allow to mirror objects at any axis

[Donovaly]

Some of the now missing features of Inkscape is a mirroring feature.
I often have the case that objects must be mirrored. This is currently only
possible horizontally or vertically with this unergonomic procedure:

0. select the objects
1. duplicate the objects with Ctrl-d
2. flip the duplicate horizontally or vertically
3. move it by hand so that it fits

Better would be this procedure:

1. select the objects
2. choose a mirroring tool
3. draw an axis that is used as mirror axis

The mirror axis can be chosen to be deleted after mirroring or to be left
in the drawing.

[[e-mail] (arve-fahlvik)]

Mirroring through a point can also be useful.

For the procedure above there must also be a possibility to mark the object as mirrored. If you edit the object after the mirroring, the both the mirror and the original object will be affected.

When this is implemented I don´t need to postprocess in Gimp. :-)

[su_v (suv-lp)]

in most parts already doable in Inkscape 0.47: if the selection tool is in rotate mode (rotation center visible), that center becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selection

- mirroring horizontally or vertically at axis through the (freely movable and snapable) rotation center
- mirroring through a point: drag the rotation point and use both flip commands ('h', then 'v').

@arve - just mirror a clone not a copy (group the original before cloning and then you are able to add and edit further objects inside the group that will be mirrored 'live')! For more complex symmetries you can use the 'Tiled Clones…' dialog.
<http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Tiles-Symmetries.html>

[vlad seghete (vloodo)]

@~suv while all this is very useful (i feel like i learned something), i'm pretty sure that these tips can't emulate mirroring over *any* axis. say, for example, i want to mirror across an axis that is drawn but is neither horizontal nor vertical and whose angle i don't know. the only way i can think of doing that now is to restrict my drawings at special angles (like 45deg) from the beginning. is there a way to rotate a drawing such that a given line becomes horizontal (without knowing the angle of the line)?

[su_v (suv-lp)]

vlad seghete wrote
> these tips can't emulate mirroring over *any* axis.

With clones, kind of (you can move and rotate the flipped clone); but not simply with 'duplicate + flip' commands.

Alternatively - until Inkscape does have an enhanced 'mirror' command - you could use an extension like discussed and attached at the end of this InkscapeForum topic (doesn't work with clones, unfortunately):
<http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4729>

Another topic discusses an interesting alternative (cloned layers, flipped and rotated - like a kaleidoscope):
<http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3300>
Additional templates can be found here:
<http://www.openclipart.org/search/?query=kaleidoscope>

> is there a way to rotate a drawing (…)

No, but that's a different feature request, tracked in
Bug #170498 “Rotate and Flip Canvas”
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/170498>

[su_v (suv-lp)]

vlad seghete wrote
> is there a way to rotate a drawing such that a given line
> becomes horizontal (without knowing the angle of the line)?

If you didn't mean to rotate the canvas itself, but only objects or (parts of) the drawing content: Inkscape 0.49 will support rotational snapping so that you can drag-rotate a selection and let the end node of a line snap to e.g. a horizontal guide, or align it with the grid (see bug #170919).

(depending on your platform, you can download & test a recent development snapshot build which already has this feature).

[vlad seghete (vloodo)]

thanks! the python code is especially helpful since i recently started playing with some of that myself.