How do I cut out part of a vector in Inkscape?

To cut out part of a vector in Inkscape, draw the shape you want to use as the cutter. Then, select both the vector you want to cut and the cutter shape. Finally, use a path operation to perform the cut.

Detailed Steps to Cut Out Part of a Vector

Here's a breakdown of how to cut a vector in Inkscape using path operations:

1. Draw the vector object you want to modify.

2. Draw the shape you want to use as the cutter. This shape will define the area to be cut out. You can use any of Inkscape's drawing tools (e.g., rectangle, circle, pen tool) to create this shape.

3. Select both the vector object and the cutter shape. You can do this by clicking and dragging a selection box around both objects, or by holding down the Shift key and clicking on each object individually.

4. Apply a Path Operation: Go to Path in the top menu. Select the appropriate operation from the dropdown menu based on the effect you want to achieve:

   • Difference (Ctrl+-): Removes the cutter shape from the vector object. The cutter shape disappears. This is the most common option for cutting out a section.
   • *Intersection (Ctrl+):** Keeps only the area where the vector object and cutter shape overlap.
   • Union (Ctrl++): Combines the vector object and cutter shape into a single object. This won't cut anything out, but it is another useful path operation.
   • Exclusion (Ctrl+^): Keeps the areas of both objects that don't overlap, removing the overlapping section.
   • Division (Ctrl+/): Cuts the vector object into multiple parts based on the cutter shape. The cutter shape will remain as a separate object.
   • Cut Path (Ctrl+Alt+/): Similar to division, but only cuts the paths where they intersect and doesn't create new filled areas.

Cutting with Multiple Shapes (Combine First)

As the reference video suggests, you can cut with multiple shapes at once:

1. Draw all the cutter shapes. These will define the areas to be cut out.
2. Select all the cutter shapes.
3. Combine the cutter shapes into one object. Go to Path > Combine (Ctrl+K). This treats the multiple shapes as a single cutting tool.
4. Select both the vector object and the combined cutter shape.
5. Apply a Path Operation such as Difference to cut out the combined shape from the original vector.

By using these path operations, you can precisely cut out parts of vectors in Inkscape.