I'm drawing some fantasy maps, and I have portions I need to copy and then alter the projection.
Is there a tool that works like a cage deformation? Not just a skew or perspective deformation, but something where I can pick points to move arbitrarily and then have the program interpolate according to those points?
Or better yet, is there a tool that can bend an object according to a curve or set of curves, so that I can just move around the latitude/longitude lines to match the projection I need?
Well that certainly is a step in the right direction; I can use this to get it mostly-right. It has some weird effects where it pulls elements I don't expect to move, so I have to do a lot of tweaking.
Perhaps did you also try enveloppe deformation LPE and pattern along path LPE (enveloppe and lattice deformations work with groups, pattern along path works quite differently : the LPE applies to the deforming path and the pattern pasted can't be a group).
I'd follow Mihaela Jurkovic's top tip given there by adding nodes to the objects you want to bend to get better results.
I think lattice deformation needs an option to control horizontal and vertical grid density. And a way to select and push multiple lattice points at once as well as some point warp tools. Twists, pucker, bloat, and all that are missing and seem like things it should be well capable of doing.
Beyond the Basics Is there a tool to warp objects along a curve?
Inkscape.org
I'm drawing some fantasy maps, and I have portions I need to copy and then alter the projection.
Is there a tool that works like a cage deformation? Not just a skew or perspective deformation, but something where I can pick points to move arbitrarily and then have the program interpolate according to those points?
Or better yet, is there a tool that can bend an object according to a curve or set of curves, so that I can just move around the latitude/longitude lines to match the projection I need?
Check out Path->Effect: Lattice Deformation perhaps.
Well that certainly is a step in the right direction; I can use this to get it mostly-right. It has some weird effects where it pulls elements I don't expect to move, so I have to do a lot of tweaking.
Still, it's a lot better than nothing. Thank you!
Perhaps did you also try enveloppe deformation LPE and pattern along path LPE (enveloppe and lattice deformations work with groups, pattern along path works quite differently : the LPE applies to the deforming path and the pattern pasted can't be a group).
I'd follow Mihaela Jurkovic's top tip given there by adding nodes to the objects you want to bend to get better results.
I think lattice deformation needs an option to control horizontal and vertical grid density. And a way to select and push multiple lattice points at once as well as some point warp tools. Twists, pucker, bloat, and all that are missing and seem like things it should be well capable of doing.
You'd probably try out the "Tweak tool" and have a good play.