Chunky 3D effect

**dpt** · 22 July 2009, 10:32 PM

Here's an effect I've been playing about with.

Any suggestions on how to do it more efficiently/elegantly gratefully received...

**angelize** · 23 July 2009, 04:43 AM

I used the shape editor tool and simply created a shape around the text then sent it to the back, grouped and blended

**Xcellent** · 23 July 2009, 04:59 AM

Originally Posted by dpt

Here's an effect I've been playing about with.

Any suggestions on how to do it more efficiently/elegantly gratefully received...

I have this trouble alot of times. There is no easy solution in xara that doesn't involve manual fixing by deleting point by point and clean the result up.

An easy solution: Use the big brother of illustration software to do 3d manipulation and import it back into xara.

Tricky solution: Use the 3d Bevel in Xara, export the result as a massive big bitmap and then trace the result using your favourite tracer (or use the inbuilt xara tracer which won't give you good results though!), then import the trace back to xara.

**Zupdude** · 23 July 2009, 05:22 AM

Well, if you don't mind the perspective, the 3D tool would work the fastest. I'm fairly new to using XX, so others may be able to tell you how to do this without the foreshortening/perspective. Maybe it can be done by playing with it a little more(?). I've attached the file just for that!

I don't think it took two minutes to do this, after I found the font.

**iamtheblues** · 23 July 2009, 07:19 AM

I would go the Extrude Tool/Bitmap Trace route. Quick, efficient, elegant and fully editable.
Saludos,
Bob.

**wizard509** · 23 July 2009, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by iamtheblues

I would go the Extrude Tool/Bitmap Trace route. Quick, efficient, elegant and fully editable.
Saludos,
Bob.

How did you do that Bob?
The extrude tool I understand(I think), but I have never been able to come to turms with the Bitmap Tracer, Are you using Utilities/Bitmap trace?

And how did you get the different letter colors?
I've been fooling around with this all morning and can't even come close.

I must be missing something because for me it is not "Quick, efficient, elegant and fully editable".

**iamtheblues** · 23 July 2009, 05:11 PM

Hi Larry, firstly when extruding the logo, make the lighting arrows 2 black and 1 white. Place them so that you have as much contrast as possible. Also toggle off the gloss effect so there are no highlights.
If there are gaps in the extrude, make some black shapes and place them behind the extrusion.
The resulting bitmap trace should have 1 black shape and nine white ones - all editable. you may have to ungroup and remove the white background first.
Saludos,
Bob.

**wizard509** · 23 July 2009, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by iamtheblues

Hi Larry, firstly when extruding the logo, make the lighting arrows 2 black and 1 white. Place them so that you have as much contrast as possible. Also toggle off the gloss effect so there are no highlights.
If there are gaps in the extrude, make some black shapes and place them behind the extrusion.
The resulting bitmap trace should have 1 black shape and nine white ones - all editable. you may have to ungroup and remove the white background first.
Saludos,
Bob.

Thanks Bob.
I managed to do it once, as you can see, but cannot seem to do it again.
I cropped the origional image to get the letters, then I changed the text color to white and ungrouped, changed the individual letters then grouped and extruded. At least that is the best I can remember that I did.
Whatever I did that time I cannot do it again.
As you can see there some differences in the line weight around the extrude, which I also do not understand.

I have tried bitmap copy and trace but the results are so ragged that they are horrible. I'm still doing something wrong but I sure don't know what.

I don't have enough hair left to do any real hair pulling