""""""""""""""""""""""" I'd been thinking that there would be something like a Render command that would generate an image and the image would be displayed on its own new window"""""""""""""""""""""

That's a great plan!

Marc

Hi Marc,

> I was referring to the AI test file import in Xara, it didnt import background file.
> As said it works with PDF so no problem there.

So for Xara it will be use the PDF import - that brings in the image and also layer assignments.

Illustrator won't read in the layer assignments in PDF so if you want layers to come through you'd use .ai format for Illustrator instead.

And it seems that certain versions of Illustrator (seems to be around CS3 or CS4) have some problems with the images but the current versions seem to be behaving ok.

- Michael

Don't forget the free Xara Xtrem5 ! ;)
http://www.xara.com/eu/specialoffers/designer/

Wow, this is an unexpected really cool surprise... The first thing I thought when I saw it was, is this feature finding its way to the silhou command??

Hi ed,

> The first thing I thought when I saw it was, is this feature finding its way to the silhou command??

Which particular part do you mean?

Right now though I don't really have any plans for modifying the silhouette command, all this new stuff will be built directly into PDF, AI, and DXF format output for generating 2D drawings.

- Michael

I mean something like the make 2d command on rhino, the main difference (that i see) between the make 2d and MoI's silhou is that MoI doesn't have hidden line removal.

Hi ed, - if you want to get the hidden line curves back into MoI you can just open or import the PDF, AI, or DXF file that was just written...

What is it that you would be trying to do by generating the hidden line curves only inside of MoI instead of as an export?

I guess it could be possible to add in a "Make2D" like command for generating hidden lines but it would help if I knew why you wanted to do that.

In Rhino you have to do it because there isn't any way to otherwise make a hidden line view for exporting, unless things have changed a lot. It's a pretty clumsy workflow though, you do Make2D and now you have a bunch of curves sitting inside the same model as your original objects, then if you want to do something with them you have to try to hide the original objects and keep the 2D objects separate from them somehow.

- Michael

Ok, I think I've got the silhouette extraction working. This is for the Isodraw-ish type stuff, anyone interested in that might want to look at the PDF attached below to see if that's doing the right thing.

I thought I'd better make these as another layer of edges that sit on top of the regular ones, rather than trying to make edges kind of alternate between thick and thin on the fly. With them layered on top it will probably be easier to do touchups by erasing the thick ones and then still having the regular ones underneath.

In Adobe Reader you can use the Layers left-side pane to turn on/off different sections, this one has the background bitmap, regular lines, then silhouette lines.

It looks like this:





- Michael

I have been watching this thread with interest but keeping quiet, but as the thread and techniques have progressed I now feel like I have to pass an opinion and ask a question. The opinion I have is, those first two images output and posted by Michael to me looked the best, so this leads then to the question, can we still have that simple output method ?

Martin Spencer-Ford

>Ok, I think I've got the silhouette extraction working.

Michael, you have indeed! Congratulations this is fabulous looking. You even generate this "overshoot" on hole silhouette edges. Wonderful! I used to draw outlines only but now that I - because of you - actually understand how silhouette lines work I'll never look back.

Can we have an AI file?


Martin

Hi Martin (Spencer-Ford),

> so this leads then to the question, can we still have that simple output method ?

Yup, these other things like outlines and accented silhouettes will be optional things that you can turn on by clicking some checkboxes. If you don't want them just don't enable them.

I'm not 100% sure yet what the initial default will be, maybe like the original ones I posted but maybe with outlines enabled too. But that will just be the default, if you don't want one of these variations you'll be able to just uncheck the option for making that style.

- Michael

Hi Martin (Martin3D),

> Can we have an AI file?

Here's one attached.

- Michael

Wonderful Michael,

that's what I call a clean output. Here's a more common 3:1 ratio between silhouettes and default lines. I've noticed you used a 10:1 ratio.

3:1 I love it

Here's the one for Martin Spencer-Ford:
Looks also very good.

The last one I promise (I can't help but I'm too excited :)

Reduced background opacity and 75% black silhouette:

Just opinions:
With regard to printed output, with a 5 year old Brother MFC laser printer, Michael's test_silhouette.pdf is superb,
(although it looks a little too "harsh" or "sharp" on my samsung monitor, in my opinion.) I gather it is "10X?

I think the "3X" 3x silhouettes.png of Martin look good (better) on the monitor, but the printout is not so good, the lines are printed
jagged. One of the vertical lines is partly light blue on the monitor, for the latter two png of Martin.

- Brian

Edit: I see that Michael's pdf had about ten times the resolution...

I'm liking it!



...a little PS filtering to give it a 'hand-drawn' appeal.

Hi Michael

This looks brilliant! I guess the only thing missing is curve optimisation ie ellipses have 4 points only but as you say and I have read in other places, it took isodraw a lot of development time to achieve this.

Well done, i look forward to the new release :--)

matt