Moulding bitmaps

[steve.ledger]

I have no problems with Availor/Gary's sphere/Fish-eye - but I'm not getting anywhere at all with yours. Clueless
(I'm checking the calendar - nope, July 1st tomorrow)

[David O'Neil]

I'm not getting anywhere at all with yours.

Remove the blends on the objects within the individual layers and see what is left behind.

Quite interesting (and potentially powerful). Thanks for pointing this out, salaam!

David

[steve.ledger]

Thanks David. I did that, but apart from seeing that a bitmap is used as a fill for the mould around a line, I'm lost - trying to repeat it with a different bitmap fails miserably.
I'll sit on the fence for now until something 'twigs'

[salaam]

1- Draw a very thin straight line.
2a- For bitmap distortions etc.give it a [bevel]: [size] 1, [contrast] 0%, [elevation] 89%.
2b- For 3D blends, give it a [bevel]: [size] 1, [contrast] 100%, [elevation] 12%.
Note: This new object is a vector line which is fully editable, it is covered by a bitmap 'sleeve' in the form of a bevel, which will always follow the the curve of the line.
3a- Give the this object a [fill] such as a bitmap photo.
3b- For 3D blends give the this object a colour.
4- Duplicate this object and position them far apart.
5- [Blend] the 2 objects.
6- Increase the [blend steps] to one or two hundred, or just enough for you to see an image rather than an empty space.
Note: For the bitmap distortion, the bending of the lines will allow the image to materialise.
7- Select, by clicking while holding down the [Control] key, one of the 2 lines (do not select the lines [bevel] as the bevel or bitmap will follow the line anyway but the line will not follow the bitmap bevel).
8- Bend both lines one at a time.
Note: For greater texture control especially when 3D blending, it is better to add a line and use it to [blend along a curve] this allows you to [edit the distance between steps].
Note: Nodes can be added to the lines for more control.
Note: The whole image can be moved by selecting either line.
Note: For the 3D blend, the colours can be finely altered by altering the colour of both the bevel as well as the line.
Note: If desired the line can be set to 0/None.
Note: Some of your editing will be better performed with the [set view quality] down to zero.

[Soquili]

Anas I am confused by steps 2a and 2b. Contrast and Elevation are attributes of a bevel, not a contour.

[salaam]

Anas I am confused by steps 2a and 2b. Contrast and Elevation are attributes of a bevel, not a contour.

Ooooops!!!

Thanks,

For 'Contour' read 'Bevel'.
If you could edit it Soquili that would be great.

[Soquili]

Anas I edited the post to reference the bevel tool in place of the contour tool.

The technique is very similar to one Ivan Louette demonstrated several years ago.

[tonylondon]

I originally did this as [Mould envelopes] do not work with bitmaps and the plugins are very limited.

Moulds do work. First use the bitmap tracer on max accuracy, minimum smoothing. Do your mould and save the result as a bitmap.
Tony

[salaam]

Anas I edited the post to reference the bevel tool in place of the contour tool.

The technique is very similar to one Ivan Louette demonstrated several years ago.

Thanks Soquili

You don't have a link do you?

[Soquili]

One of his first was in the thread http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=13542 back in February of 2001.