Hi all, Can anyone give me a quick way to add bridges when drawing out a stencil pattern?

For example I want a circular stencil which I'll be cutting with a laser cutter, so I draw two concentric circles. Then I want to add 4 bridges, essentially breaking the circle into 4 sections.

Is there a quick way to add the bridges without node editing the circle? Using one of the path combination tools?

If I want to do this with text, I convert the text to a path, ungroup it, then draw a rectangle where I want the bridge and then do a Path Difference. This works great. I can't quite see the difference between a letter O converted to a path and ungrouped and two concentric circles....

OK, I have sorted it. I needed to combine the concentric circles by doing a Path Exclusion first. This makes the two circles into a ring structure with nothing in the middle as opposed to two solid circles on top of each other. Then I can draw on a rectangle where I want my bridges and the do a Path Difference. The rectagle vanishes and just leaves two bridges where it intersects the ring.

You could also have drawn a circle, set the proper stroke witdh and done [path>stroke to path]. 

[Path > Difference] with rectangles drawn atop your stencil is a good way. Eraser can also work to quickly add these small bits.

Sorry, double post !

David248

You could also have drawn a circle, set the proper stroke witdh and done [path>stroke to path]. [Path > Difference] with rectangles drawn atop your stencil is a good way. Eraser can also work to quickly add these small bits.

Hi David, As I am laser cutting a stencil, the stroke width makes no difference, the laser just cuts along the line in one pass. I need two concentric circles with bridges to keep the middle in place beacuse there are some more holes to go into the middle.

Making stencils means lots of bridges, so a quick way to add them neatly is vital!

You'll need to convert the Stroke with Path->Stroke to Path to make it a shape for Path->Union.

rich444

Hi David, As I am laser cutting a stencil, the stroke width makes no difference, the laser just cuts along the line in one pass. I need two concentric circles with bridges to keep the middle in place beacuse there are some more holes to go into the middle.

Yes : for a cutter, strokes wdth doesn't matter but you didn't get what I said : stroke to path results in a shape with two subpaths : inner outline and outer outine (with a fill of the former stroke color and no stroke - actually an unset stroke) : see pic (I assembled screenshots seen with node tool to explain more clearly).

I would use quite a same technique to quickly add bridges, using bezier pen.

• Choose the appropriate stroke size (please read until end before thinking "mmmm, stroke widht doesn't matter"😊).
• You can either draw multiples paths and later select all these and combine them [path > combine] (or ctrl + K) or draw a first path (press on enter key to end) and hold shift while begining to draw a new path : this way you continue the first path drawn with a new sub-path.
• Once all bridges are done and adjusted if necessary with node tool, convert stroke to path and select the stencil and this path an do [path>union] (ctrl ++)