Getting perspective in Xara drawings

[angelize]

One way I have found to get an accurate perspective grid is to use a handy little utility called carapace it's a simple little program you can place up to nine vanishing points where ever you like (they can even be outside grid page. and the grid is automatically created. you can then copy and paste your grid into Xara as a bitmap and trace it with the straight line tool to vectorize it. Once vectorized it's really handy to select all and move it to a guides layer.

I'm wondering though if any one has any ways to create an accurate perspective grid using other methods. Perhaps a totally within Xara method? All are welcome to post their ideas, tips and tricks on perspectives here!

[richinri]

Handy gadget! Thanks.

[angelize]

I'm glad that folks are finding the link useful it is a neat little utility. So does anyone have any other methods they would like to share?

[Albacore]

I find Xara's isometric grid inaccurate so made up my own using blends. This is a basic Iso. grid and is near as I can get it for A3 paper but it is a custom page so that it doesn't matter wither it is landscape or portrait it is covered. Everyone is welcome to use it how they want as now I use Illy's grid for 1, 2 and 3pt. perspective and it has the benefit of molding 2D objects onto the perspective grid with ease as it is more than just a guide layer.

[stygg2003]

I find Gary Boutons perspective grid very useful. Open it in Xara, select it, click on mold tool and you can make it any shape with perspective you want as well as the mold tools default shapes. Just as an example I've posted this image of using this grid for all the text in it.

Stygg

[wizard509]

All of these are good ideas. What I more or less demonstrated is called 2 point projection. It is not a tool that can readily used in Xara but it is very versatile. Rich(molucca) uses a different method which I was shown in school. Perhaps he could explain it here.

[Egg Bramhill]

I tend to use 2 point perspective too. I'm not a lover of grids with multiple lines. I just create a line from the vanishing point In & Up, clone it and adjust it In & Down. Clone the two and flip horizontaly and change the colour (for example left lines are green and right side lines are red.

I find the advantage using this method is you can clone a line, select the outer node, drag it around as required and the other end always stays on the vanishing point, but even more important this line can be used as a slicing object. No need to snap to anything, no need to try to draw a shape to match perspective lines, no cluttered perspective grid, only lines required to create the 3D object. These can be deleted as soon as they're no longer required to reduce clutter but in the attached xar I've left them there so you can see the construction.

[Gamerprinter]

I seldom have the need to create perspective drawings and can honestly say, I haven't done anything in regards to use of perspective since 8th grade. Sometimes I create isometric maps, but those aren't truly in correct perspective (there's no vanishing point in isometric). The few times I've done anything close to perspective is done completely in 3D, with the software doing all the perspective work and me without thinking about perspective.

[puw]

Great topic for a subject, especially as I have much to learn. Thanks for the info & link Angelize, as well as you guys for your xar files, advice etc.

Within the link from Angelize, there looks some great help/tut yew200b videos such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=YlZZlJZCxTg

Thank you everyone.

Hope more members join in with tips, tricks and advice.