Shape Exchange

[inverse catheter]

hey bro. could we have a kinda pullShapes ' drop box ' here on the site ? keep the sticky thread more for Q&A ?

[brynn]

Ok, I just about have some PDFs with Inkscape-made spirograms ready to upload. But 1st, I wanted to ask if there is any size restriction, either for the Shapes file or the forum? Actually, some of them have large numbers of spirograms, but the largest is 884 kb, and 1230 x 950 px. Not so huge I guess, but I wanted to ask.

Also, another question. I haven't looked closely at the source files, but it looks like, when using Pull Shapes, that the size of the shape when rendered on the Alchemy canvas is randomized. I wonder if there is any way to disable the random sizes, so that what shows up on the canvas is more predictable? Or is this something I should suggest in another forum?

Partly I ask because I would like more predictability in my use of Pull Shapes. But also partly because I have some spirograms which are almost identical, except their size. So if the randomness will never be changed, I don't need to include those spirograms. But if it can or could be changed, I would want to leave them be.

Thanks again for your help

[brynn]

Ok, so it looks like there hasn't been much interest in my idea about disabling the random display of shapes. Oh well...it was just an idea.

I've created 10 PDF files, ranging from 100 kb to 1.2 mb in size. Probably a few hundred spirograms in all. But when I moved them to my Alchemy Shapes directory, and began to use them, something surprising happened.

I expected to be able to see all the fine, intricate detail of the spirograms. However, when a color is applied to them, it isn't applied to the Stroke (the lines). It appears to be applied as a Fill (like paint bucket in raster graphics), which means most of the intricate detail that you can see in the files, does not get displayed.

There are still some really nice effects created in this way. But now I think I will edit my files, and remove a lot of spirograms, which when simply Filled with color, look identical, even though their Strokes (lines) are very different. So while I thought I would upload the files with this message, it will have to wait until I finished this unexpected editing.

Also, I do believe that I know how to make them so that the intricate detail can still be seen. But it will take me some time to do that. And I will do that, because I think it will add so much to the Pull Shapes feature. But it will take some more time.

Anyway, sorry for the delay, if anyone has been waiting. But I'm committed to doing this, as well as the promised tutorial. It's just going to take a little longer.

All best

[Count_Zero]

Also, another question. I haven't looked closely at the source files, but it looks like, when using Pull Shapes, that the size of the shape when rendered on the Alchemy canvas is randomized. I wonder if there is any way to disable the random sizes, so that what shows up on the canvas is more predictable? Or is this something I should suggest in another forum?

The Pull Brush shape has a size slider that you can lower to decrease randomness. The best way however to get rid of the shape explosions is to keep all your shapes in uniform size. Since Alchemy already randomizes the size of shapes there really is no use of having them in different scales to begin with. The circle shapes that ship with Alchemy for instance would constantly cause me headaches, so I simply disabled them. I created a template in Illustrator that uses a simple grid where I can fit in all the shapes that I need. With all my shapes at roughly the same size the Pull Shape Brush has become much more predictable without the occasional shape explosions and the CTRL+Z hand twitching.

[brynn]

Oh ok, thanks for that Count_Zero.
Geez, no wonder I couldn't figure it out. I assumed that slider controlled the actual size, and I thought it was broken. Because even set almost to zero, I still was getting giant lobster claws, lol!

In the case of the spirograms, unless one understands the math behind them, and I certainly don't, it's hard to control the size. I've made hundreds of them, and it appears that certain multiples of the settings create nearly identical spirograms, just at different sizes. On the other hand, some of them can't be made at different sizes, or at least as far as I can determine.

That said, I suppose I could scale them all to be relatively the same size. Still, some that are rather large might not look very good when scaled down, and vice versa. Especially the more complex ones, with over 1000 nodes....here's an example.

If I scaled it down, the lines would become very close together, even to the point that it might look like a solid disc. And while I can make the Stroke narrower, there are limits to how narrow they can be made, and still be visible. And if Alchemy randomized it to be much bigger, they might not be visible at all.

I'm thinking in the case of these spirograms, I will enlarge some of the very small ones, thanks to your info. But I think scaling down the larger ones might result in lost detail.

Thank you very much

[brynn]

Hello again,
Ok, now I have my files ready to share, and please find all 9 of them attached herewith

I have learned yet more about this. When I posted above that Alchemy applies only the Fill (as Inkscape calls it), and that I thought I would have to create the spirograms a little differently in order to see the Strokes (again Inkscape terminology) or in other words, the lines (which display all the fantastic detail of so many spirograms), I was slightly wrong about that. Here's how it works, from start to finish, for those newbies out there

1. Obtain the files:
   
   1. Click on the file(s) or attachment that you want to add to your program
   2. In the dialog that pops up, click Save
   3. In the next dialog that pops up, navigate to your Alchemy folder, and click on the Shapes folder, (in Windows XP, it's probably in your Program Files, unless you installed it on your desktop (which probably isn't the best place, fyi)
   4. Click Save.
2. Open Alchemy, select Pull Shapes from the Create menu
3. On the Pull Shapes toolbar, click Reload (this makes the new folders active)
4. Next you have to toggle the Style button to either Lines or Solids, and please see the following images for examples.

If you choose Lines, Alchemy will produce spirograms like you see on the left. And if you choose Solids, you will get the type you see on the right. #1 is a good example of many different spirograms, which have very interesting lines, but when filled or solid, is a fairly boring circular thing (big dot ). #2 is a little different in that you can get a very nice image whether you're using Lines or Solids. And #3 is something in between, where you have some interesting lines, but when solid gives quite a different effect. #4 is a question for....I don't know, developers, or maybe more advanced users, and I'll ask it between the samples below, and the attachments below that.

For those of you who know Inkscape fairly well, you know that there are 2 ways to fill a complex object or path with several overlapping areas. There is Fill Rule: evenodd (Any path self-intersections or subpaths create holes in the fill) and Fill Rule: nonzero (Fill is solid unless a subpath is counterdirectional). These settings are in the top, right corner of the Fill tab, in the Fill and Stroke dialog. In example #4 above, on the left, is the non-filled spirogram (stroke only). The middle one is filled using the NonZero Fill Rule, and the one on the right is filled using the Evenodd Fill Rule. Alchemy will reproduce the one on the left using the Line mode Style, and will reproduce the one in the middle using the Solid mode Style. And here's my question: How to get Alchemy to reproduce the one on the right, the Evenodd Fill Rule in Inkscape? Would I have to include the spirograms in a PDF as they are filled with that Evenodd Fill Rule? And if so, would I use the Solid Style setting to get Alchemy to produce a fill like in #4 on the far right, above?

I'm trying to test it out right now, by creating a new folder with a single spirogram in it (otherwise who know how long I'd have to click to get the test spirogram, due to the random thing). But for some reason, when I add the new folder (containing the single spirogram), the Pull Shapes toolbar disappears. The toolbars for all the other items in the Create menu still appear as usual. And when I remove the new test folder from the Shapes folder, the toolbar appears as usual. I don't recall having to restart the computer when I added my new Spirograms folder. But is that what I need to do to add this test folder? Or have I encountered a bug?

Thanks for your help on this last issue, and finally, here are the files:
PS -- In the end, I did scale down all the larger spirograms to 250 px, and left those under 250 px alone. A lot of them were over 400 px each, which would really not work. And of course anyone who wants to scale them even smaller for their own use, is welcome to do so Enjoy!

[brynn]

Hi again
I've made some more PDFs for the Pull Shapes feature.

The first 2 are symmetrical designs made with Inkscape's Star shape -- one of 5-pointed and one of 6-pointed designs. "Pointed" is for lack of a better word.

The second 2 are line "drawings" of trees in the winter (ie-no leaves). They are made with Inkscape's Random Tree rendering extension -- one is larger and more complex trees, and the second one is smaller, simpler trees and shrubs.

I have a handful of celtic knots that I'll prepare to share later. And I'll probably do some more with Inkscape's Star shape (in the polygon setting). Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these

[Magic_Man_3d]

Made in Inkscape

[wallasaurus]

Ok here's my test shapes, must get round to making some more soon!

[mikro]

hi im started alchemy 2 days.
It might be stupid question is a hotkey or shortcut( on PC) to change the loaded pull shapes ?