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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    ...Granada province, Andalucia, Spain
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    Default Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    When starting a project, I almost always start off using Xara Designer. Quite often I also use Adobe Illustrator which has some alternative tools such as 3D rotate, a very decent Image Trace tool and the option of using the wide array of inventive tools that are available using the Illustrator plugins programs made by Astute Graphics.
    Wherever possible I prefer the finished result to be all vector and using the above combination of software helps me achieve this.
    The attached graphic is one that was made using all three of these tools.
    Starting with the orb, I used XDP to create a circle with a circular gradient fill, which I then took into Illustrator to apply the Astute Graphics Phantasm plugin to convert the gradient into halftone dots.
    Then I brought the graphic back into XDP to apply a circular envelope using the Mold Tool, which provided a spherical effect to the halftone dots, making them decrease in size towards the edges of the orb.
    Still inside XDP, I used the Glitterato plugin from Flaming Pear to create a (raster) space background, which then exported and placed into Illustrator to apply a vector trace to simplify the result and then applied the Phantasm halftone effect to this.
    Finally I assembled everything back in XDP.
    The finished piece was inspired by listening to the album "Mainstream" by Quiet Sun, a Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno album from 1972. (the link is to a Wikipedia article featuring a picture of the album cover).
    Bob.
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    Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    Bracknell, UK
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    8,659

    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    Quiet Sun - I did a recce on Amazon - they get my vote for most curiously named tracks. Amazon has messed up their track listing and mis-spelled their name.

    Interesting composition Bob (I prefer the album cover, though). The dots don't bend around the sphere in the way I expect though.

    Thanks for posting it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Dunoon, Scotland
    Posts
    4,778

    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    Maybe Bob if you mapped your halftone dots layer in Illy that would achieve that. You know save the halftone as a Symbol then map the art using the 3D tool. Watch the first 4 mins of vid. and forget the embedding as yours wouldn't be a bitmap: http://layersmagazine.com/mapping-ph...lustrator.html
    Design is thinking made visual.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    Brockville, Ontario, Canada.
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    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    And as opposed to Paul, I like the artwork better than the album cover. Nice work, Bob.
    Keith
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    There are 10 types of people in this world .... Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    Thanks for the constructive comments, guys.
    This version used the 3D revolve effect in Illustrator, which, I imagine, maps the halftone pattern in a more predictable way, but for me the effect is quite soulless in its precision.
    But I really value your criticism and help.
    I'll keep plugging away at this and will post more here. Feel free to join in with any orb-centric work of your own, halftones not essential.
    Bob.
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    ** Detailed "Create A Spinning Logo Tutorial" is available in .pdf format for download at this link **
    Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    StPeters, MO USA
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    10,819

    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    I like them a lot Bob.
    Larry a.k.a wizard509

    Never give up. You will never fail, but you may find a lot of ways that don't work.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    But why trace the background, when there is no real advantage if the resulting trace is close to representing invidual pixels of the image? Would the advantage of vector graphics be gone at that point, as the file will be huge and most likely it will still scale only down properly.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    ...Granada province, Andalucia, Spain
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    Default Re: Vector graphics using Xara and Illustrator

    Thanks for your kind comments, Larry.
    @theinonen, I suppose the short answer is "Because I can." But in truth, there are several reasons. In the first place, no bitmap tracing was involved, I used the Astute Graphics plugin for Illustrator, Phantasm to create the vector halftones, which is, in any case, easier to achieve than using a bitmap tracer. Secondly I'm in a halftone phase at the moment and I'm a big fan of Roy Lichtenstein which goes a long way to explaining what I do. Thirdly, in this age of multi-terabyte hard drives, cheap memory and decent graphics cards, it's not a problem in terms of slowing down the application or disk space concerns (and anyway a file size of under 10mb isn't really that large in the grand scheme of things).

    Anyway, attached is a 100% vector graphic in a comic-book style of the death of a planet. The lettering (from the font LHF Chunky Block) has been made in XDP using the Contour and Mould Tools. The explosions were made using a simple homemade vector brush.The background was made using Flaming Pear's Glitterato plugin. The planet was made in Illustrator using Phantasm and the 3D Revolve tool and the Roughen effect was used on the lettering and the planet's halftone line pattern.
    (The whole thing weighs 9.15mb, by the way).
    I do hope you all like it and find some nice things to say.
    Bob.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    ** Detailed "Create A Spinning Logo Tutorial" is available in .pdf format for download at this link **
    Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx.

 

 

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