Inkscape

closing an open path by the path of a neighbouring object

Asked by Stelios Karavias

I trace with the pencil tool the borders of a municipality and close the path. This gives me an object which represents the municipality. Starting from one point of this path, I trace the next municipality and end up on another point of the previous object. Now, can I close the second path using the part of the common border from the first object, so I can define a separate object for the next municipality, or do I have to close the path by tracing again the common border? This would save me a lot of time.

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Inkscape Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
mahfiaz
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
Best mahfiaz (mahfiaz) said : 		#1

Choose both objects and use "Path → Difference" and see if this helps you.

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#2

What "Difference" does is take a slice off the first object (with the closed path) by a straight line that is drawn between the two points where the second (open) path touches it, and the second open-path-object disappears. If instead I do "Intersection", I get the other slice of the first object. I have tried all the other Boolean functions as well but none of them gives me a closed path for the second object.

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#3

There is one thing that comes very close to what I want, although it deletes the first object. I draw the second path and close it by a line that passes through the first object. Then I place the first object at the top and the second at the bottom, then I select them both and by pressing "Difference" I do get the second object closed by the path of its border with the first. The only problem is the first objects is gone, or so it appears to by inexperienced eyes. Any ideas?

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#4

I just saw that the above also works if I don't close the second path. So the whole thing is moving the second object to the bottom and then doing Difference, but then how do I bring back the first object?

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#5

...So if I do this in a copy of the file, I can copy the new object from there and paste it into the original file to overlap exactly the second path. Is this the simplest way to go about it?

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#6

Thanks mahfiaz, that solved my question.

Revision history for this message
Stelios Karavias (stelios-karavias) said : 		#7

Actually here is the full answer: If the borders of the first object form a concave curve into the area enclosed by the second path-object, it suffices to raise the first object, select both and make Difference, to get a closed path for the second object. If, however, the borders of the first object form a convex curve that goes outwards from the second path-object, then the path of the second has to continue through the first object in order to go all the way around the common border and then proceed with the Difference to get the fully described second object.