Is anybody using Inkscape to draw fin shapes to send to a laser cutter? I so, I need help...

[brockrwood]

I am trying to draw this fin shape in Inkscape so I can use it as a source file for the laser cutter at the local public library maker space:



The above is hand-drawn. I would love to re-draw it in Inkscape so that it is nice and smooth. But I don't know how.

:-(

 

[rharshberger]

Draw it by hand just the way you want it (french curves will help get nice curves), then scan it to a pdf, once its a pdf its fairly easy to pull it into Inkscape and create .svg or other format.

 

[brockrwood]

Draw it by hand just the way you want it (french curves will help get nice curves), then scan it to a pdf, once its a pdf its fairly easy to pull it into Inkscape and create .svg or other format.

Thanks!

 

[brockrwood]

Draw it by hand just the way you want it (french curves will help get nice curves), then scan it to a pdf, once its a pdf its fairly easy to pull it into Inkscape and create .svg or other format.

I just ordered a drawing template set on Amazon for $8.99. It includes four different "French curves" templates (and 5 other templates). I had no idea such a thing existed. Thank you so much for the tip!

 

[rharshberger]

Old school draftsmans tools, its how we did it before computers...

 

[neil_w]

To create such a curve in Inkscape, you would use the Bezier tool. There are lots of tutorials on how to use it, on youtube and elsewhere on the web.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=inkscape+bezier&ia=web
The Bezier tool is pretty fundamental to working in Inkscape, and it's really not too hard. Worth putting in a bit of time to achieve basic familiarity with it, if not necessarily a high level of expertise.

 

[kuririn]

Save the .tif file from JimZ's.
Then use the import function in Inkscape.

 

[manixFan]

I use Illustrator a lot to do exactly that - trace drawings. I used the scan of the fin from JimZs site as suggested and used the Pen tool to create the outline. There are only 6 anchor points used to create the shape.

my process is:
open scan in Photoshop and clean up
place in Illustrator as a template
draw straight lines with minimal anchors
curve lines into place

It takes longer to open, clean up the file, and export to Illustrator than it does to create the shapes.

Tony

Note: the bottom edge of the fin (in the drawing is 3.65" long (very tip of curve to outside of right stroke)