Feature request: Draw springs

[Leon]

A spring [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coil_(PSF).jpg] is an aesthetic mechanical device, which has a few properties:
* Coil width
* Spacing between coils
* Number of coils / Angle
* Radius

In a way, it's sort of a spiral and maybe it could be combined with the spiral object.

This is very useful for both mechanical and physical drawings.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

The spiral is 2-dimensional, the helix is a 3-dimensional curve. Maybe (the 2d-projection of) a helix could be implemented as path effect?

see also:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix>

[Leon (sed-i)]

"(the 2d-projection of) a helix" is exactly what I meant, because I want to make drawing such as:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SpringsInParallel.svg

[su_v (suv-lp)]

In the meantime you can draw an approximated spring like in 'SpringsInParallel.svg' using the pen tool (see attached SVG file).

[su_v (suv-lp)]

The path effect 'Pattern along Path' can also be used to draw spring-like objects (or helices): the dimensions of the used pattern have to correspond to the path effect parameter 'Spacing' in order to avoid gaps or overlaps at the base joints of the repeated patterns.