Linear fill - along a curve - is it possible?

[James Allen]

I have no problem at all with discussions developing and altering as they evolve.

a lot can be learned fom wider discussion...

You bet. Is someone here trying to stop the discussion?

[David O'Neil]

...The OP shape wasn’t about a line, and the question wasn’t about blends, but fills. What is it with you guys and lines?

The question was ultimately about how to produce an effect in Xtreme. If you are going to throw a hissy when different answers are put forth, I'll disappear for a while more.

The first of my examples illuminated a logical extension of the OPs question, with colors changing along the length of the curve. It can be used to do what the OP asked, by keeping the colors the same on the two ends. If I used these in a production drawing I would probably immediately convert to a high-res transparent bitmap, and put the original vector objects on a hidden layer. Then you can add transparencies as your latest example shows, to get more natural shadows. But doing non-shadow color-changing effects like was done in my first example cannot easily be done with transparencies. (Yes, I know the OP didn't ask for that effect, but consider it a freebie.)

Best wishes,
David

[David O'Neil]

PS - You might want to play with clipviews, as they can look much better than a bunch of semi-transparent elliptical fills stacked on top of each other. The clipview version only has three shapes.

elipVerClipview.xar

[Rik]

WOW!

What an amazing amount of discussion.

My original question was about a linear fill along a curved object. That was beautifully answered by James in post #5.

One main reason for this specific question was that I feel that I can control/change a fill a lot easier than a blend.

I've also looked at all the other files that have been so kindly attached by all the participants. THANK YOU ALL.

Whilst I would probably not use blends for what I was thinking of, that's not to say that they would not prove useful.

The transparency blends look a bit mind-boggling to me, so, I've put them in a 'look at later' folder!

Another great post is #33. I use clipview all the time and yet, I had not thought of using it for this purpose! Thanks indeed.

EDIT: I forgot to say (just reminded by Steve) no please don't anyone disappear because it's the versatility that creates the beautiful blends!
There. I also managed to create a joke at the same time.

[handrawn]

One main reason for this specific question was that I feel that I can control/change a fill a lot easier than a blend.

thats not suprising Rik

the [color] fill tools are blends that come preconfigured - the whole point is to make it easier - and you can do a lot with them as has been shown

but sometimes [as with shadow tool] you need more flexibility than presets can provide, so its back to the blend tool and the manual approach - and it is possible to create your own offsets if the blend tool profiles are insufficient, should you feel inclined ...

I'll disappear for a while more.

Pleas don't - its good to see you back

[James Allen]

The question was ultimately about how to produce an effect in Xtreme.

The question was about how to use a linear fill in an object. Anything we wished to add regarding blends and lines to the conversation was and is welcome as far as I’m concerned, but let’s not change history.

If you are going to throw a hissy when different answers are put forth, I'll disappear for a while more.

You mean you’ll throw a hissy?

My position was expressed cheerfully. You and others assumed the OP was about a line, hence all your line examples. I politely pointed out it was about an object, not a line.

The first of my examples illuminated a logical extension of the OPs question, with colors changing along the length of the curve.

Three points here (expressed cheerfully):

1) The shape you chose was not the shape in the opening post, which curved to a sharp point. Like Steve’s blend on a line, yours had two blunt ends.

2) Neither of the blends you provided in your first post showed curved shapes (which involve shadows, as per the OP). They showed bright colours fading from one to another, with no shadow and thus no curve. If you mean ‘curve’ in terms of a wriggly line, then you misunderstood the term ‘curved objects’.

3) It was two blends blended together in a third blend - not a fill - as explained in my last post.

PS - You might want to play with clipviews, as they can look much better than a bunch of semi-transparent elliptical fills stacked on top of each other. The clipview version only has three shapes.

That is an excellent approach too, but as clipviews were already mentioned in the thread I was showing yet another approach, with transparencies.

the [color] fill tools are blends that come preconfigured

Not quite. A fill is a graduated colour, while a blend is a series of intermediate objects.

[David O'Neil]

Great! Another moderator who is full of themselves. I am just glad the OP got what he wanted.

Best wishes,
David, the lurker (again)

[handrawn]

the [color] fill tools are blends that come preconfigured

Not quite. A fill is a graduated colour, while a blend is a series of intermediate objects.

James - a graduated colour in a vector app is a series of intermediate objects [colour bands] - there is no other way of doing it in vector, that I know of...

[James Allen]

James - a graduated colour in a vector app is a series of intermediate objects [colour bands] - there is no other way of doing it in vector, that I know of...

According to Xara a blend is a series of intermediate objects, and objects are lines, shapes, bitmaps and text. They also define a 'fill' as a graduated colour, not a series of objects. Should we ask them to change their help menus?

[handrawn]

no ....

Because I am not saying it is not graduated colour - I am saying the graduation is made up of descrete bands [steps] [and incidently there is a maximum number available determined by the bit-size used by the program ]

those bands constitute a blend - there was a time when there was no fill tool and you did it all with blends - and there might well be some guys around who remember when there was no blend tool, you had to make all the intermeditary steps yourself to create a vector fill - and in command line too

we should be grateful