remember correctly the first node should be bottom left.

prkos wrote:If I remember correctly the first node should be bottom left.

For the 'Perspective' extension yes, but if you use the same quadrilateral for the 'Envelope' extension the result is rotated 90° ccw (I have no idea why these two extensions don't use the same base points for the transformation)

[Edit: I forgot to add a copy of the untransformed path - it's the number '2' ;) ]

You're right, I get those results too, I guess I used Perspective more than Envelope so that's how I remembered it.

Thanks to both of you, Prkos and SUV! Your comments have begun to cast some light on my confusion about these two extensions. Now I see why I would always go wrong with the starting point for the envelope and perspective extensions! Not the same order! Who would have thunk it ... Well, obviously the two of you did.
Do either of you know if this is different in the current build of 0.48?

It's still like that in the dev versions.

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... s-Envelope

In the manual it's noted that in Envelope extension the first point determines the orientation of the image, as in Perspective extension (further down the page), but here it's noted that the bottom left is probably what you need.

druban,
The problem is the order and direction of the nodes on the path that the text has been converted to. For some reason, probably related to the original font, the nodes go in a different order than the extension anticipates. If you draw the envelope quadrilateral in the following order: bottom left-bottom right-top right-top left, you should get the result you're after.

I'm still not able to get the effect I want. If I have the path to be shaped and the envelope shape drawn, how come it either jumps to the top of the page, or comes out elongated? The shape I'm trying to get is a rectangle with the bottom-right corner raised about half the height of the rectangle.
Also, the path effect editor always curves the letters when the top or bottom is moved. I need the paths to be straight.

llogg wrote:The problem is the order and direction of the nodes on the path that the text has been converted to. For some reason, probably related to the original font, the nodes go in a different order than the extension anticipates. If you draw the envelope quadrilateral in the following order: bottom left-bottom right-top right-top left, you should get the result you're after.

Can't confirm either of these statements: also happens when 'enveloping' hand-drawn paths with a quadrilateral 'bottom left-bottom right-top right-top left': result is flipped upside-down in relation to the original.

Again: I only get the expected result if the quadrilateral is 'upper left-upper right-bottom right-bottom left' - be it with paths converted from text or shapes or with polygons/paths drawn with the pen tool. It doesn't make a difference when I manually reverse the direction of the paths that are to be transformed.

~suv -- did you use the .svg file druban uploaded? when I do it from scratch I cannot reproduce his issue, but if I use the file he uploaded with the text already converted to path, then my solution worked (though I can't remember if I did reverse path first, now that I think about it).

EDIT:
Just checked, did not do reverse path first.

llogg wrote:did you use the .svg file druban uploaded?

of course ;)

llogg wrote:when I do it from scratch I cannot reproduce his issue, (…)

Please see my earlier comment: the unexpected displacement of the 'enveloped' paths in Druban's examples is caused by misinterpreting the 'transform' attributes of

1. the parent group (i.e. the top layer after resizing the page - bug #253296) or
2. the path to be transformed (i.e. the problem seems to be its preserved 'matrix()' transformation which the extension script apparently fails to correctly compensate - similar as described in bug #168942. But how Druban managed to get it in both his files I haven't figured out yet - unless he has explicitly changed the Inkscape preferences to store transforms preserved and not optimized.)

llogg wrote:Just checked, did not do reverse path first.

Maybe you duplicated and moved the path or moved it just a nodge forcing Inkscape to rewrite the path data and convert preserved path transforms into optimized transforms (i.e. transforms are directly applied to the coordinates of the nodes and no longer stored as explicit 'transfom' attribute)?

unless he has explicitly changed the Inkscape preferences to store transforms preserved and not optimized.

I did indeed have my trasforms set to store preseved and not optimized, but i have now changed that in the hope that it improves things. I believe that I changed it to "preserved" because of trouble using the perspective extension ...

But how Druban managed to get it in both his files I haven't figured out yet

Maybe because the second file is just the first one with all but one of the letters deleted? and then - oops - that letter moved to the center using the align dialog. I might also have resized it - all no-nos from now on, I guess...

~suv wrote:Maybe you duplicated and moved the path or moved it just a nodge forcing Inkscape to rewrite the path data and convert preserved path transforms into optimized transforms (i.e. transforms are directly applied to the coordinates of the nodes and no longer stored as explicit 'transfom' attribute)?

nope. just opened it and did the effect the way i described.