Talk:A Guide to Inkscape/Path Drawing Tools

The Path Drawing Tool section
This section should be reformatted without bias, following the format of how the individual "shape" tool's information is presented. In this current format the pencil tool is left out of the readers time and efforts. This section needs to explain each tool individually, your thoughts? Vwanweb (discuss • contribs) 05:25, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
 * OK, if it's enough short we can even put them into a sortable array. JackPotte (discuss • contribs) 06:30, 17 August 2016 (UTC)
 * Here is a draft of the --Feed-- followed by the pencil freehand, pencil spiros and pencil dots:

Creating Paths
Paths can be created by the Pencil, Bezier, and Calligraphy tools. They can also be created by converting a shape or text object to a path:
 * Path > Object to path
 * Path > Stroke to path

Unlike the use of shape handles for editing, path based objects use two main types of path nodes. The start/end and corner(s) of a path are referred to as Cusp Nodes ◇ nodes along a path. The path's curve settings are Smooth □ ○ Nodes. The cusp and smooth nodes have handles that are used to set the nodes length (x,y value of the handle itself), angle and distance, the tool-tip message in the status bar displays this information. Spiro paths do not respond to node handle edits.

When editing a path using the Node Tool, there will be thin red lines between path nodes. These thin red lines are known as path 'segment' editors. When you mouse-over 🖰 a path's segment the cursor changes to an arrow with a fist. This thin red line segment editor can also change a segment from a curve to a straight line and vice versa. Once a segment is selected the two adjacent nodes change color and an edit can be applied by either dragging the segment or using the many Tools Controls bar edits. Segment based editing also applies to the Spiro mode of path creation.

The default fill, stroke and Ctrl+Click settings of the path tools can be set using the >Edit > Preferences >>Pencil, >>Bezier and >>Calligraphy settings.

Pencil Tool - Freehand, Inkscape icons draw freehand.svg: Pencil Tool Mode Bezier Icon v091.svg
Keyboard shortcuts: P or F6

The Pencil Tool creates two styles of a path and dots (circle shapes). The first (default) option creates freehand Bezier curves and lines. Freehand drawing can be done in two ways. (1) By dragging (press+hold) the mouse 🖰 on the canvas. (2) By a series of clicks and releases, example Click on the canvas (don't drag) then move the cursor to another location and Click again this will create a path segment. Additional segments can be added to the first segment, by clicking on one of the end nodes. This Click-Release method is helpful when creating Spiro paths.

Once a path is created, there are three options for editing the path nodes. (1) To reduce the number of nodes on a given path use the path simplify command; > P ath >>Si m plify (Ctrl). (2) To add nodes to an existing path place the mouse cursor 🖰 over a start/end node, the node will change color left click and either drag or click to another position on the canvas. (3) Once a path is created the Node Tool can edit the nodes, it has an extensive set of node and segment editing features, available in the Tool Controls bar.

Pencil Tool - Spiros, Inkscape icons draw freehand.svg: Inkscape Pencil Tool Mode Spiro Icon v091.svg
Keyboard shortcuts: P or F6

The second mode of editing, enabled by using the Tool Controls bar, creates a Spiro based path which involves both cusp ◇ and smooth ○  nodes. Smooth nodes apply spiro based interconnection to adjacent nodes within the path. Once the spiro path is created, the Node Tool must be used to edit the positioning of the spiro's smooth and cusp nodes. Even though smooth node handles are displayed on Spiro paths they do not impact editing of the Spiro. The positioning (vector) of smooth nodes in relation to adjacent cusp/smooth nodes is how a spiro's rendering is calculated. The thin red line segment editor can be used to set a straight or curved segment within a spiro.

Note - The pencil tool's spiro rendering is based on the Smooth setting of the Tool Controls bar. Smoothing is how much path simplifying nodes are applied to the spiro being created. If smoothing is set too low, there will be no effect (vector distance between nodes dependant), set to high and the smoothness will render a straight line.

Pencil Tool - Dots (Circle Shapes)
The pencil tool can also create single dots (circle shapes), using command keys; Once the dot is created, the editing is now changed over to the Ellipse Tool. The dot radius can be set in the Preferences of the pencil tool, > E dit >>P r eferences  <> (Ctrl) "Ctrl+Click radius setting: xox times current stroke width".
 * Ctrl creates a dot shape ○
 * Ctrl creates a dot twice the size of the Ctrl dot ○
 * Ctrl creates a random radius dot ○

This dot creation can be used as a work-around for creating text bullets, as of Inkscape v0.91 there is no support, other than Unicode values, for bullets in any native Text formatting.

Vwanweb (discuss • contribs) 01:02, 19 August 2016 (UTC)

Movement of existing Path Tool sections to the Examples Section?
Can we MOVE the currently active three path sections to the Examples sections, these three sub-sections are very specific covering detailed single threaded edit capabilities. A more appropriate location for these sections is in an example sections.

More on the drawing tools
Once moved we can then post the edit I have completed for the PENCIL TOOL

Pencil Tool - Freehand
The Pencil Tool creates two styles of paths. The first (default) option creates freehand Bezier curves and lines. Freehand drawing can be done in two ways (1) by dragging (press+hold) the mouse on the canvas. Inkscape will create path nodes based on the line drawn by the user. (2) by a series of click and releases.

Once a path is created, there are two options for editing the path. To reduce the number of nodes on a given path use (1) the path simplify command; Path >Simplify (Ctrl+L) or the (2) Node Tool.

It is possible to close the path. When the mouse is close to the start cusp node, the cusp node color turns red to reflect that releasing the mouse at this point (vector) the path will be closed.

Pencil Tool - Spiros
The second option, enabled by using the Tool Controls bar, creates a Spiro based path, involving cusp (end) and smooth nodes. Smooth nodes apply spiro based interconnection to adjacenet nodes within the path. Once the spiro path is created, the Node Tool is used to edit the positioning of the spiro's smooth and cusp nodes. Even though node handles are displayed they do not impact editing of the spiro. The positioning (vector) of node against adjacent nodes is how a spiro's rendering is calculated. The thin red line segment editor can be used to set a straight or curved segment.

Note - The pencil tools spiro rendering is based on the Smooth setting in the Tool Controls bar. Smoothing is how much path simplifying nodes are apllied to the spiro being created. If smoothing is set too low, there will be no effect (distance between nodes dependant), set to high and the smoothness will render a straight line.

Pencil Tool - Dots (shapes)
The pencil tool can also create a string of single dots (shapes), using command keys; >Ctrl+Click creates a dot shape >Ctrl+Shift+Click creates a dot twice the size of the Ctrl+Click dot >Alt+Shift+Click creates a random radius dot Once the dot is created, the dot's editing is now changed to the Ellipse Tool. The dot radius can be set in the Preferences of the pencil tool. Preferences (Shift+Ctrl+P) > Pencil "Ctrl+Click radius setting: xox times current stroke width".

The Bezier (or Pen) Tool provides more creation and edit options enabling more control of the Bezier features as you draw a path. ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ We can then create two sections 1.) Bezier Tool 2.) Calligraphy Tool and place templates for edit request...I am working on the Bezier and Calligraphy sections now.

Animated difference spiro and bezier path


I create animated for difference spiro and bezier path but I am not sure where to put this.