Xara 2D drawings to 3D modeling program

[dutchim]

O sure it works... With Cinema 4D this time

[csehz]

O sure it works... With Cinema 4D this time

Thanks for your check in Cinema 4D, that exactly went through. So there has to be way also in Blender, I will give some tries yet

[Gare]

csehz—

There are some fundamental flaws in your (beautiful) geometry. Illustrator has some PostScript in it, and you have to obey Post Script rules to export a successful shape to extrude or whatever.

First, a path cannot self-intersect. I think C4D "tolerates" this self intersecting for reasons I'm not sure of (I do a lot of work in C4D), but I venture to guess that if you put your design on a Guides layer, and then trace over it without crossing paths, this might satisfy Blender and other programs that cannot figure out where there are solids, and where there are holes when a single shape self-intersects. Also, there's something called the Winding Path rule:

The enhanced drawing API also introduces the concept of path “winding”: the direction for a path. The winding for a path is either positive (clockwise) or negative (counter-clockwise). The order in which the renderer interprets the coordinates provided by the vector for the data parameter determines the winding.

The rule can be seen in effect in many vector graphic programs (like Freehand or Illustrator), where a crossing of an outline with itself causes shapes to fill in strange ways.

I'm quoting from various sources, but in English with a diagram:



The path of a shape that has a hole in it,must ravel in the right direction, not the left. If you were faced with a giant doughnut and wanted to follow the Winding path rule, you go this way:




So if your exported AI file looks wrong, go back to Xara, select the reverse path tool on the Infobar and see if the "O" or other shape with a hole doesn't look better in the modeling program.

Dutchim, congratulations! I could get the star shape to work after 15 minutes of trying in C4D!

My Best,

Gart

[wizard509]

I didn't know what the problem was, but I noticed something was funky because when I looked at it in blender the wireframe looked fine but solid view was wrong. Thanks for finding and explaining the problem Gare.

[csehz]

Gare thanks for the explanation,

my (very beginner) user experience in Blender that it does not eat Xara QuickShapes too easily. If that is filled without 'holes' then apparently goes through as filled shape, but extruding that some hidden lines seems inside.



Maybe someone who has more experience in Blender can confirm how that goes. Cinema 4D looks very beautiful but not free so for me out, let's see which other http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...eling_software modelers are where the import of Xara .svg-s could be tried

[Mike Bailey]

I draw a shape in Xara, export it as a bitmap, import the bitmap into ZBrush as an alpha, then I can use it for lots of wonderful things like transforming it into a 3D model.

[Gare]

Mike, I LOVE it!

You just hit upon something that totally went over my head when discussing how 2D Xara can help 3D models—seamless textures!

In the May 2012 video tutorial Creating a Seamless Texture, I walk you through exactly how to make a complicated texture with no seams and even with transparency. I'd say offhand if you created a sphere in Blender, and imported a PNG with transparency as the material coating the 3D vector mesh, you might get something like this:



Okay, the texture is overdone and looks like my grandmother's doilies, but you get the idea.

Thanks again, Mike, for jogging a somewhat expended memory!

-g

[dutchim]

Thanks Gare

I guess I should have put just a little more effort into it the other day... But was in a hurry.
Not saying that this one is much better... But not easily done in Xara


Richard

[Egg Bramhill]

Fun thread. Wish I had more time to devote to 3D software but it's a very big learning curve and I'm tending to forget more than I'm learning these days.
Here's a Xara X created in Xara and imported and Swept in Cinema4D.

[Egg Bramhill]

Here's my go at creating a keyboard using only Xara's extrusions. I attach the xar file incase anyone want's to lpay with it.