Tutorial Inkscape

 

 Basics work in Inkscape

Set the page size

The program will open a single window with a default page size. Open the Document Properties dialog in (Fig.1) by selecting File ->Document Properties... or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-Ctrl-D.


Fig.1

In the opened window, set Page orientation, Page size or Custom size.

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Snapping

To help placing objects precisely, an object can be set to snap to Grid Lines or to Guide Lines. Objects can also be set to snap to other objects, either to one of the object's nodes or to the object's path.

The Grid is a set of horizontal and vertical lines that provide a guide for drawing objects. Optionally, objects will “snap” to the Grid when being drawn or moved, enabling accurate drawing. The Grid is not shown when the drawing is printed or exported as a bitmap.

The spacing of the lines can be adjusted on the Grid tab of the Document Properties dialog (Fig.2).


Fig.2

Guide Lines lines are horizontal and/or vertical lines that can be dragged to any desired place. Checking the Show guides box makes any Guide Lines visible (and enables them).

To create a Guide Line, Left Mouse Drag from the left Ruler onto the canvas for a vertical Guide Line or from the top Ruler for a horizontal Guide Line. Existing Guide Lines can be moved by using a Left Mouse Drag. Guide Lines can be removed by dragging to a Ruler. Precise placement of a Guide Line can be done by double clicking on the Guide Line with the Select Tool. This will pop up a dialog where an exact value can be entered (Fig.3). The entry box can be toggled between absolute and relative placement by clicking on the “Absolute to” or “Relative by” label. The dialog also allows you to delete the Guide Line.


Fig.3

The Snap tab of the Document Properties dialog (Fig.4) is used to control what is snapped to what. For Object Snapping it is important to note that one must select at least one item in each of two parts for snapping to work. The first part is to choose what is to be snapped, and the second part is to choose what is being snapped to. In all types of snapping, the Snap Sensitivity can be adjusted. Snap Sensitivity has arbitrary units. If snapping is always desired, the Always snap box can be checked, in which case the Snap Sensitivity slider is disabled.


Fig.4

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Draw the rectangles and squares

The Rectangle Tool allows one to draw rectangles and squares. To draw a rectangle or square, select the tool by clicking on the Rectangle Tool icon (F4 or r) in the Tool Box. To draw a rectangle, use a Left Mouse Drag from one corner to the opposite corner. To force a square to be drawn, hold down the Ctrl while dragging the mouse. This also allows rectangles with an integer height to width or width to height ratio to be drawn. Holding the Shift key down while dragging will create a rectangle centered on the starting point.

Rectangle or square properties can change in the Tool Controls (Fig.5).


Fig.5

In (Fig.5):
W – rectangle width;
H – rectangle height;
Rx – radius of curvature of a rectangle horizontal;
Ry – radius of curvature of a rectangle vertical.

Rounded corners can be given to a rectangle; to set the radius of curvature of a rectangle is to use the settings Rx and Ry in the Tool Controls.

To give rounded corners to a rectangle use the handle(s) at the top right corner of the rectangle. Initially, only one handle is visible. If this handle is dragged down, a rounded corner in the shape of a quarter circle is created. A second handle is now visible. Dragging this second handle to the left will create an elliptical rounded corner. Upon dragging the second handle, the radius of the curvature in the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) directions are independent (Fig.6).


Fig.6

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Draw the ellipses, circles and arcs

The Ellipse Tool allows one to draw ellipses, circles and arcs. To draw an ellipse, circle or arcs, select the tool by clicking on the Ellipse Tool icon (F5 or e) in the Tool Box. To draw an ellipse or arc, use a Left Mouse Drag. An ellipse will be drawn with the sides touching a rectangular box defined by the starting and stopping points of the drag. To force a circle to be drawn, hold down the Ctrl while dragging the mouse. This also allows ellipses with an integer height to width or width to height ratio to be drawn. Holding the Shift key down while dragging will create an ellipse centered on the starting point.

Ellipse, circle or arc properties can be changed in the Tool Controls (Fig.7).


Fig.7

In (Fig.7):
Start – ellipse, circle or arc start angle (angles are defined in degrees and are measured in the clockwise direction starting at the x-axis);
End – ellipse, circle or arc end angle.

To change the size of the ellipse, drag the handle at the top or left. Again, the Ctrl key can be used to force the ellipse to be a circle (or have an integer height to width or width to height ratio). To convert an ellipse into an arc, use the two Arcs handles (Fig.8). Initially both handles are on top of each other. Drag one handle to set one end of the arc, the drag the second handle to set the other end. Holding the Ctrl key down while dragging an Arc handle will force the angle of the arc to begin or end at a multiple of the Rotation snap angle (15 degrees by default).


Fig.8

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Draw the regular polygons and stars

The Star Tool can be used to draw regular polygons and stars. To draw a polygon or star, select the tool by clicking on the Star Tool icon (Shift-F9 or *) in the Tool Box. To draw a polygon or star, use a Left Mouse Drag. A star will be drawn with the center at the starting point of the drag and one vertex at the ending point of the drag. The vertex can be forced to be at a multiple of the Rotation snap angle (15 degrees by default) by holding down the Ctrl key during the drag.

Stars can be reshaped by either dragging handles (small diamonds) on the star or by using the settings in the Tool Controls when the Star Tool is selected (Fig.9). Two important parameters can only be changed in the Tool Controls. The first is an option to specify that the shape drawn be a star or a polygon. This is controlled by a check box. The second is a parameter that controls the number of points in a star or the number of corners of a polygon.


Fig.9

Changing properties one can create different polygons or stars (Fig.10).


Fig.10

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Set the colors of the background and cross

An object has attributes such as color and line style. An attribute can be applied to the Fill or to the Stroke of the object. The Fill refers to how the area inside an object's boundary path is painted while the Stroke refers to the path itself. The Fill or Stroke (Stroke paint) can be a single color, a gradient of colors, a pattern, or nothing at all. With the exception of a few small differences, Fill and Stroke paint have the same properties and are treated together in the following discussion. A Stroke can have additional attributes such width, dash pattern, and arrow type (Stroke style). These are treated in a separate section.

One can change object fill or stroke in Fill and Stroke Dialog (Fig.11). Open the Fill and Stroke Dialog by selecting Object -> Fill and Stroke... or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-Ctrl-F.


Fig.11

The fill type can be one of the following choices (set by clicking an icon):
- No paint (transparent)
- Flat (solid) color
- Linear gradient (a smooth transition between two or more colors)
- Radial gradient (a smooth transition between two or more colors in a radial direction)
- Pattern (filled with a repeating pattern)
- Unset (necessary for giving different attributes to cloned copies of an object)

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Save and export your work

To save your work, select File -> Save As... or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-Ctrl-S. In the open dialog (Fig.12) select the folder or directory where the drawing should be saved and give the drawing an appropriate name. Finally click on the Save button.


Fig.12

One can export a file as a PNG (Portable Network Graphic) bitmap that can be used by other programs. Bring up the Export Bitmap dialog (Fig.13): File -> Export Bitmap... or use the keyboard shortcut Shift-Ctrl-E. There are four options for choosing the area to export: Page, Drawing, Selection and Custom.


Fig.13

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