Inkscape - Splining Your Course
Home > Guides > Building GSPro Courses > Inkscape Splining
Overview
Inkscape is where you'll trace (or "spline") all the features of your golf course: tees, greens, fairways, bunkers, cart paths, water bodies, and rough areas. This vector data will later be processed by the Clender and imported into Blender for 3D mesh creation.
Splining is one of the most time-intensive parts of course building, but it's also where your course really starts to come to life!
1. Installing Inkscape
Installing Inkscape (V4.1)
Install the correct version of Inkscape compatible with the OPCD workflow.
Recommended Version: Inkscape 1.2 or newer
2. Inkscape Theory - Understanding the Workflow
Why Inkscape? What is it? (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape Theory - Why Inkscape? What is it? (V4.1)
Understanding why Inkscape is used and what role it plays in the course building process.
Key Concepts:
- Vector graphics vs raster images
- SVG format for precise shape definitions
- Export to PNG for Clender processing
- Why precision matters for course features
Inkscape Concepts (V4.1): Part 1 - Shapes
📺 Inkscape Concepts (V4.1):Part 1 - Shapes
Learn the basic shape tools and path concepts.
Shape Types:
- Rectangles (tee boxes)
- Circles/ellipses (greens)
- Bezier paths (fairways, bunkers)
- Freehand drawing
Inkscape Concepts (V4.1): Part 2 - Color and Appearance
📺 Inkscape Concepts (V4.1):Part 2 - Color and Appearance
Understanding how colors are used to identify different course features.
Color Coding System:
- Green Tees: Specific RGB value
- Fairways: Specific RGB value
- Bunkers: Specific RGB value
- Water: Specific RGB value
- Each feature type has exact color requirements!
Inkscape Concepts (V4.1): Part 3 - Outer Perimeter
📺 Inkscape Concepts (V4.1):Part 3 - Outer Perimeter
Creating the outer boundary that defines your course extent.
Inkscape Concepts (V4.1): Part 4 - Blends
📺 Inkscape Concepts (V4.1):Part 4 - Blends
Understanding blend transitions between grass types (fairway to rough, rough to native).
Blends:
- Smooth transitions between materials
- Critical for realistic appearance
- Width controls the transition zone
Inkscape Concepts (V4.1): Part 5 - Rules and Best Practices
📺 Inkscape Concepts (V4.1):Part 5 - Rules and Best Practices
Essential rules that prevent errors during Clender processing.
Critical Rules:
- No overlapping shapes of the same color
- Shapes must be closed paths
- Correct layer organization
- Proper naming conventions
3. Inkscape Interface and Navigation
Inkscape Introduction - GUI (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape Introduction - GUI (V4.1)
Tour of the Inkscape interface and where to find essential tools.
Key Interface Elements:
- Toolbox (left side)
- Canvas (center)
- Layers panel (right)
- Color palette (bottom)
- Menu bar and tool options (top)
Inkscape Navigation (Theory)
📺 Inkscape Navigation (Theory)
Master the navigation shortcuts that make splining efficient.
Essential Shortcuts:
- Zoom: Scroll wheel or +/-
- Pan: Middle mouse drag or arrow keys
- Fit to window: 3 key
- Select tool: F1 or S
- Node tool: F2 or N
- Bezier tool: B
Drawing Paths Correctly
Learn the proper technique for drawing Bezier curves.
Best Practices:
- Click for corner points
- Click-drag for curved segments
- Use fewer nodes for smoother shapes
- Close paths properly
Manipulating Shapes Inkscape - Part 1 (Theory)
📺 Manipulating Shapes Inkscape - Part 1 (Theory)
Techniques for selecting, moving, scaling, and rotating shapes.
Manipulating Shapes Inkscape - Part 2 (Theory)
📺 Manipulating Shapes Inkscape - Part 2 (Theory)
Advanced manipulation: node editing, path operations, and alignment.
4. Splining Your First Two Holes
This is where theory meets practice. You'll spline two complete holes to learn the workflow before tackling the entire course.
Add Your Satellite Overlays (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape - Add your Satellite Overlays(V4.1)
Import your Google and Bing satellite overlays into Inkscape as reference layers.
Workflow:
- Import both Google and Bing overlays
- Create separate locked reference layers
- Toggle between them to see which shows features better
Checking Your Scale (4.1)
📺 Inkscape - Checking Your Scale (4.1)
Verify that your satellite overlays are at the correct scale.
Verification:
- Measure known distances (tee to green)
- Compare to scorecard yardages
- Adjust scale if necessary
Inkscape Settings Specific to Splining Golf Holes (V4)
📺 Inkscape Settings Specific to Splining Golf Holes(V4)
Configure Inkscape settings optimized for course splining.
Key Settings:
- Grid and snapping options
- Default stroke/fill settings
- Export resolution (PNG at course resolution)
Planning Your Inkscape Organization (V4)
📺 Planning Your Inkscape Organization (V4)
Set up your layer structure for organized, error-free splining.
Recommended Layer Structure:
Reference Layers (locked)
├── Google Overlay
└── Bing Overlay
Feature Layers (editable)
├── Outer Perimeter
├── Tees
├── Greens
├── Fairways
├── Bunkers
├── Water
├── Cart Paths
├── Rough
└── Miscellaneous
Splining Your First Two Holes - Tees and Greens (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Tees and Greens(V4.1)
Draw your first tee boxes and greens.
Tee Boxes:
- Use rectangles for rectangular tees
- Use ellipses or paths for irregular tees
- Exact color required for automated processing
Greens:
- Trace the green perimeter accurately
- Include fringe/collar if visible
- Don't worry about pin positions yet (that's in GreenKeeper)
Splining Your First Two Holes - Bunkers (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Bunkers(V4.1)
Trace all bunkers on your first two holes.
Bunker Tips:
- Trace the sand edge, not the shadow
- Include all greenside and fairway bunkers
- Use satellite image where bunker edges are clearest (Google vs Bing)
Splining Your First Two Holes - Surrounding Rough (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Surrounding Rough(V4.1)
Create the rough areas around fairways.
Rough Strategy:
- Define the outer edge of maintained turf
- Blend to native areas
- Consider playability (where balls might land)
Splining Your First Two Holes - First Clender Submission (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - First Clender Submission(V4.1)
Submit your first SVG file to the Clender for processing.
Submission Workflow:
- Export SVG from Inkscape
- Submit to Clender web interface
- Wait for automated processing (usually 10-30 minutes)
- Download resulting Blend file
Splining Your First Two Holes - Confirming Your Blend File (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Confirming Your Blend File(V4.1)
Verify that your Blend file came back correctly from the Clender.
What to Check:
- All shapes were processed
- Colors interpreted correctly
- No missing features
Splining Your First Two Holes - Clender Errors (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Clender Errors(V4.1)
Troubleshooting common Clender errors.
Common Errors:
- Overlapping shapes of same color
- Unclosed paths
- Incorrect colors
- Layer naming issues
Splining Your First Two Holes - Adding Fairways (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Adding Fairways(V4.1)
Draw fairway boundaries with blends to rough.
Fairway Best Practices:
- Define fairway edge accurately
- Create blends for smooth transitions
- Consider landing zones and strategy
Splining Your First Two Holes - Cart Paths (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Cart Paths(V4.1)
Trace cart paths precisely.
Cart Path Tips:
- Use Bezier tool for curved paths
- Maintain consistent width
- These will be flattened in terrain later
Splining Your First Two Holes - Water Bodies (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Hole - Water Bodies(V4.1)
Trace ponds, lakes, and streams.
Water Features:
- Trace the water edge (not shadows)
- These will become 3D water meshes in Blender
- Include all water hazards
Splining Your First Two Holes - Miscellaneous Areas (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Miscellaneous Areas(V4.1)
Add any additional features: waste areas, native zones, special surfaces.
Splining Your First Two Holes - Exporting to PNG and Importing Into Unity (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Exporting to PNG and Importing Into Unity(V4.1)
Export your completed splines as PNG and bring into Unity for preview.
Export Settings:
- PNG format
- Match your terrain resolution
- Same dimensions as satellite overlays
Splining Your First Two Holes - Closing Remarks and Next Steps (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining Your First Two Holes - Closing Remarks and Next Steps(V4.1)
Review what you've accomplished and prepare for the remaining holes.
5. Splining The Rest Of Your Course
Splining The Rest of Your Course - Intro and Theory (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining The Rest of Your Course - Intro and Theory(V4.1)
Strategy for completing the remaining 16 (or 7) holes efficiently.
Time-Saving Tips:
- Work in batches (4-6 holes at a time)
- Submit to Clender in chunks
- Reuse techniques you learned on first two holes
- Take breaks to avoid burnout!
Splining The Rest Of Your Course - Approach (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining The Rest Of Your Course - Approach(V4.1)
Recommended workflow for tackling the full course.
Suggested Workflow:
- Spline all tees and greens first (all 18 holes)
- Then all bunkers
- Then all fairways
- Then all cart paths and water
- Submit batches to Clender as you complete them
Splining the Rest of Your Course - Export to PNG and Import into Unity (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining the Rest of Your Course - Export to PNG and Import into Unity (V4.1)
Final export of your complete course splines.
Splining the Rest of Your Course - Closing Remarks (V4.1)
📺 Inkscape: Splining the Rest of Your Course - Closing Remarks (V4.1)
Congratulations! You've completed the splining phase.
6. Terrain Digging (Optional - Blender Tools Recommended)
Note: These Unity brush and RAM techniques are still valid, but the OPCD Blender toolset (covered in the next guide) provides better results for most terrain modification tasks.
Digging Your Terrain with Unity Brushes
Terrain Digging (Theory)
Understanding terrain modification concepts.
Terrain Digging Outcome (Theory)
📺 Terrain Digging Outcome (Theory)
What your terrain should look like after digging.
Backing Up and Restoring Your Terrain
📺 Backing Up and Restoring Your Terrain
Critical: always backup before major terrain edits!
Flattening Tee Boxes with Brushes
📺 Flattening Tee Boxes with Brushes
Using Unity brushes to flatten tees.
Digging Bunkers with Brushes
📺 Digging Bunkers with Brushes
Creating bunker depressions with brushes.
Digging Water Bodies (Theory)
📺 Digging Water Bodies (Theory)
Understanding water level and terrain relationships.
Digging Water Bodies with Brushes
📺 Digging Water Bodies with Brushes
Creating water hazard depressions.
Attempting to Flatten Cart Paths with Brushes
📺 Attempting to Flatten Cart Paths with Brushes
Why Unity brushes struggle with cart paths (Blender tools work better).
Digging Your Terrain with RAM (Optional Paid Tool)
Purchasing and Installing RAM
📺 Purchasing and Installing RAM
RAM is a paid Unity asset that provides better terrain editing tools than the default Unity brushes.
Note: Blender tools (free) now provide better results than RAM for most tasks.
RAM Intro and Overview
Digging Bunkers with RAM
Digging Water Bodies with RAM
📺 Digging Water Bodies with RAM
Flattening Cart Paths with RAM
📺 Flattening Cart Paths with RAM
Exporting Your Unity Terrain(s) (V4) (Required!)
📺 Exporting Your Unity Terrain(s) (V4) (Required!)
Critical Step: Export your Unity terrains as OBJ files for use in Blender.
This is required whether you dig terrain in Unity or plan to do it in Blender.
Export Process:
- Use OPCD export tool
- Generates OBJ file of terrain mesh
- This OBJ will be imported into Blender in the next section
7. Advanced Splining Techniques (Optional)
Splining Perfect Rectangular Tee Boxes (V4)
📺 Splining Perfect Rectangular Tee Boxes(V4)
Creating precisely aligned rectangular tees.
✅ Checklist Before Moving Forward
- Installed Inkscape
- Understood the color-coding system
- Imported satellite overlays into Inkscape
- Splined first two holes (tees, greens, bunkers, fairways, cart paths, water)
- Submitted to Clender successfully
- Splined remaining holes
- Exported final spline PNG
- Exported Unity terrain as OBJ file (if you created terrain in Unity)
Common Issues and Solutions
Problem: Clender returns errors about overlapping shapes
Solution: Check for shapes of the same color that overlap - use the node tool to separate them
Problem: Satellite overlay is blurry in Inkscape
Solution: Check your export resolution - match your terrain resolution exactly
Problem: Can't tell where feature edges are in satellite image
Solution: Use HillShade technique (from previous section) or toggle between Google and Bing overlays
Problem: Splining is taking forever!
Solution: This is normal! Budget 20-40 hours for splining an 18-hole course. Work in batches and take breaks.
What's Next?
You've completed splining! Now it's time to take your SVG shapes and terrain into Blender to create 3D meshes that will form your playable course.
Next Guide: Blender Workflow →
Navigation:
← Back: Lidar Data | Next: Blender Workflow →