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ScoutMedia:Knot drawing tutorial

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Revision as of 10:51, 1 December 2006 by 83.86.7.109 (talk) (→‎Weblinks)

This Tutorial will show you how to draw knots using Inkscape

Step 1: draft

Have the knot you want to draw before you, or at least a quick draft on paper, it helps a lot imaginating wich rope is atop another.

Step 2: lines

Knot-tutorial-1.png

Draw the knot with bézier-lines, try to minimize the number of nodes.

Step 3: thick lines

Knot-tutorial-2.png

Make the lines thicker until you have the thickness of a rope. Hint: select all lines and press (Control + Shift + F) for a fast changing of all lines thickness to the same

Step 4: coloring

Knot-tutorial-3.png

If you have more than one rope it's probably easier to distinguish them if they have different colors. The color is also set in the 'Fill and Stroke' dialog you can access pressing (Control + Shift + F) or in the right click menu, but now you should only select one rope.

Step 5: gaps

Knot-tutorial-4.png

Now, move your ropes up and down by selecting them and using the keys: Page Up, Page Down, Home and End until you have the fewest crossings where the wrong rope is on top.

Convert your lines to shapes (Control + Alt + C).

To correct the crossings, make gaps in the lower rope, which is the upper shape. To make gaps, you have to be in node editing mode (F2), select your shape and double click on the four points where the shape outlines cross to insert a node there. Select two of this nodes which are neighbors on the shape (use Shift + Click to select multiple nodes), then break up the path between them (use the toolbar). With the two nodes still selected, convert them into corners (use the toolbar). Do the same with the other two new nodes. Select the two nodes on the same end of the lower rope and connect them (toolbar again), after connecting you maybe have to edit the new path inbetween them to not overlap with the other rope. Do the same with the other two nodes.

Step 6: Outlines

Knot-tutorial-5.png

To have a better contrast and visibility, make a line around the shapes, to allow parts without lines you have to copy each shape, then insert on the same position (Control + Alt + V) and lower to the right position (using Page Down). Then remove the filling and add a border (in the Fill and Stroke' dialog, Control + Shift + F). On rope crossings, select the nodes on the end of the lower rope and remove the path between them(toolbar).

Step 7: Endings

Knot-tutorial-6.png

To show that a rope continues, remove the outline at the end and make a Z-end in the shape.

To show where a rope ends, you can add one or more filled circles at the end.

Rope-endings.png


Step 8: Export

Save as plain SVG or export a PNG (Control + Shift + E)

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