Inkscape

import patterns from other apps no longer supported

Asked by swarfendor437

not enought pattern choice

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Hachmann
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swarfendor437 (pc-athome) said : 		#1

Need more fill choices - TGD Pro is now obsolete and looking at moving to inkscape to create tactile images but there are no diagnoal patterns or dot fill apart from polka dots - is it possible to import fill patterns from a no longer active application such as Trace Me? (TGD Pro).

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Best Hachmann (marenhachmann) said : 		#2

Hi Swarfendor437,

yes, if Inkscape can import the patterns as pictures (svg is best!), then you can. I do not know which format Trace Me is using (and also not if their licence would allow to use them).

Inkscape allows you to create your own patterns from any kind of contents. This is really easy:

You create the objects you want to appear in the pattern (or you import them, or you trace a bitmap image), then you select them, and then you do: Object -> Objects to Pattern.

Then they are converted into a rectangle with your pattern applied.

You can either copy the rectangle with Ctrl+C, and paste its style onto other objects with Shift+Ctrl+V, or you can choose the new pattern from the pattern dropdown list to apply the pattern to other objects.

These patterns are not saved anywhere outside the file you are using, so you need to keep the file (and at least one object that has it applied).

To save them permanently, add a custom patterns or template file, following the instructions here: https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/82071 or here: http://www.silent9.com/blog/archives/143-Creating-and-Adding-Custom-Patterns-to-Inkscape.html.

Kind regards,
 Maren

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swarfendor437 (pc-athome) said : 		#3

Hi Hachmann,

Many thanks for your response - I will definitely look at those links you provided me in due course. TGD Pro (TraceMe) was originally an Australian piece of software that found it's way to the States. Sadly it became defunct in Jan/Feb 2013. Have been using it since 2003 - everything was going fine until change of Managed Service - only the copy on my work machine works (partially) as no text can be entered. I have been waiting 5 years to get Inkscape on work machine - the previous managed service never got round to installing it - it will happen soon - in the meantime been using the portable app. Have had some issues where some parts of the diagram not rendered correctly to the printer - on-screen looks fine but output different. Have to be careful when printing to A4 as some 'boundary' issues near top of landscape diagrams.
Anyway, many thanks once more for a rapid response - just to add I discovered the save as .wmf which then allows me to use textured fills in Word but would prefer to work in Inkscape as can fill individual bars on a bar chart - not so easy once saved as one object in .wmf format.

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swarfendor437 (pc-athome) said : 		#4

Thanks Hachmann, that solved my question.