🎨 Illuscape

Inkscape that feels like Adobe Illustrator — keyboard shortcuts, scroll behavior, palettes, and templates, without touching Inkscape itself.

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Illuscape is a config patch for Inkscape, modeled after PhotoGIMP. It installs replacement and overlay config files — keyboard maps, scroll/zoom prefs, palettes, templates, and a symbol library — so Inkscape behaves the way Illustrator users expect.

Nothing in Inkscape itself is modified. Uninstalling fully restores your original config.

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What changes

Feature	What Illuscape sets
Keyboard shortcuts	Adobe Illustrator CC or CS6 presets — choose at install
Scroll and zoom	Mouse wheel pans (not zooms); Ctrl+wheel zooms
Canvas	White background, cyan guides, rubber-band selection (touching, not enclosed)
Node handles	Square handles; rotation handles hidden until needed
Palettes	Illustrator Defaults, Grays, and Earth Tones swatches
Templates	Letter, A4, Web 1920×1080, Web 1280×720, Print CMYK Letter, Print CMYK A4
Symbol library	Arrows, checkmark, star, cross
Recent files	20 entries (Illustrator default; Inkscape default is 4)
Single-window mode	On by default

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Quick start

git clone https://git.opensourcesolarpunk.com/Circuit-Forge/illuscape
cd illuscape
./install.sh

Follow the prompt to choose your Illustrator era (CC or CS6), then open Inkscape.

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Install

Requirements

• Inkscape 1.2 or later
• Python 3.8+
• Bash 4+

Supported Inkscape installs

• Native (apt, pacman, dnf, etc.)
• Flatpak (org.inkscape.Inkscape)
• Snap

Non-interactive install (scripts / automated setup)

# Illustrator CC shortcuts
./install.sh --preset=cc --yes

# Illustrator CS6 shortcuts
./install.sh --preset=cs6 --yes

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Uninstall

./uninstall.sh

Your original Inkscape config is restored from the timestamped backup created at install time.

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Tool reference — Illustrator to Inkscape

Illustrator tool	Key	Inkscape equivalent
Selection	V	Selection tool
Direct Selection	A	Node tool
Pen	P	Pen tool
Pencil	N	Pencil tool
Paintbrush	B	Calligraphy tool
Type	T	Text tool
Rectangle	M	Rectangle tool
Ellipse	L	Ellipse tool
Rotate	R	Transform — Rotate
Scale	S	Transform — Scale
Reflect	O	Transform — Flip
Gradient	G	Gradient tool
Mesh	U	Mesh Gradient tool (direct equivalent)
Eyedropper	I	Dropper tool
Zoom	Z	Zoom tool
Hand	H / Space	Pan (Space held)
Scissors	C	Scissors tool
Eraser	Shift+E	Eraser tool
Blob Brush	Shift+B	Spray tool (paint mode)
Symbol Sprayer	Shift+S	Spray tool (clone mode)
Live Paint	K	Paint Bucket tool

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Planned (post-v1)

• Artboards panel
• Character Styles
• Recolor Artwork
• Object Styles
• Export for Screens (1x/2x/3x batch)

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Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Issues and PRs welcome.

License

GPL-3.0 — see LICENSE.