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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    21,283

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    programmer's syndrome: an unflexible syntax
    -------------------------------
    Nothing lasts forever...

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    England
    Posts
    1,130

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    A long time ago I had Photoshop plugin that could create 3d book covers, boxes, packaging etc, but I'm afraid I can't find it, or even remember what it was called.

    Nowadays there are loads of mockup templates around, still mostly for Photoshop though.

    An alternative might be to find an online service like this one https://diybookcovers.com. I know nothing about this website, but here's one I made by uploading a couple of images to it. The output is not that brilliant tbh (but it's quick & free).

    Gary's method (in post #5) using the mould tool with a few overlaid gradients to simulate shadows and folds etc would be my first choice.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Jon (Jono) Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 19.0.0.64329 DL x64 May 19 2022

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    41,487

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    Gary's method (in post #5) using the mould tool with a few overlaid gradients to simulate shadows and folds etc would be my first choice.
    My man.

    Indasoftware, the people who made the stereogram app I use had an app that could do this but also Yury is in Russia and his content has been blocked by the western world.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    SW England
    Posts
    17,746

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    Quote Originally Posted by Jonopen View Post
    A long time ago I had Photoshop plugin that could create 3d book covers, boxes, packaging etc, but I'm afraid I can't find it, or even remember what it was called.
    Nowadays there are loads of mockup templates around, still mostly for Photoshop though.
    An alternative might be to find an online service like this one https://diybookcovers.com. I know nothing about this website, but here's one I made by uploading a couple of images to it. The output is not that brilliant tbh (but it's quick & free).
    Gary's method (in post #5) using the mould tool with a few overlaid gradients to simulate shadows and folds etc would be my first choice.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Jono, few Xara users seem to know the following:

    Create your main design elements, here as two soft groups.
    Live Copy each and then skew, rotate & extrude each to make your book.

    Xara, as ever, has done half a job with live Copies in that you ought to be able to extrude and mould one Live Copy.
    The XDA crashes!

    Anyhow, the technique is wholly Xara and therefore higher resolution.

    Xara - Live Copies as a Template.xar

    Ctrl+Click onto the central boss in the left-most live copy and change its colour.
    Click on the other shapes and they change as well.
    Ditto for text changes.

    Right-click to open the Live Copy for extensive editing.

    You do still have to design the cover.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  5. #15
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Australia: GMT+10
    Posts
    265

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    Pedant reporting for service... I believe the convention for text on a book's spine is for it to start at the top. I'll find my own way out now.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    England
    Posts
    1,130

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    Thanks Acorn , I have never really understood the benefits of soft grouping until recently and had forgotten all about the Live Copy feature - I believe it was a fairly recent addition to XPGD. When I'm next on Windows I'll have a proper play.



    Another thought I had was if the Isometric grid could be used to help get correct perspective/proportions but the projection angle is quite steep.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Also with the Extrude tool, I though perhaps it could be converted to editable shapes, but it looks like it only creates the outline. Although, this can still be useful because shapes can still be drawn and snapped to it.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Quote Originally Posted by jaydear View Post
    Pedant reporting for service... I believe the convention for text on a book's spine is for it to start at the top. I'll find my own way out now.
    Funny you should say that about spine text direction. I think it's a bit like which side of the road you drive on. In France and a few other European countries including Germany, the general convention is bottom-to-top (like the French version of my book!)



    I know the OP was asking how to do this in Xara, but for interest and experimentation I knocked up this example with Affinity Designer using the Dimetric (projection) isometric grid.
    Their Isometric tool is perfect for this kind of work.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Jon (Jono) Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 19.0.0.64329 DL x64 May 19 2022

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    198

    Default Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    still giggling over the title of the book

    --Dragon

    ps
    for the record - my wife ain't 1
    (lucky me)

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    SW England
    Posts
    17,746

    Talking Re: A Book Dust-Cover

    I just found my first edition:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Here is how it was bound: Book Cover.xar

    Everything from the number of pages to the marbled inner pasteboard is editable.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

 

 

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