Need Help w/ Adobe Illustrator

[Odog2020]

I want to take a picture, a jpeg that is red and white, that has some black for outlines, and put it into AI. That part I can do, the problem that I have is that when i put it into A:M, it just comes out as a big block.

 

What I need help with is within AI, how would I take the white parts of the picture, and lets say cut them out, so when I put it into A:M the red parts of the picture is the model, but the white parts are wholes.

 

If I am confusing you, think of the Font Wizard and AI Tech Talk. The logo that gets imported into A:M has stars on it that go all the way through the model.

 

That is what I want to happen with the white part of the picture I am trying to import.

 

The thing that is happening inside AI is when I try to delete/remove the splines around the white sections, it just gets filled by the black parts of the picture.

 

Thanks for the help, if I explained what I needed right.

[ChrisThom]

What I need help with is within AI, how would I take the white parts of the picture, and lets say cut them out, so when I put it into A:M the red parts of the picture is the model, but the white parts are wholes.

 

Really, you can't because you're working with two diffrent types of pictures. When you pull a JPG into Ill it's a raster image (uses pixels for the image) but AI is vector based (uses lines link Flash does) what you need to do is when you haveht image in AI you need to retrace it using the pen tool. then when you export it out A:M will understand it.

 

I hope I understood your question enough to help. If not, let me know.

[Odog2020]

What I need help with is within AI, how would I take the white parts of the picture, and lets say cut them out, so when I put it into A:M the red parts of the picture is the model, but the white parts are wholes.

 

Really, you can't because you're working with two diffrent types of pictures. When you pull a JPG into Ill it's a raster image (uses pixels for the image) but AI is vector based (uses lines link Flash does) what you need to do is when you haveht image in AI you need to retrace it using the pen tool. then when you export it out A:M will understand it.

 

I hope I understood your question enough to help. If not, let me know.

 

Sounds like a good idea to me, I will give it a shot. Thanks for the help

[heyvern]

When you get up to speed with AI and have traced your picture...

 

 

In Illustrator You have an outer shape and inner holes. Select everything and create a compound shape. I won't go into exactly how... don't know which version of Adobe Illustrator you have.... the most recent version might be different.

 

If you get outlines on text in AI, like the letter "O"... this is how the "hole" in the "O" is created in AI.

 

AM will read those compound shapes from the AI file as holes when importing.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

[Guest jandals]

it sounds to me like you want a transparency map for the image. Just paint where you want the holes to be. You can do that in AI or PhotoShop (or equivalent)

 

Rhett

[Odog2020]

When you get up to speed with AI and have traced your picture...

 

 

In Illustrator You have an outer shape and inner holes. Select everything and create a compound shape. I won't go into exactly how... don't know which version of Adobe Illustrator you have.... the most recent version might be different.

 

If you get outlines on text in AI, like the letter "O"... this is how the "hole" in the "O" is created in AI.

 

AM will read those compound shapes from the AI file as holes when importing.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

 

 

it sounds to me like you want a transparency map for the image. Just paint where you want the holes to be. You can do that in AI or PhotoShop (or equivalent)

 

Rhett

 

Well, I got what I needed, but I had to close the front in A:M. I didnt' use the pencil, instead I used the paint bucket to paint what i wanted closed, and what I wanted opened, I used the 'no' symble, cant remember what it is called.

 

It still wouldn't come out right in A:M, so I had to take parts and then peace them together. I tried transparency layers, deleting sections, and everything else I could think of. I guess because of how the shape was that I wanted to plug in, it made it to difficult to close right.

 

thanks for all the help, I would post the shape, but it goes with the Image contest, so it will come out 15 January 06.

[heyvern]

The AI import will close the fronts for you if you select the correct options.

 

I had a lot of trouble at first making sure the AI file was formatted correctly.

 

There is also the bevel option. I use this a lot for mechanical stuff. It is brilliant for mechanical modeling.

 

If you like I could look at your AI file and "fix" it if needed. Compound paths are a breeze. Although I think the problem is in the settings in the AI import.

 

The bevel options can be "confusing". You get an "error" sometimes about intersecting surfaces so you need to experiment a little to get those settings just right.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

[Odog2020]

The AI import will close the fronts for you if you select the correct options.

 

I had a lot of trouble at first making sure the AI file was formatted correctly.

 

There is also the bevel option. I use this a lot for mechanical stuff. It is brilliant for mechanical modeling.

 

If you like I could look at your AI file and "fix" it if needed. Compound paths are a breeze. Although I think the problem is in the settings in the AI import.

 

The bevel options can be "confusing". You get an "error" sometimes about intersecting surfaces so you need to experiment a little to get those settings just right.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

 

Thanks Vernon, I sent you an e-mail. I am probably making the settings wrong, I havn't had that much practice with the AI plugin. Thanks again

[zandoriastudios]

Since you are going from a .jpg to an .ai to A:M, I thought I would point out that you don't have to trace it in Illustrator. You can use the "Cap Wizard" to do everything the .AI wizard does with splines made in A:M.

So you could put the image in as a ROTOSCOPE then draw outlines around the shapes. Then use the cap wizard to close the shapes,bevel, and extrude it.

[Odog2020]

Since you are going from a .jpg to an .ai to A:M, I thought I would point out that you don't have to trace it in Illustrator. You can use the "Cap Wizard" to do everything the .AI wizard does with splines made in A:M.

So you could put the image in as a ROTOSCOPE then draw outlines around the shapes. Then use the cap wizard to close the shapes,bevel, and extrude it.

 

Wow, I have to try that one, I don't think I have seen the Cap Wizard though. I will be looking for it now though. Thanks for the tip.

[zandoriastudios]

It is part of A:M

[Odog2020]

I cant seem to find the cap wizard. Can someone point me in the right direction??

[zandoriastudios]

Apparently not part of the current install. Put this in the HXT folder in your V12 Directory

CM_Cap.zip

[NancyGormezano]

that's a great little wizard - where's it been? (Where have I been?)

 

Who did that ? - I've been always wondering why there wasn't an A:M wizard to do that to native splines when the font & ai wizard could do it to sorta-splines.

[Odog2020]

WOW, this thing is the HEAT. I am goin to have fun with this, I have been wondering why something like this wan't with my A:M version, it would have been usefull ALOT. Thanks again

[heyvern]

James,

 

I looked at your AI file... uh... very briefly.

 

It seems... you have a lot of "doubled" lines and shapes. I could fix it up for you but fairly quickly... you wouldn't learn anything though.

 

 

I like to help people but I also like to help in a way that... is instructive if possible. I could fix it anyway then... you could compare the two to see the difference. Let me know if you still need me to do this.

 

--------------------

Here is what I am finding...

 

In some places there seems to be "copies" of shapes in the AI file that are duplicated sitting right on top of each other... so you can't really tell that they are there unless you select them and delete them... then the copy is still there... but sometimes part of was connected somehow to the other piece or something.

 

Easy way to find this is to use that... hollow arrow thingy in AI... I forget what they call it. The "white" arrow. Use it to select each shape on top and hide... you should start to see how things are duplicated so it can be cleaned up.

 

The Ai file is pretty straight forward and is not too complex for AM to import. You might want to add some extra CPs or... whatever CPs are called in Adobe Illustrator, to some spots. AM creates CPs based on the points in the AI file. If you have too few points you get some strange connections. I actually create my AI files differently for AM. I intentionally put in the "CPs" so the connections are logical for AM to interpret.

 

Some of the compound shapes are very... tight... which could cause trouble if you import and bevel using the AI wizard...

 

I save out my files for AM as Illustrator 5... I guess 3 is good too.

 

-----------------

 

True Story

 

Years ago a colleague had created a complex illustration in AI. This one illustration was used in a larger QuarkXpres document. We sent it to the printer (a "person" printer at another location... a service bureau) and it was taking hours and hours and hours... and nothing was coming out just on that one page with the illustration. The printer finally called us and explained the problem...

 

... the artist... my colleague... was... uh... he was "erasing" in Adobe Illustrator by drawing a big box filled with white over his whole page.... so... there was like 50 bazillion layers of "stuff" still in the file... no wonder the printer had trouble out-putting this...

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

 

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

[heyvern]

James,

 

Check you email. I went ahead and fixed it anyway. Didn't take long.

 

Don't feel bad if you don't use it. At least you might learn something from my revisions.

 

Vernon "!" Zehr

[Odog2020]

Ver,

Thanks for the help, I will open up the file and see what you are talking about. i appreciate that you just don't do the work, that would be kind of pointless like you explained.

 

I did notice in some areas, when I was deleting stuff that I did not want, that the lines were still there, I think I had to delete like 4 times to get it totally off. It just didn't hit me that it was layers upon layers of stuff.

 

I am pretty new with Adobe, and the AI wizard, but I think I will get a handle on it from what you explained. I ended up just creating the whole thing, well almost, I left out some stuff, in A:M, got my image completed and then sent it in.

 

Now I feel kind of bad, because I finnaly went back and looked at prior hero image contest entrys, and noticed that my theme had been used before.

 

Well, nothing left to do but wait to see if anyone likes my image in January.

 

I will get on the Adobe thing, and 'get er done'.

 

Thanks for the help again.

 

 

EDIT: Okay, I have to pull out the old lap top now, that is the only thing I run A:M on, it is better than my 4 year old desk top.

[Odog2020]

Cant seem to remeber what email account i jused, if it was the one from work, I have to wait untill monday, was it

 

@amedd.army.mil??

 

I feel a little silly