Inkscape Wiki - User contributions [en]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T11:38:06Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Extreme threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas. The gap is not being closed at the end of the two lines - which again leaves laborious clean up work for the artist.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''

== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
here is a link with more information of how it works-
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap at the end of both lines.

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

Proposal by Todor Imreorov <blurymind@gmail.com>

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T11:34:13Z

TodorImreorov: /* Problem: */

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T11:30:45Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Extreme threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''

== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
here is a link with more information of how it works-
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap at the end of both lines.

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T11:30:10Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Extreme threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''

== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
here is a link with more information of how it works-
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap at the tip of both lines.

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T11:27:28Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Extreme threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''

== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
here is a link with more information of how it works-
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T10:58:48Z

TodorImreorov: /* Problem: */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Extreme threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''

== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T10:51:55Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Increasing the threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''
== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFgXKzCOlQ&t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUReniLyqw&t=2m4s @YouTube]

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T10:49:33Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Increasing the threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''
== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

[http://youtube.com/XeFgXKzCOlQ?t=3m34s @YouTube]

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
<cant post because of spam filter>

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T10:44:11Z

TodorImreorov: /* Possible ways to approach this */

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Increasing the threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''
== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

<cant post because of stupid spam filter>

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the old bucket tool.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
<cant post because of spam filter>

A better Bucket Fill tool fill

2015-04-26T10:40:50Z

TodorImreorov: Created page with "== '''Problem:''' == The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level..."

== '''Problem:''' ==

The current bucket fill tool is creating fills based on bitmap pixels of the screen, rather than the vector lines data. It is dependent on the zoom level of the viewport.
This is not necessarily the problem. The actual fill algorithm is creating less than desireable results that leave a lot of laborious clean up work for the artist.

Compared to some developments for this tool in other open source and proprietary software, the fill algorithm is outdated.

- Some times does not fill the area at all and just freezes for a while.

- It leaves empty corner areas all over the place, which the artist has to then manually fix
[[File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png|400px|thumb|center]]

- It leaves empty areas at tight places, where it is somewhat hard to clean them up:
[[File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg|400px|thumb|center]]
Even if you "grow" your fills, that does not cure the problem.

- Increasing the threshold leads to bigger probability of the bucket tool freezing for a bit and not creating a fill at all.

- The "Close gaps" feature is not very intelligent. It closes the gap in one area,while often leaving undesirable empty spaces in other areas.

- The actual resulting fill is not very precise, the fill nodes are not placed well, are too dense and/or are not corners when needed.

'''Whatever you do with it, it always leaves small pixel areas unfilled!
The shame in it is that it can not properly fill cleanly inked (with the calligraphy tool) lineart it leaves gaps everywhere.
It is a pain to then manually fill them. Zoom in and out to get them. Try filling spiky hair. Just try it.
'''
== '''Complaints and requests over the years for a better bucket tool:''' ==
It has been requested numerous times to improve the bucket fill tool in inkscape.
If you look at the mailing list, the forum and Launchpad -
you will find many users asking for an alternative bucket fill tool that works in a different way to the current one:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/656498

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/182930

== '''Possible ways to approach this''' ==

'''Vector bucket fill mode''' - instead of filling areas based on visible pixels, fill it based on surrounding vector shapes.

You can already emulate this sort of bucket fill tool by doing the following workaround:

<cant post because of stupid spam filter>

Having said that I believe that this approach is very hackish and inconvenient. It would be much better if inkscape had a proper tool to do this instead!

Pros:

- The fills are very precise, their nodes fit the surrounding shapes well. Corner nodes are present where needed. Density is good.

- Doesn't leave empty areas like the bucket fill tool at all. The result is much better!

Cons:

- The fills only get created if the area is completely closed. (needs to be implemented an "auto close gap")

- The fills follow the interior shape too precisely. This sometimes leaves small spaces between line and fill when rendered. The artists often needs to "Grow" the line a little bit. Ideally the fill border should be precisely under the middle of the ink lines. (needs to be implemented "grow/shrink" feature)

'''Better bitmap fill algorithm''' - The current fill algorithm suffers from the downsides of the classic bucket tool in other software.
There have been big developments over the years and the bucket fill workflow has improved immensely.

1. Gmic colorize - Gimp and Krita recently got a way better fill algorithm:
https://github.com/mypaint/mypaint/issues/150

Here is explanation of why it is better:
http://www.davidrevoy.com/article240/gmic-line-art-colorization

2. More intelligent Auto-close gaps: https://github.com/callaa/Drawpile/issues/189
Close gap is a feature that is present in a few manga art related painting applications.
It is a planned feature for Krita.

What it does:
It tells the bucket tool to automatically close gaps with an invisible straight line, before doing the fill operation. That stop paint from spilling outside of an area, without affecting the classic "Tolerance" value

[[File:CloseGapsExample3.png|400px|thumb|center]]

If two lines do not overlap and there is a gap between them: Close gap

If two lines overlap: Do not auto close gap.

Here is an example of its use in paintstorm studio:
<cant post because of spam filter>

File:CloseGapsExample3.png

2015-04-26T10:26:38Z

TodorImreorov:

File:BucketFillCornerAreasExample.jpg

2015-04-26T09:53:51Z

TodorImreorov: corner areas problem in the bucket fill tool

corner areas problem in the bucket fill tool

File:BucketToolCornerAreas.png

2015-04-26T09:48:38Z

TodorImreorov: corner areas problem in the bucket fill tool

corner areas problem in the bucket fill tool

New feature proposals

2015-04-26T09:17:38Z

TodorImreorov: /* Proposals for New Features */

{{Outdated}}
=== Proposals for New Features ===

'''Please think twice when you edit this page: we use Launchpad's [https://blueprints.launchpad.net/inkscape/ blueprints] for all this now.'''

This page is for links to pages describing concepts, proposals, and specs for new features, major architectural changes, large scale codebase refactorings, etc. As they are implemented, these links should be moved to more appropriate areas of the Wiki.
The idea here is to enable everyone to hash out requirements and design of a potential new feature in detail prior to implementation. See also:

[[Developer manual]] and [[Roadmap]].
* [[User:Davidhewitt|Bottom Toolbar update proposal]]: Outlines my proposal for a UI facelift for the Bottom Tool bar. Also introduces a new mode of operation for the palette itself.
* [[User:Bats|A user's list of suggestions/wishes]]: I recently finished a web project using Inkscape (mainly). This is a list of the things I wished it had, the things I liked but wanted to tweak and other observations as I was working. Perhaps it will help the programmers to see what a designer sees. I hope.
* [[InkscapeNeeds]]
* [[FeatureNotePad]]: use this for small notes and enhancement ideas, or for temporarily dumping feature requests (e.g. from mailing lists) before they are thought over, categorized, and put into pages of their own

* <ins>[DONE]</ins> <del>[[DirectoryReorgProposal]]</del>
* <ins>[DONE]</ins> <del>[[NonRecursiveMakefile]]</del>
* [[NewTools]]
* [[NetworkedEditing]]
* [[SharingDefs]]: Not exactly new, but need conversion/upgrade.
* [[AdvancedFileAccess]]
* [[DocumentLayers]]
* [[PlugIns]]: This could be script ideas as well.
* [[HUD]]: Putting HUDs on the sp-canvas.
* [[PathOps]]
* [[InfoPalette]]
* [[ColorPalette]]
* [[UnitConversion]]
* [[ScriptingLanguages]]: And options for handling extensibility.
* [[TestingFramework]]: Creating testing framework.
* [[PreferencesDialog]]
* [[BreadthFirstUndo]]
* [[CadInteroperability]]
* [[FontKerning]]
* [[PathfinderPalette]]
* [[PreserveOverTransform]]
* [http://users.pandora.be/blendix/verse/ GimpInteraktion]
* [[ClipTemplates]]: SVG templates.
* [[StockLibraryInterface]]
* [[Cairoification]]: Replace SVG renderer.
* [[OpenPublishingToolsOrganization]]
* [[HelpMenu]]
* [[FormObject]]
* [[AST]]
* [[SpellCheckForTextNodes]]
* [[XML repair]]: Service for broken or weird files
* [[MoreUsableWorkingFolders]]
* [[SplitPaneUI]] View
* [[Pre-installed gradients]]
* [[rotate group of path points(knots)]]
* [[Searching within Inkscape]]
* [[UsingTheConnectorTool]]: (Various improvements to the Connector tool).
* [[PureSVG]]: SVG that plays well with others.
* [[Image links manager]]: A UI for better management of image links.
* [[Clip Enhancements]]: Clip function extended to become a container object.
* [[A better Bucket Fill tool fill]] : Suggestions for a better bucket fill tool that does not leave gaps and empty corner areas.

=== Review Inkscape RFE's and [[SodiPodi]]'s Tasks ===

Please review the following links, extract ideas, and develop them further for inclusion and discussion on this WIKI page.

* [http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=93438&atid=604309 Inkscape RFE's]
* [http://www.sodipodi.com/index.php3?section=development/tasks [[SodiPodi]] Task List] -- I think this link is outdated and leads to a wrong page. The newest release of Sodipodi is of june 2004. Although there is some activity on the svn uploads I would recommend removing this link or replacing it by [http://sourceforge.net/projects/sodipodi Sodipodi on Sourceforge]. --[[User:Gman beginner|Gman beginner]] 22:34, 13 July 2009 (UTC)