TLDR: Hi all thank you for reading! Does Inkscape have a Part mode and Assembly mode? The end if this post has an illustration to help me describe this ambiguous question. Thank you!
Detail: My specific project is a hand and fingers, but I want to edit the fingers individually with specific positioning and details. I know that advanced cad have parts and assemblies. Does inkscape have something similar? In this project I would also be using path effects to merge all parts into a single path, for a single CNC cut part.
Side question: Does Inkscape have anything like poses and bones more common to 3d animation tools?
Inkscape is a drawing software not cad, don't expect cad style workflow out of it. The type of problems you commonly have in cad is not the typical problems for main use of inkscape.
Don't overthink it just copy the part if you need to. Considering that you are later going to merge them into single path for CNC cutting it's probably just simple shapes. If you really need them to remain identical you can use clones, in which case any modification to original will also apply to clones.
As for bones again, no animation tools so no tools for skeleton based posing.
I use Inkscape as a design aid for Autodesk Fusion. Yes - there are issues (such as precision) using that approach but I have learned how to work around them. My experience with this approach is that Inkscape does circles around CAD/CAM software when it comes to 2D design.
You mentioned the use of clones. I might also suggest Inkscape's symbol capabilites. I use that capability quite a bit in my designs.
@denomortune, Inkscape does not have constraints nor kinematics, so each pose would need to be aligned joint by joint. There are choices like Blender, FreeCad or the personal (free) version of Fusion that may be helpful.
Rant time - so please ignore. To the CAD purists out there! The biggest argument I hear is that Inkscape doesn't have constraints. Ummm - no - you have completely missed the target on this. Inkscape has complex snapping (and easy to understand by the way) - which is A FREAKING constraint by a different name. If you group several paths or objects together, you have a RELATIONAL constraint. To the AVERAGE maker/crafter (CAD/CAM by different name) - that is all they need. That is why Inkscape is more popular among this group of users.
I am avoiding using other tools because I know Inkscape has a lot of power. To avoid redrawing over and over, I will have to adjust some parts path effects while they're at 90 degree orientation. Then I'll have to take clones, and rotate them to merge with the final assembly using more path effects. Hopefully it is stable for this.
Sometimes I think I should learn Blender for 3d AND 2d with the goal of quitting inkscape.
Beginners' Questions Part vs assembly in inkscape
Inkscape.org
TLDR: Hi all thank you for reading! Does Inkscape have a Part mode and Assembly mode? The end if this post has an illustration to help me describe this ambiguous question. Thank you!
Detail: My specific project is a hand and fingers, but I want to edit the fingers individually with specific positioning and details. I know that advanced cad have parts and assemblies. Does inkscape have something similar? In this project I would also be using path effects to merge all parts into a single path, for a single CNC cut part.
Side question: Does Inkscape have anything like poses and bones more common to 3d animation tools?
Inkscape is a drawing software not cad, don't expect cad style workflow out of it. The type of problems you commonly have in cad is not the typical problems for main use of inkscape.
Don't overthink it just copy the part if you need to. Considering that you are later going to merge them into single path for CNC cutting it's probably just simple shapes.
If you really need them to remain identical you can use clones, in which case any modification to original will also apply to clones.
As for bones again, no animation tools so no tools for skeleton based posing.
Karliss -
I use Inkscape as a design aid for Autodesk Fusion. Yes - there are issues (such as precision) using that approach but I have learned how to work around them. My experience with this approach is that Inkscape does circles around CAD/CAM software when it comes to 2D design.
You mentioned the use of clones. I might also suggest Inkscape's symbol capabilites. I use that capability quite a bit in my designs.
@denomortune, Inkscape does not have constraints nor kinematics, so each pose would need to be aligned joint by joint. There are choices like Blender, FreeCad or the personal (free) version of Fusion that may be helpful.
On the left - parts
On the right - an assembly
Rant time - so please ignore. To the CAD purists out there! The biggest argument I hear is that Inkscape doesn't have constraints. Ummm - no - you have completely missed the target on this. Inkscape has complex snapping (and easy to understand by the way) - which is A FREAKING constraint by a different name. If you group several paths or objects together, you have a RELATIONAL constraint. To the AVERAGE maker/crafter (CAD/CAM by different name) - that is all they need. That is why Inkscape is more popular among this group of users.
Ah I need to study clones!
I am avoiding using other tools because I know Inkscape has a lot of power. To avoid redrawing over and over, I will have to adjust some parts path effects while they're at 90 degree orientation. Then I'll have to take clones, and rotate them to merge with the final assembly using more path effects. Hopefully it is stable for this.
Sometimes I think I should learn Blender for 3d AND 2d with the goal of quitting inkscape.