Way to make Custom Shaped Envelope?

[LongShot]

I am wanting to make text into specific shapes. I know you can do the envelope thing but .. I was wondering if there was a way to already have the shape and make the text form to that shape?

Example would be like the word Shark and the letters get pinched and such and form a sharks outline.

If I am making sense at all...lol.

[MEB]

Welcome to Talkgraphics LongShot
Yes you are making sense!

Besides the envelope tool you already know about there´s no other way i know to create what you are looking for.
It take some work but it´s possible to do what you want with the envelope tool. For complex shapes you may want to break the words in letters and apply the envelope individually to some letters and tune up everything so all the deforms made match correctly.

I remember an old post where a user posted some pre-created envelope deformations that were easily applied to shapes but there wasn´t nothing as complicated as a shark there.
Maybe someone has a link to it...



Cheers,
Miguel

[Soquili]

This link http://www.xaraxone.com/html/tony_roberts_molds.html contains some custom envelopes and a mini-tutorial showing how to create envelopes.

Another link http://www.xaraxone.com/guest/guest12/index.htm is to a guest tutorial by Tony Roberts.

[angelize]

Hello longshot, You can create custom envelopes, but all envelopes no matter what their shape can only have four sides. In my example I used a simple default envelope and just using the curve handles that appear when you click a node I was able to push and pull the text into a pretty reasonable fish shape quite quickly. For the fins I selected the mold and converted it to editable shapes. To add the fins I simply selected the indivdual letter shape and used the shape editor tool to pull out the fins. I also gave the tail a little extra tweak.

[LongShot]

Thanks all. The Shark thing was just an example. I will take a look at the tutorials for some extra knowledge. Looks like I might just have to have my shape in the bg and form the envelope as close as I can to it. No easy way out.

Maybe that can be a future upgrade like "Convert Text to Shape" or "Convert Shape to an Envelope".

[angelize]

You already can convert text to a shape

[JaffDave]

Thanks all. The Shark thing was just an example. I will take a look at the tutorials for some extra knowledge. Looks like I might just have to have my shape in the bg and form the envelope as close as I can to it. No easy way out.

Maybe that can be a future upgrade like "Convert Text to Shape" or "Convert Shape to an Envelope".

Once the Text is converted to shape it's as easy as an envelope as Angelize has shown. Just tweak the nodes to the conforming shape. To make it easier to visualize if needed place the desired shape behind your text as a guide.

[ss-kalm]

.........For the fins I selected the mold and converted it to editable shapes.......

@longshot ......... It's much easier, if after having asked a question, that you actually read the answers that helpful members have posted ....!

[LongShot]

I did read the answers. What I am wanting to do is take a Sportbike Silhouette and have the lettering conform to that shape. Thats why I asked if you could get a shape to be the envelope. Doing the sportbike would be some work trying to make a envelope into that shape. Just trying to see if there was a shorter way to get from point A to point B. Along with it I still have my foundation of what little I know in AI. So features or names may not be the same.

I like Xara more than AI since working more with it. Still have to keep AI loaded for Vector conversion to EPS10.

[ss-kalm]

Do you mean a word or a whole paragraph? There was a thread a while ago about making a whole page of text conform to a shape using repel ..... I'll see if I can find it. It may be useful.

Okay ........ Have a look at this thread and my quick tutorial