v006
2025_03_15
Scope
This tutorial aims to instruct the reader in a process in Inkscape (version 1.4) for drawing complex, seamless, wrap-around, repeating surface designs with elements that flow between, such as a wallpaper and fabric. This method is suitable for full drop designs, simple square tile grids, as well as half drop designs in which successive rows or columns are offset by half. Other offsets and spacings are also available. Novel mirroring symmetries are available. These effects can be variably applied to layers, groups, objects, and paths. These arrangements and settings are adjustable and toggleable. This method fully respects layer order. It is somewhat particular to set up, and tile spacing can be spoiled temporarily by drawing beyond a border area.
The tutorial will cover the location of Path Effects and the Tiling option in the UI, specify a workspace layout, explain the behavior of Tiling Live Path Effects, cover some document dimension considerations for multiple offsets in the same image, explain how to export a tile as a raster image, explain how to preview your export in GIMP to proof the seamless tiling, and list various notable behavior and glitches with the software.
This method will be compared to Inkscape’s Clone and Arrange functions, Inkscape’s tiling template, GIMP’s Symmetry Painting tool, and to Krita’s Wrap-Around Mode.
This tutorial assumes the reader has a basic working knowledge of how Inkscape works as a vector art program, otherwise Inkscape’s website has a very accessible beginner’s manual.
Canvas & Workspace Layout
For a simple repetition with flush, abutting tiles, a group or layer to which the path effect will be applied should be created in the Layers and Objects tab of the right-hand docking panel. This group should containing both the art assets and a pair of concentric squares, one representing the tile’s canvas and one representing the tile’s wraparound margin. For example, a square measuring 1000px by 1000px, and a similar square centered over it that measures 2000px by 2000px. The wraparound boundary is twice the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the tile, which is to say a 50% or 500px margin on each side. These squares are convenient for snapping guides. No stroke is necessary for this to work but a 1 pixel stroke is helpful for visualizing. You’ll probably want to turn off the stroke when exporting at the end if it’s not buried under a backdrop.
Tiling distances specified in the path effects tab are relative to the outermost edge of the Group Layer or path to which the Path Effect is applied, not a set canvas size, hence the guide object.
Be careful to draw inside the wraparound margin or else the array of tiles will space apart to accommodate the new paths!
All these elements should be offset from the actual document canvas such the canvas is fully covered by the array and not at the incomplete edges. Such placement will vary depending on your offset and other elements. These assets can be moved relative to the canvas later.
To set the document’s canvas dimensions, navigate in the upper left menu bar to File > Document Properties, and then to the Display tab where one can type or dial in the desired values, for example 1000px by 1000px.
Docking Panel, Path Effects Tab, & Tiling Live Path Effect.
To the right of the Inkscape page and workspace is the docking panel that contains the Layers and Objects tab, Fill and Stroke tab, etc. If the Path Effects Tab isn’t prepopulated in this list then click the dropdown arrow to the right of these tabs on the docking panel’s header bar, and choose Path Effects from the list. When the canvas and workspace is laid out, and the target object path or group is selected, choose Tiling from the dropdown arrow’s list of live path effects under the Generate header or search for it by typing Tiling in the text entry. One application of the effect will suffice.
Tiling Path Effect Settings
For the 1000px tile with 2000x outer dimensions to have direct tile to tile contact, the Gap X and Gap Y settings should both subtract the combined margins of adjoining squares, which is to say negative 1000 pixels (-1000px). For a half-drop, set the offset percentage to 50% and specify either rows or columns.
3 rows and 3 columns should suffice to both visualize the effect and sample for export unless different offset patterns are overlaid.
Additional mirroring settings are available but the default is exact repetition with no mirroring or flipping.
Above is the minimum viable information to start drawing, have fun!
Rendering Refreshes
Refreshes after changes sometimes don’t update or populate completely and correctly until an offending item or the particular sub-item in the hierarchy has had visibility toggled off and on again or in some cases the file saved and reloaded. It can be quite unpredictable what the minimum necessary prompt will be. Tiling of path creation across the array always waits to render until the path is committed, and even then sometimes you need to do a further path action or to toggle visibility.
Sometimes the program simply lags executing an action, a different phenomena. This delay is notable when deleting multiple items. You may even hear your computer’s fan spinning up.
Transformations Within a Tiling Array
Rotation transforms assume a pivot point / origin at the center of the array not the local object or the parent tile, however this origin point has a displayed handle and so can be dragged to the needed place for any given rotation.
Scaling transforms are relative to the whole array not the local object or the parent tile. They tend to correct themselves after the transform is committed but they can display erratically before then.
Simple translations (grab and move) however generally behave themselves.
Stacking Order in Live Path Effects
Inkscape observes multiplied objects and paths within Live Path Effect Tiling arrays at the same order across all the tiles. It is functionally the same as creating multiple sub-paths under each path. The top layer is top across all tiles and the bottom layer is bottom across all tiles. An object that spans tiles overlaps and crosses into itself with displaying a coequal stacking order, both strokes and fills fully visible.
If you want self-same objects to have a stacking order, you can apply / flatten the path effect and manually order these objects (assuming that Flatten isn’t broken which is appears to be?). Alternately, Cloning arrays assume a stacking order. The Tiling Template available within the Inkscape Templates utilizes cloning within its functionality and so also assumes a stacking order.
Applying / Flattening Path Effects
Warning, Broken
This appears VERY broken (Inkscape 1.4, Windows 11) in that resulting flattened items misbehave wildly when interacted with, so disregard this feature?
Flattening Path Effects may be flattened, or applied such that the modified or generated components exist with the path effect removed. Flattening a Tiling Path Effect results in the multiples existing as sub-paths under the same path entry. To implement this, first with the correct layer group or path to which the path effect was applied selected in the Layers and Objects dialogue / tab in the Docking Panel, navigate to the Path Effects dialogue / tab. At the upper right hand of the applied Tiling effect is a dropdown arrow, from this dropdown list choose Flatten.
Cloning Array Alternative
Without using live path effects, one can instead create an array of groups, paths, or objects including non-path objects like embedded raster images, by creating a number of clones (Edit > Clone > Create Clone) and then arranging the selected clones using the Align and Arrange tab in the docking dialog, subtab Grid and specifying the same negative 1000px offset. This does not allow offsets. It does propagate changes from the parent group to the child groups, and once arranged doesn’t change its spacing when objects exit the bounding box.
Besides Create Clone there is an option Created Tiled Clone, this writer is displeased with the offset behavior.
Each clone exists in a layer stack and so is not coequal in that stacking order. Thus, the bottom layer of one tile may overlap on top of the top layer in an adjoining tile. One may divide one’s image into multiple sets of clones as a workaround.
Tiling Template Alternative
Available in the list of templates, Inkscape provides an easy, automated tiling function that incorporates cloning of groups and layers to visualize elements wrapping around in a square grid with no other offsets available. Each clone exists in a layer stack and so is not coequal in that stacking order. Thus, the bottom layer of one tile may overlap on top of the top layer in an adjoining tile. This template provides for a separate backdrop layer that won’t sit on top of adjoining tile elements, but only one such layer.
Canvas Dimensions & Periodicity
If you followed the default settings here, a single canvas of 1000 by 1000 px, offset away from the incomplete edges of the array, is sufficient to repeat all elements. (File > Document Properties > Display to type in dimensions).
If you have a different mirroring setting, for example the one the hover text labels as “rx + cx,” in this example a 2000px canvas will be needed.
A design with multiple tiling groups or layers with different gaps, offsets, and scales may have a periodicity that requires a larger canvas for both the propagation of all elements to populate and infill or for the geometries to line up again. Some elements may be easier to experiment and model in GIMP where you don’t have to preplan the canvas template / layout and offset together.
To set the document’s canvas dimensions, navigate in the upper left menu bar to File > Document Properties, and then to the Display tab where one can type or dial in the desired values.
Raster File Export
To export out the image as a raster image, for example a .png image file, first navigate in the menu bar to File > Export. Alternatively, one can navigate to the Export dialogue tab in the Docking Area on the right. This tab can be populated by clicking the tab area’s dropdown arrow list and selecting Export which is grouped under the header Basic.
Here one can specify the resolution of the raster export, chose a file type, and specify a file name and location, before clicking the Export button.
Verification with GIMP Offset Transform
One can check whether one created a successfully seamless tile image for final use by checking it in GIMP. Open the export in GIMP. Navigate in the menu bar to Layer > Transform > Offset. This pulls up a dialogue, and the ability to drag the image around in the viewport where it should loop infinitely. If everything went right, your image should be seamless.
Method Comparisons to GIMP
The method’s effect is comparable to GIMP’s Symmetry Painting tool (Windows > Dockable Dialogues > Symmetry Painting, chose Tiling from the list of symmetry options), although it is without that particular tool’s limitation of effect to the time of raster brush stroke creation on a single layer at a time. Rather it is toggleable, it is changeable, and it applies to other operations, edits, and transforms, not just path and object creations.
This effect is inferior with respect to the live visualization. Here the tiling of strokes across the array is only rendered when a stroke is committed. Rotations and scaling are displayed live but problematically; until the change is committed Inkscape temporarily shows the selection transforming relative to the whole array without respecting the tiles. Simple translations (grab and move) are displayed live and correctly so.
Unlike GIMP propagating the stroke in multiple directions enabling you to work from any context, the Live Path Effect tiling is always propagated from the top left of an array so additions off the top and left don’t show the context into which one is drawing.
Method Comparisons to Krita
Krita’s Wrap-Around Mode does repeating, full-drop grid tiling with no offsets. Its tiling can be toggled on and off for the whole image, but it requires no other inputs and fully respects layer order. Brushes flow freely across the infinite canvas. Vector objects tile across the canvas but their rendering is clipped at the edge of the tile, indeed the path and handles and not just the stroke and fill are hidden behind the edge of the tile.