feature request: Transformation with 'apply to clone' and 'apply to clone ' checkboxes

[Mściwój]

This is feature request.
when making patterns or just generating more objects very often its required to do two operations at the same time:
transformation (like move, rotate, scale etc..)
along with
copying (or cloning) object

So for instance if I want to have 14 squares in a line, each 1cm right next to one before
currently I need to switch between these two operations:
copy, move, copy, move, copy, move.... 28 alternating operations all together!

having the (mutually exclusive) checkboxes that first copy or clone and only then apply the requested transformation on it saves a lot of manual work.
With this implemented (see Corel Draw) all I need is to click 14 times at the same button (or press same keyboard shortcut)

Can live without it but I feel I can't stress enough how nice and useful this feature is (and also probably not that difficult to implement either)

Cheers

[Edouard (edouardst)]

I may be mistaken but if I understand correctly, this feature already exists (and seems better) in Inkscape. You should have a look at the clone tool,Edit → Clone → icon Create Tiled Clones...(cf http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Tiles.html). In your case it's as easy as setting 1 line 14 columns, and setting (in the translation tab) the right percentage of X translation by column.

Regards

[Mściwój (matshyeq)]

Hey,

good point.
I still think proposed would enhance Inkscape capabilities significantly.
First of all it's much more simpler (the proposed feature).
Second, it's not exactly the same thing.
There's an overlap in the functionality (for some use cases) but I'd say that is rather small portion of the two combined.
Mainly tiled clones feature:
1. it doesn't support proposed simple duplicate&transform operation
2. different set of operations are available or more precisely: the transformations themselves work in a different way

Will give an example:
Want to have an object placed on a 9-angle star plan.
So with proposed functionality I select the object, define rotation center (outside the object)
,pick an appropriate mode (duplicate & transform or clone&transform(multiple clones taken from the same original rather than clones of clones))
,then use rotation by 40 degrees
and apply 9 times

This is also about precision:
coming back to original desciption - moving object using transformation palette gives an option to specify EXPLICITLY the EXACT shift value (as opposed to 'ratio' in clone patern whereby it's rather very difficult to get the same result)

Just thinking about possible extentions to this:
- give an iteration count menu (you specify 9 instead of clicking 9 times)
- give an option how to apply transformation:
 >recalc (cumulative absolute) each time based on/from original (to prevent clone from clone, etc..)
 >take previous iteration (cumulative relative) one as base for next one (may be useful when want to specify transformation value in ratio percentage and for instance have each next object 50% size of previous one)

Best Regards

[Edouard (edouardst)]

I get your point and agree with you. The Tiled Clone tool can achieve what you're asking for but involves a little more (useless ?) thinking. Nevertheless, your 9 angle star plan can be achieved really easily already, by setting the center outside the object, then going to the tiled clone tool and choosing 1 line, 9 columns, setting all translations to zero and under the 'Rotation' tab, choosing 40°.
The exact shift value in your first exemple has to be calculated as a percentage of the original object's size, which, even if not undoable, involves using a calculator which should be avoided.
So I guess the tool could already be made better whith a choice of relative vs absolute values and a choice of units.
Regards

[Mściwój (matshyeq)]

Hi Edouard,

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware that you can use rotation with 'Tiled Clone' tool.
That's actually yet another point that while similar(! not same!) functionality is already there it's not so straightforward to use it. All I'm saying using 'Tiled Clone' (if at all possible for a particular case) for this is more a workaround than a solution.

Actually and Unfortunately I feel I can't stress enough how useful this (proposed) feature would be.
Especially with the option to use the absolute values directly as this is exactly what I imagine would be used in this context (like examples brought in this req)

Last but not least, as suggested before - there are some more options possible for it and it doesn't have to be only 'clone mode' there :)

Anyway
You guys doing great job there. The tool is simply Great!, this is just my two cents of what could make in my opinion make it even better (including beating commercial software!)
so, looking forward for this some time, in hopefully not so distant future :)

Thank you very much,
Kind Regards
Msciwoj

[su_v (suv-lp)]

Other requests for the same feature:
- Bug #170677 (sf1180595) “add button - apply to copy”
- Bug #370099 “transform dialog: apply to duplicate.”

Proposing to link as duplicate to bug #170677.