Chipscratches - README

This extension creates visual noise of various kinds, using
3 ingredients, scratches, chips, and specks.

Extensions -> Generate -> Noise -> ChipScratches

The 3 ingredients go into 3 Inkscape groups. Where they are in
the tree is controlled by the object selected at the time the
extension is called.  They become sisters of the selected object,
under the same parent.  If there is no selection, they go to
the root level.

In the text below, each * indicates a settable parameter in
the pop-up box.

The extension fills a rectangle, which defaults* to the page
size, or is width* by height*.  The overall size* and number*
of marks is set.  However, for each of the 3, a multiplier
changes the size* and number*.  To get the overall value,
just set the multiplier to 1.0

Also, each of the 3 may be separately enabled* or disabled.

For each ingredient, it is possible to set the size to grow*
with y.  For this case, it is possible to set the size to
a negative multiplier, so that it, when growing, will pass
through zero somewhere in the middle of the box.

For scratches, it is possible to change their orientation 
from vertical to angular*, radiating from the center of the box.
(If so, growth is measured from the center.)  The initial
angle* and the change with distance* are set.

For chips and specks, there are similar controls, except the
angular ones, which are omitted.

Last, there is the option to use a density gradient*. In the
simple case, the probability of making a mark is the same
everywhere.  With a gradient, it changes from 0 to 1 across
the box from left to right.

--

Some of the features above may be of little use, while some
omitted ones might be important.  This is a beta version, so
I await user feedback.

I notice that the extension might take 5 seconds to run.  Is
this important?  A bit of clean-up might help this.

Two features that might slow it down considerably are clusters
and collisions.  Collisions, if implemented, would keep any 2
marks from landing on top of each other.  Slow, because each
mark must search all the previous marks.

Clusters is some method of putting new marks near old ones.
I think this would be especially useful for specks, which
could be clustered around the end of scratches.  Right now,
they're uniform, and so fade into the background.

Again, feedback?

Technical note:  This file may also be used to generate the inx
file. (The bundled inx file was generated this way.)  Set the
global /inxGen/ =1 and run the file stand-alone.

- AK Sept 2018