How to change Bezier Triangle In Width

Asked by Dan McMillion

I have spent 1 hour trawling the web trying to find out how to change the thickness of a line drawn using the bezier tool with spiro activated and "triangle in" set. It seems to change from version to version - and if it takes this long to work something like this out then it is verging on a bug, in my opinion.

Anyway, bezier tool is totally useless without being able to change the width. Why can I not just change the width of the line using the stroke? This is stupid.

Question information

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

Hi Dan,

what you're using when you use 'triangle in' is the PowerStroke feature:
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/0.91#PowerStroke.

It's a new feature in Inkscape 0.91 (and not yet in the documentation).
PowerStroke is for variable stroke width along the path.
It will be applied to a path if you use:
- triangle in
- triangle out
or you can add it to any path via the Path effects menu (Path -> Path effects -> + -> PowerStroke).

It does not work with:
- shape from clipboard
- ellipse

It is already active when you select 'triangle in' for the stroke width, fortunately.

You only need to pull on the pink/purple diamond-shaped handle at one end of the path in node editing mode to change the width. Add more pink nodes with Ctrl+Click on an existing one, delete with Ctrl+Alt+Click.

If you are looking for a way to change the normal stroke width (when no shape is applied to the path), do this via the Fill & Stroke dialog (Ctrl+Shift+F), third tab. This will not work for PowerStrokes, only for standard strokes that are equally wide along the whole path.

More info also here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IztyV-Dy4CE
http://inkscapetutorials.org/2014/04/28/using-powerstroke-in-inkscape-0-91-for-drawing-letters/

Kind regards,
 Maren

Revision history for this message
Hachmann (marenhachmann) said :
#2

(Are you sure it was possible to change the stroke width of triangle in, triangle out or ellipse in previous versions?

Ellipse didn't change AFAIK, and it's not possible now, because it's using the shape along path effect - you need to apply a different shape to get a different result)

Revision history for this message
su_v (suv-lp) said :
#3

The shapes 'Triangle In' and 'Triangle Out' (for the Pen/Pencil tool) in Inkscape 0.91 use no longer the path effect 'Pattern along Path' (a rather limited implementation of a variable stroke width used in Inkscape 0.47 and 0.48), but the new Powerstroke path effect:
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/0.91#PowerStroke

The width parameter is specific to the 'Pattern along Path' path effect - the more powerful Powerstroke path effect implements variable stroke width differently, and the variable widths can be adjusted with the node-tool on-canvas (see release notes).

Your opinion is already made (useless, stupid, bug), a report filed about the perceived bug too, so I won't spend my time here trying to convince you that the lack of an updated user manual for Inkscape 0.91 does not make a new enhanced path effect a bug.

Revision history for this message
su_v (suv-lp) said :
#4

On 2015-10-14 01:32 (+0200), Hachmann wrote:
> (Are you sure it was possible to change the stroke width of triangle in,
> triangle out or ellipse in previous versions?

It seems to be a common mis-reading (by many users) of one of the parameters of the 'Pattern along Path' effect (in the Path Effects editor/dialog) - the 'Pattern along Path' path effect did and still does have a 'width' parameter entry, but that refers the width of the pattern (i.e. not the same as the "stroke width" - a style property).

Revision history for this message
Matty (dpggniml) said :
#5

I think Dan's attitude is poor, but I just looked into this to see what he was talking about and managed to find at least a dozen people complaining on youtube comments trying to follow youtube tutorials and struggling due to this undocumented change. It seems to be causing quite a lot of users problems.

Revision history for this message
Dan McMillion (nqujqdth) said :
#6

Thanks Hachmann, that solved my question.