A lot.
Schemes, charts, diagrams. Plans and drafts. Scientific illustrations and data graphs. Icons, symbols, logos, and emblems. Heraldry, flags, road signs. Comics, cartoons, anime characters and scenes. Maps of lands both real and imaginary. Typography of all kinds. Banners, leaflets, posters. Web graphics. (Ads, too.) Book covers, holiday cards, headings, and vignettes. Kids’ scribbles and stunning photorealistic art. Fantasy art, fan art, games art, and simply art of all flavors and varieties.
One of the goals of this book is to demonstrate that vector editing tools are applicable to a much wider range of tasks than is usually acknowledged. In fact, instead of trying to list all of the purposes for which Inkscape may be used, it’s easier to describe situations where its use may not be appropriate. Let’s try to define the borders of the Inkscape universe:
Many tasks with photos or any other preexisting raster graphics, such as color corrections, retouching, and format or size conversions, are better done in raster editors such as the GIMP or Photoshop. Of all the limitations of vector images, this one is the best known because it separates the two commonly contrasted kinds of graphic tools: vector and raster. Note that some raster-related tasks—such as adding callouts or marks, drawing shapes over a bitmap background, masking (18.4 Clipping and Masking), or even simple retouching (18.5 Retouching and Patching)—can still be done quite naturally in Inkscape.
Drawing with natural-media tools—those emulating oils, pastels, watercolors, and so on—is best done in specialized raster tools such as Krita, Corel Painter, or ArtRage. More generally, this applies to any art where the texture of the colored surface is paramount. Still, if you care more about shape and color than about texture, or if your art looks good with just flat color, gradients, and blurs, Inkscape is one of the best tools for “simply drawing” (Chapter 14).
Producing text-rich multipage documents, especially with complex features such as footnotes, index, or a table of contents, is naturally the domain of page layout software (such as Scribus or Adobe InDesign) or batch formatters (such as TEX or Apache FOP). Inkscape, however, works very well for graphics-rich single-page documents such as posters or leaflets, and you can even use it for some multipage designs by storing each page in a separate document or layer (it does not yet support multiple pages within one document). Also, as of this writing, Inkscape lacks proper CMYK support, which limits its usefulness for print work.
While Inkscape’s 3D Box tool (11.3 3D Boxes) can be used for simple three-dimensional drafts and scenes, it implements the approach of a traditional artist working on a 2D drawing depicting 3D objects, not of a 3D artist creating a 3D world. In other words, if you need a one-time drawing of a simple 3D scene, you can use Inkscape to get a nice-looking and geometrically correct result. If, however, you want several renditions of the same complex scene from different angles or a 3D animation, use some real 3D software instead (Blender, Maya, or SketchUp, to name just a few).
You can do some simple CAD (Computer-Aided Design; this term usually applies to engineering drawings) work in Inkscape. Inkscape provides ways to draw and transform objects precisely, as well as a plethora of snapping, alignment, and distribution features. However, Inkscape does not support features like parametric modeling, nor does it yet have any libraries of CAD elements (such as screws or tubes) that are essential to professional CAD work. While you may try to borrow such elements elsewhere, in most cases it is still better to use a specialized tool such as QCad or AutoCAD.
Inkscape has a dedicated Connector tool that you can use to draw pretty complex diagrams and flowcharts with automatically routed connectors. However, this tool is currently rather limited, and there are no collections of predefined diagram elements that you can easily reuse in Inkscape. So, if you need to create many standardized diagrams, look into specialized tools such as Visio or Dia.
Some people have successfully used Inkscape for presentations. With its ease of manipulating objects and its many eye candy effects, Inkscape is a very attractive choice when you need to quickly build a presentation. You can create and reuse a page template with headers and placeholder text (3.2 Document Templates). Inkscape even includes a stand-alone SVG viewer (Inkview) with fullscreen mode and
key for the “show next” command, which is typically all you need for displaying a presentation whose pages are saved in separate SVG documents. An office presentation application such as PowerPoint or OpenOffice.org Impress may still have its advantages, although these programs tend to feel quite clumsy once you get used to Inkscape’s graphic power. Some people use Inkscape for drawing the graphics and a presentation application for adding text and creating the actual presentation. Also, a third-party extension called JessyInk (http://code.google.com/p/jessyink) will turn your multilayer SVG document into an multipage presentation that can be viewed in Firefox or another SVG-capable browser.Inkscape’s extension effects (13.3 Path Extensions) can render a lot of interesting graphic artifacts such as Lindenmeyer systems, random trees, spirograph curves, or barcodes. New effects are easy to program, too. However, if what you need is some complex algorithmic art (such as fractals), you may want to use specialized software and import the result into Inkscape.
Inkscape does not yet support animation. So, while you can use it for drawing animation scenes, characters, and even complete frames, you will still need a different application (such as Adobe Flash) to combine these elements and manage the timeline of your animation.
Admittedly fuzzy (and quickly changing), these are the current frontiers of the vector graphics land. Everything within these boundaries is the rightful domain of a modern vector editor such as Inkscape.
Note that only some of these limits are inherent in vector graphics as such. Others are just current limitations of Inkscape, likely to be overcome with time. (They may be already obsolete by the time you’re reading this—check out the latest version.)
Curiously, a lot of people roam the outer graphics lands but are quite unaware about the vector heartland. As a result, they often frustrate themselves trying to use their favorite specialized tool for the wrong generic task. Well-known examples are Microsoft Office users struggling with PowerPoint whenever they need to make any kind of picture or layout, or novices complaining in forums about how difficult it is to draw simple geometric shapes in the GIMP. These are typical cases of acute vector blindness; do not fall prey to this disease!
The vector land is also the place where a lot of project roadmaps begin. No matter what kind of project I am starting and what software I will eventually use, my first step is usually to open Inkscape and start making quick drafts. Only when I run into some of the limitations listed above might I move on to more specialized applications to complete my project. And, increasingly, I find that I don’t really need to leave Inkscape to finish what I started. Inkscape’s universe keeps expanding.