Adobe Illustrator vs other Scalable Vecter Graphic programs

[bubba]

because I don't need all its capabilities and cross-application integration. I have Inkscape (Unix and Mac GNU) which works for me. I creates wonderful .svg file. But, A:M doesn't recognize .svg files - just .ai. Is there another program (preferably under GNU licensing) that will create pseudo-Illustrator files?

[John Bigboote]

If you happen to have Flash or Photoshop kickin around... they both do. (NOT free tho...)

[pixelplucker]

I couldn't find any free converters for eps to ai, if you need, just email me an eps (not an svg from inkscape) and I can convert it for you.

 

You may want to check on ebay for an old copy of illustrator, anything pre-cs series make clean vectors and tiny files.

 

I'll keep looking around for a free converter, might be one on sourceforge.net.

[bubba]

What is an eps file?

[Fuchur]

What is an eps file?

 

More or less the fileformat AI is based on.

Can be created from several different programms and is often used to distribute logos, etc because it can be imported to most professional programms.

 

*Fuchur*

[pixelplucker]

EPS is encapsulated post script file. It is a block of data that is contains various information such as spot color, vector coordinates etc etc. Most desktop publishing programs use it for logos and vector graphics. EPS files can contain pictures embeded or referenced where ai files can't.

 

Keep in mind that Adobe has their own proprietary version of EPS and the proper eps files don't reference or have extra code in them pointing back do Adobe or other sites. An eps file also should have a bound box that you don't see but acts as a contianer for placement. This needs to be removed to be a clean ai file otherwise if you try to just extrude the eps file out you may just end up with a block.

 

Newer Adobe Illustrator ai files may have issues if pdf compatibility is kept on and if live trace feature on text isn't converted to outlines.

 

If your using ai files just for 3d, the older versions of illustrator are good options (pre CS series). You may be able to find a copy cheap on ebay.

[GAngus]

Inkscape allows you to also "export" (save) bitmap files.

It uses the .png format, which A:M will recognize as an image file.

 

So you can create a nice design (perhaps a spiral) or scene in Inkscape and then bring THAT into A:M as a image, and use it as a decal or a rotoscope for further use.

[John Bigboote]

So you can create a nice design (perhaps a spiral) or scene in Inkscape and then bring THAT into A:M as a image, and use it as a decal or a rotoscope for further use.

 

UNLESS, you were planning to use the AI wizard... then you need a V8 AI.

[pixelplucker]

You should be able to use any version above 5 (post script level 2) so long it is just a simple vector object. I use version 7 here, sometimes from my old Illustrator 7 or an export from Canvas as version 7 and they work good.

 

There might be an issue using newer versions of Illustrator if you keep pdf compatibility option checked.

 

If any of you need bitmaps converted to clean ai's I do own Imagaro Z pro which does excellent work on generating clean low point paths so feel free to toss them over.

[robcat2075]

I guess .ai is a proprietary format so the open source apps can't do it?

[robcat2075]

Ya know what would be useful... if you could take any flat outline you've drawn with a spline in A:M and do with it what the AI importer does with AI outlines.

[Fuchur]

You dont really need v8 you just need any illustrator-version. CS, CS2, CS3, CS4 (not testet with CS5 but I assume this too) can all save into "legacy"-formats and will be useable.

 

*Fuchur*

[itsjustme]

pstoedit should be able to do it...which is also a part of Ghostscript.

 

Hope that helps.

[bubba]

Could this be an "opportunity" for Hash to break free of Adobe and go completely "open source?" Maybe A:M could accept .eps or .svg files from sources other than "just" Adobe.

 

Just my thoughts.

[robcat2075]

Could this be an "opportunity" for Hash to break free of Adobe and go completely "open source?" Maybe A:M could accept .eps or .svg files from sources other than "just" Adobe.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

That importer started life as the Font importer.

 

Then someone got the idea that if you had a font creator program you could make outlines for just about anything in it and send them to A:M via the Font importer.

 

then someone thought "why need a font program to make just outlines?" and a new version was made that accepted outlines in .AI format since that was about the only universal format out there.

 

If there were another single format that every program could output it would probably be a simple change. Does every program do eps now? I dont' know.

 

 

 

New thought...

 

it seems adobe's early .AI formats were very close to .eps. Is there some simple text editor change one could make to .eps files to make them appear as proper .ai files?

[largento]

I would say that SVG would be the route to go *if* a new converter were written. SVG is an open-standard. It's xml-based rather than being based on Adobe PostScript. Being open-standard, it's used by many more applications that EPS is.

 

EPS files are going the way of the dodo. Once Adobe started making it so that you could import native AI files into their other applications the need for EPS dropped off.

[bubba]

So how do we make this happen?

[Rodney]

So how do we make this happen?

I'd say knowing absolutely everything there is to know about the .SVG format would be ideal.

 

http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/

 

If looking at the format for Input purposes perhaps it might be wise to explore the likelyhood of Export to the format as well.

In that way A:M would then be able to read and write recursively via that vector format. My initial thought is that SVG won't be able to be shoehorned into such a compatibility but A:M's splines are still the best thing going and might supply the magic ingredient going forward.

 

So...that would be big picture and in the realm of near impossibility.

A smaller project might be to examine in detail the requirements of the current Font and AI wizards and then apply the constraints of the SVG format to a new SVG Wizard.

 

I would imagine (emphasis on imagining) the real power in a fully formed SVG wizard would be in it's XML/CSS compatibility.

 

If taking the time to build a new and powerful utility the benefits of moving beyond the current capabilities should at least be explored. (Consider for instance that we can currently export to the .DXF format... which is perhaps closer to the .AI format than most). Exporting to .SVG would be a new capability and perhaps easier to code than importing(?)... not sure. What I'm suggesting here is that if coding an exporter would be easier than that might be tackled first to understand better how to program an importer...

 

By way of an example of other extensions, consider that currently the Font and AI wizards simply import/convert vectors to splines at the 0/0/0 coordinate (facing forward). What if there were variables that allowed the Text/Objects to be placed anywhere in 3D space (and rotated)? What if there was an option to access a textfile with the desired text and orientation instructions? What if in addition to SVG the scripting could import and orient A:M models also?

 

There are also additional limitations of the current AI/Font wizards that keep things simple but could be extended with new variables. One such variable might be to specify the Depth of the object converted. Currently the depth isn't variable and must be adjusted manually.

 

A new effort might not have these various options available in the first version but it should have some extensibility in mind so the utility could be extended in the future.

 

(Random thoughts for what its worth)

[Rodney]

I probably should add...

 

If you are serious about computer graphics you should look into purchasing Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw or some other fully featured vector program. Not only will they give you AI export capability they'll provide a weath of other options and capabilities.

 

You can go a long way for free these days but sometimes we save a few $ by spending a few judiciously.

[bubba]

Maybe Mr. Gross could "modify" the AI wizard.

[Rodney]

Maybe Mr. Gross could "modify" the AI wizard.

 

In the realm of Maybes, Mr. Gross can do everything.

Mr. Trickey, who originally created the Font and AI wizards through magic of his own, appears all powerful too.

But until the fancy catches, fond wishes and dreams will have to carry us through.

...and if wishes were fishes we'd snack on a few of those also.

 

 

Translation: Anyone with the time, talent in programming and inclination could modify the AI wizard. For most, it just isn't a priority.

[robcat2075]

Have you tried the pstoedit idea the itsjustme suggested?

[bubba]

As far as I can tell, pstoedit is just for Windows and ghostprint I think is a interpreter so that a postscript file can be printed on a non-postscript printer.

[robcat2075]

As far as I can tell, pstoedit is just for Windows and ghostprint I think is a interpreter so that a postscript file can be printed on a non-postscript printer.

 

 

I forgot you're on a mac. That complicates things. My suggestion would be to buy an old version of "Freehand" which was very capable and could export AI. But I don't know if it would import your SVG work or if that old version would run on a modern mac.

 

Plan C: Is there a low cost font editor program for the mac? you could make your outline in that as one of the "letters" and import that via the font wizard. That's how the AI wizard came about, someone was using a font creator to make mechanical shapes.

[itsjustme]

As far as I can tell, pstoedit is just for Windows and ghostprint I think is a interpreter so that a postscript file can be printed on a non-postscript printer.

 

You can get a Mac version of Ghostscript and GSView here...and it does a lot more than interpret for printers. I have converted images saved in Inkscape to AI using it, so I know it's possible.

 

 

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EDIT

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Since I hadn't tried it for a few years, I went back and double-checked. It looks like GSView would require pstoedit in order to do the conversion to AI. I didn't see a Mac version of pstoedit here, there were only Windows and Linux as far as I can tell. I'll do some more thinking.

[itsjustme]

I found a Mac version of pstoedit here.

 

Hope that helps.