Line Shading is an advanced extension for Inkscape that generates vector shading using modulated lines, with support for:
- Multi-direction cross-hatching
- Constant density
- Rotated sampling
- Period and amplitude modulation
- Sin, saw, square, sin_b waveform
- Robust clipping
- Shading consistent with image luminance
- Perfect output for plotters, CNC, laser, and pen plotters
Constant density: Lines maintain the same distance in all directions.
True cross-hatching: Specify angles such as 0, 45, 90, or 135 for multiple line directions.
Bilinear sampling: Luminance is precisely interpolated.
Advanced modulation: Period and amplitude vary based on luminance.
Smart clipping: Lines do not extend beyond the image edges.
Multiple waveforms: sin, sin_b, saw, square.
Pure vector output: perfect for plotters and lasers.
Copy line-shading folder with its content to the Inkscape extensions folder:
- Linux
~/.config/inkscape/extensions/
- Windows
C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Inkscape\extensions\
- macOS
/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape/config/inkscape/extensions/
Restart Inkscape.
Select an embedded image.
Open: Extensions → Render → Line Shading
Set:
Line spacing
Angles (e.g., 0, 45, 90, 135)
Waveform
Modulation
Press Apply.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Line spacing | Distance between lines (constant density) |
| Angles | Cross-hatching directions |
| Waveform | Modulation waveform |
| Modulation | Period, amplitude, or both |
| Gamma | Luminance correction |
| Line width | Line thickness |
The algorithm performs:
Image conversion to gamma-corrected luminance
Rotated bilinear sampling
Sinusoidal modulation (sin, sin_b, saw, square)
Constant density fill perpendicular to direction
Buffer-based clipping
SVG vector output