converting Xara Xtreme pro to ai pdf etc

**grenadi** · 10 July 2008, 02:37 AM

Now, I am still using the trial version. I already have the full versions of illustrator, indesign, photoshop and acrobat 8.

I have found that Xara's xtreme pro extrusion does not convert to my illustrator. For instance if I save my Xara file to ai illustrator, when I open the file in ai I only get the flat picture without extrusion and a box comes up wiith some numbers saying that "this wouldn't open ..."

I am not sure how I save the Xara files to PDF.

It's not a problem in a sense; I might have to treat Xara like a bit of a hobby program for putting together my art folios etc and use illustrator for any commercial graphics work. In any case I think that Xara even with its limitations is still a great program. I will probably get the graphics studio package.

**steve.ledger** · 10 July 2008, 02:48 AM

Well these are not so much limitations of Xara than limitations of Illustrator.
Many other vector apps cannot interpret some of Xtremes advanced features.

However, extrudes are bitmaps even in Xtreme, with the exception the Xtreme redraws and re renders them on-the-fly as you edit them. But they are not strictly editable vectors, even in Xtreme.

Illustrator does not have the same programming routines to be able to do this with Xara files.

With Xtreme PDF, you 'export' (Ctrl+Shift+E then select PDF file type) the drawing to PDF.
Xtreme Pro has additional PDF features available at time of export.

**grenadi** · 10 July 2008, 04:06 AM

Interestingly, I did find a workaround.

Take the xara extrusion file, export to commercial grade PDF. Then save that PDF as EPS . Now, even though the file appears to be PDF as icon, it will open as illustrator and the extrusion features will be there. Furtherm the extrusion can even be extruded further. Weird.

**steve.ledger** · 10 July 2008, 04:27 AM

Example please?

**grenadi** · 10 July 2008, 04:45 AM

This is the pdf version. The EPS is too large.

**grenadi** · 10 July 2008, 04:47 AM

Now, if you convert that pdf to EPS it should open up as illustrator with the extrusion effects still there. At least that's what worked for me.

**steve.ledger** · 10 July 2008, 05:03 AM

Convert the PDF to EPS with which application???

All I see in the PDF is a rasterised (not editable) extrude with a vector outline (after you remove the clipview that is. Even the text is in a clipview)

**gnurf** · 10 July 2008, 06:22 AM

Sledger, you can save a pdf as eps in acrobat. But on the other hand you are able to import/open PDF (especially PDF/X files) in Illustrator CS2 and later (if I remeber correctly, the PDF format is the standard file format for Illustrator nowadays)

The way I do it at work (the conversion from XX to AI) is to first export as PDF/X and simply open it in Illustrator. One thing to remember though, and that is that many effects will be converted to bitmaps, for example extrudes and drop shadows. So to keep things clean and simply, try to use solid colors instead of transparencies and text on top of the other objects.

**steve.ledger** · 10 July 2008, 06:27 AM

Yes Paul, that's exactly right -and is why I'm questioning grenadi about his methods and results.
I cannot see how he is getting an Xtreme produced extrude into Illustrator as a vector editable extrude via any method.

Maybe I have misunderstood his workflow and terminology, but as you say (and as I have pointed out in an earlier post), they are rasters..

**gnurf** · 10 July 2008, 07:11 AM

Ah yes, the extrude... A workaround I been using is to hand trace the extrudes in XX before I export. Yes, a bit tedious but imports well in AI

From a technical point of view Adobe and Xara are using different techniques for their respective extrude.

And when I think about it, wasn't there an option in Xara 3D wher you could export in SWF. Is there a similar option in XX (I haven't checked). In that case you could perhaps import the SWF vetrsion to Xara before you export to AI?