Wire Mesh

[handrawn]

I know how gradients and meshes work in illustrator

Trouble is just because xara has a "dragging line in between points" way of doing it for manipulating shape envelopes, does not mean this can somehow be transferred to manipulation of blends, easily.

I don't believe it can. I would love to be proved wrong, but I don't believe it.

Yes it can be done by manipulating mesh nodes - because that limits the variables to a descrete number - start saying you want to be able to do this at any point along the line between and, whilst of course there will still be a limit to the variables, their number and the complexity will shoot exponentially through the roof.

It would not be fast that way either - xara does not have a magic wand [in the fairy godmother sense].

So I hope to see a node manipulation mesh tool in due course - but much more innovative and easier to use than illustrator? - as you will have gathered I have serious doubts, and I certainly would not take it as a fact.

Manipulating envelopes and maipulating blends are worlds apart.

[David O'Neil]

...Trouble is just because xara has a "dragging line in between points" way of doing it for manipulating shape envelopes, does not mean this can somehow be transferred to manipulation of blends, easily.

I don't believe it can. I would love to be proved wrong, but I don't believe it...

The example blend file I gave shows that it isn't as difficult as you think it is. It is probably technically challenging, but it is doable. As I said earlier, though, it may require a core rewrite for Xtreme, and that may explain why it hasn't happened.

[handrawn]

well we can all live in Hope [which I did once briefly - its in Derbyshire ]

[Egg Bramhill]

Interesting thread. It drifts from being soley about a Mesh Tool to a general discussion on XXP's recent lack of development with particular regard of vector tool advancement and the odd discussion re export filters etc.

I believe John (covoxer) hit the nail on the head when he said Xara blew the opposition out of the water with the launch of of Xara (Artwork) on the PC with it's transparency and speed. It knocked all other vector programs into a cocked hat. I can remember seeing the default Corel Draw barn/fir tree drawing being redrawn on a PC. It took a lifetime and the rendering had no AA. Draw another branch and you may as well go and make a cup of coffee whilst you waited for the render to redraw. Xara rendered it almost instantly with fantastic anti-aliasing. However it didn't take over the world, it didn't stop the Mac graphics software from dominating the industry.

If Xara was going to take over the vector world it was then. After all Corel were so concerned they tried to bury the program! But that's history.

What a lot of users tend to forget is that there was a period that Xara went through with no apparent development at all and many of us despaired that the program we used of choice was being abandoned. I can't remember the exact update sequence but between Xara X1 and the next release was approx two years. Had it been abandoned?

Fortunately the program has not only NOT been shelved but the updates are becoming more regular. Okay, not with what vector purist would wish for (me included) but it's still in there, still selling and being developed.

Magix have bought out Xara but to my great relief they appear to be putting money into development and so far have shown a great "hands off" management of Xara, allowing Charles & Co to continue to run the company.

Finally re the export filters. I can't think of any other software I have on my computer that has as many import/export filters as XXP. Not all are perfect but the majority work with some workarounds. Adobe Illustrator doesn't even need to try to compete at this level, they're industry standard so don't even bother with import/export filters.


Rant over.

[sgiff]

I know how gradients and meshes work in illustrator

Apparently not because Illustrators gradient tool works the exact same way as Xara's the only difference is that in Illustrator you can not see the points but you still drag a line across the object to create a gradient. Illustrator's mesh tool is something completely different than it's gradient tool. Why do you insist on the fact that you know something when you clearly don't. Have you seen the code. Do you know someone at Adobe that wrote that code years ago? I seriously doubt you do, if so offer up some evidence, anyone can make matter of fact statements but that means nothing unless you have some proof to back it up.

Well here's my proof, see I actually offer some evidence, whereas you just make statements. Illustrators envelope equivalent to XARA is the Warp tool not the Mesh tool, try adding an envelope warp in Illustrator and then try dragging one of the corner points with the direct selection tool. You will quickly see that it behaves just like XARA and does not drag the gradient along with the envelope control point. The Mesh tool on the other hand is a completely different beast. Therefore in XARA it would be a completely different beast as well which is what I've said all along and why it is just as likely that XARA could do it and do it better. Have you even used Illustrator?

Enough said.

s.g.

[David O'Neil]

...anyone can make matter of fact statements but that means nothing unless you have some proof to back it up...

You're kidding us! He's a paragon of knowing what he's talking about!

[handrawn]

Well here's my proof, see I actually offer some evidence, whereas you just make statements. Illustrators envelope equivalent to XARA is the Warp tool not the Mesh tool, try adding an envelope warp in Illustrator and then try dragging one of the corner points with the direct selection tool. You will quickly see that it behaves just like XARA and does not drag the gradient along with the envelope control point. The Mesh tool on the other hand is a completely different beast. Therefore in XARA it would be a completely different beast as well which is what I've said all along and why it is just as likely that XARA could do it and do it better.

s.g.

This is not 'proof' of anything at all - merely a statement of what happens when certain tools are used in one piece of software, and what you expect would happen in another.
You cannot assume that what is achieved in one piece of software would be easy to implement in other piece of software, written differently.
Nor can you assume that because this other software works a particular way in one respect, it can easily work that way in another quite different respect.

You're kidding us! He's a paragon of knowing what he's talking about!

David my friend - you really should learn to let things go - you do yourself no favours

[salaam]

".....More tea vicar?" (Sorry, old English humour.)

Reminds me of this past thread:
http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...8521#post88521
The punch line comes a little later at this thread:
http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...8686#post88686

I don't think you guys can beat that one.

[sgiff]

This is not 'proof' of anything at all -

Fair enough.

[remi]

We need to get back on topic: The Mesh tool

Remi