Re: custom objects?

On Sun, 29 Jul 2018 08:59:43 -0400
"Bernie Cosell" <bernie-+xAfj8kFFbDnC/[email protected]> wrote:

> On 29 Jul 2018 at 6:17, brynn wrote:
> 
> >         Could you elaborate a little bit more about what you're
> > doing. Could 
> > you give us a link to an example or something?   
> 
> I want to do something akin to what I've done in apps like
> Illustrator and Visio.  For those, one big convenience is being able
> to define "custom" objects [e.g., if you're doing a floor plan, you
> have things like outlines of tables, chairs,  etc]    What I would
> like to do [don't laugh..:o)] is make crochet charts.  They look like
> this:
> 
>   <http://rukodelie.by/02/v600141_1.gif>  

I'm sorry, I laughed. :-)

> 
> They're pretty awful to do by hand, and there are tools that do it
> but very badly.  Inkscape can easily do the kinds of things you need
> for that sort of thing.
> 
> What I'd like to do is "predefine" all of the different stitch
> graphics, 

Your pattern looks pretty mathematical to me. Wouldn't "all" be a
mighty big number?

I'm sure others on this list will steer you exactly where you want to
go, but in case they can't, I have an idea (discussed later).

> and the be able to drag-and-drop them easily into the
> graphic.  I know how to do paths and such and I can make the various
> stitches and my plan a for doing this is to have on inkscape drawing
> that has only the various stitches in it. 

Here's my idea. Your pattern is really just math with a few variables.
For instance, the one you showed us appears to split the circle into 8
arcs. Not 4, not 6, not 12, but 8. You have number of arcs, you have
number of rings, and I'm sure you have some variables about what tiny
shapes to construct the rings with.

You could pretty easily write a Python program that inputs those
variables and outputs a piece of SVG representing your pattern, which
can be pasted into your Inkscape drawing's text representation. From
there it can be used in a purely Inkscape context.

One benefit of doing this is you could easily make pattern's you've
never dreamed of. I bet you never made a pattern with 7 arcs, right?

For what it's worth, I don't crochet, but I find the pattern you
referenced very visually pleasant and entertaining. It's like a pattern
that would have appeared on the box for the playing cards tucked away
in my grandmother's mothball-smelling closet.

SteveT

Steve Litt
Author: The Key to Everyday Excellence
http://www.troubleshooters.com/key
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stevelitt


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