How to live without a mesh fill tool?

[RTK]

... draw complicated things. I do however use applications with a Mesh tool, and have given it a go.

Have you yourself used the Mesh Tool? You do realize that you have to assign a colour to each node? And when used in shading, you might have re-assign all those colour when doing a change...

Give the XaraXone tutorials a try - you will see that you can put down objects very fast - and re-do areas very fast.

Your example is more an example of why NOT/where NOT to use the mesh tool. The term "Smooth as Frankenstein" comes to mind... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[Mormegil]

Hello all, I am new to this forum and am the Designer that lone wolf was talking about at the beginning of this thread.

I have to say I have seen so wonderful work on this site, most done with Xera, and have been quite impressed.

I felt the need to comment because Mesh fills are "My Thing" I do 98% of my illustrations, Icons, designs, whatever with them. I am using Corel 11 at the moment, (Yes it is big and slow sometimes, and over complicated) but I can do what would take me hours in illustrator in minuets in corel and that makes it worth it. I However am not just here to pimp Corel. It is my tool of choice. That is all. As was stated above. IT IS JUST A TOOL.

Good artist will use what ever they can to make great things. I have seen fabulous work in Illustrator, Freehand, Corel and Now Xara. If you prefer one over the other use it. I hate to see these arguments, (I Work for Disney and They LOVE Illustrator in Imagineering and my department Uses Corel) So I'm use to the bickering. To each his own.

One a more relevant point... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif The Mesh Tool. It is not at all hard to use once you rap your brain about the fact that you have to think of it like sculpting. I Can do a Complex Icon in 10 minuets with the Mesh. That use to take me an Hour using Blends and Gradients, and it looks better, and scales better. I know this is hard to explain. But it not a complicated tool at all. Just different form any other graphics tool. Also Corels Mesh tool is quite different then Illustrators, so don't let the sloppiness of the Illustrator version ruin it in your eyes.

Anyway. Enough of a rant for my first post on this site. (Dam fine site I might add) Hope I have not made everyone hate me....

Paul Boyer (Mormegil)
The FauxS-X Project
www.fauxs-x.com

[This message was edited by Paul Boyer (Mormegil) on January 23, 2003 at 21:12.]

[This message was edited by Paul Boyer (Mormegil) on January 23, 2003 at 21:12.]

[RTK]

... it to you, Paul - your icons look great! Thumbs up! Yeah, I can see that the mesh tool comes in handy for giving one object depth in illustrations like these.

The Lone Wolf example is horrific! I still don't get what he wants to accomplish - portraiture, icons, stickers, WHAT? If you are his friend... help him out for the love of God - he seems to be in AGONY... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[Mormegil]

The image that Lone Wolf posed up above is an old file that I did when I was first learning the Mesh tool (And was never finished) I was just looking for a sample of my technique of "wrapping" the objects, it is not nearly that hard to make thing look smoother. Also. the display quality of mesh tool fills is not as nice as they are when printed or rendered.

PS. It is not at all hard to fill or change the colors of the nodes, it is just different then any other vector object so it seems hard when you first try it. Most people just give up.

For a sample of Mesh fill work that is finished, though a bit outdated, 3 years now you might want to look at this. 99% mesh fills. Infinitely scalable. You could print it out at 100feet wide and get no banding.....

PS. I spell horably... Sorry about that.

http://www.wincustomize.com/skins.as...=18&SkinID=124

Paul Boyer (Mormegil)
The FauxS-X Project
www.fauxs-x.com

[This message was edited by Paul Boyer (Mormegil) on January 23, 2003 at 21:14.]

[RTK]

... around and I still think my point is a valid one. (Ease/Fast of use...) Your other website http://www.odyssey-3.com has some other examples, one of them being another "robot" "Odiean Power Armour"...

Blocking in a SINGLE shapes, like SINGLE pieces of armour - the mesh probably comes in handy. The human face requires more than one mesh. Show my something where different meshes are stacked on top/next to each other - like in Lone Wolf's example. And show me how easy it is to change the hue 1%, or even better - to move a crease/shadow a little bit...

The magical word is single shape/object - if your require more than one mesh - you gotta' work at it - REALLY hard... Bill Gates will be declared the Pope before you get something like Lone Wolf's example fixed/cleaned up.

If you are impressed by the work posted here - have a look at the Featured Artist section of http://www.xaraxone.com

I can tell from surfing around that you enjoy skinning - you should check out Xara X's transparencies (+ Gary's tutorials) - YOU could be the KING of SKIN(tm)... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif ...

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[This message was edited by Risto Klint on January 23, 2003 at 22:19.]

[Mormegil]

These are good points, I am not saying The Mesh fill is the only tool you need. I was quite impressed by the feathering feature in Xara. and a few others. But I am saying don't role it out as a nice feature to have.

You can adjust the Hue of a mesh all or just one node of it in Corel 11 SP1. So That argument is not to great. As for moving shading. That could be hard if you draw the object wrong. So that is a good point.

This seems to have become a debate on how to do skin. The Real answer is However works for you. I have done it in the past with blends/transparencies etc... Xera seems to do a better job ot his in some ways. But I prefer the mesh toll.

These are some beautiful examples, but I would have to say that there is nothing here that could not be done with the mesh tool. At least by someone who knows what to do with it.

I don't want this to be a My tool is better then your tool fight. I use everything I can get my hands on.

Paul Boyer (Mormegil)
The FauxS-X Project
www.fauxs-x.com

[RTK]

... to point out the limitations hue/shading in regards to Lone Wolf's example (objects stacked on top/next to each other.)

Quote: "This seems to have become a debate on how to do skin" No. I just happened to notice that you enjoy skinning, and tipped you about Xara X's transparencies.

Quote: "nothing here that could not be done with the mesh tool" Well, we haven't seen an example of that have we?

Quote: "I don't want this to be a My tool is better then your tool fight." Well, it isn't. It was just a matter of pointing out to Lone Wolf that the mesh is not some sort of magical feature that makes illustrations appear, AND the limitations of the mesh tool itself.

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[RTK]

... and not only SKIN. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif Anywhere a gradient is needed, and 'objectS' have to be used as in Lone Wolf's example.

Risto

risto@ristoklint.com

Visit my web site!

[Mormegil]

The mesh tool is not perfect, it however a nice option to have. There is no Miracle tool... and there never will be. That is why artist have jobs.

I am not at the leisure to do samples at the moment and have spent to much time on this as it is. But when I have a moment I will try and show you some proofs.

Paul Boyer (Mormegil)
The FauxS-X Project
www.fauxs-x.com

[gwpriester]

Hey Paul

Good to have you here. This conference was getting a bit too quiet :-)

I propose a Mesh Tool challenge.

Why don't you post a few examples of thing you can do with the Mesh Tool, (let's make it something that is not going to take a year to recreate--simple things) and let's see if we can replicate the effect.

Why don't you come up with some examples and start a new topic: The Mesh Fill Challenge, kind of a battle of the bands, and we'll try to match your effects.

For example, here is how I would reproduce the buttons on your web page using the Bevel Tool.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://www.gwpriester.com">
www.gwpriester.com </a>


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