Compound Path - Polyloop

REvans · 17th May 2007, 05:39

Hi all,

I want to model two letters, a Q and a P which are drawn in Illustrator.

I have extruded the path for the Q, but am having a problem because of the compound path created by the empty space in the middle of the letter (it gets closed).

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Rick

Wim Scheenen · 17th May 2007, 11:16

This might get you in the right direction:

- (fast) extrude both paths seperately, without closing them.
- weld both extruded shapes together
- use the ruled surface tool to connect them (if the two compound curves - have different number of points you are in for some non-quads, so you might want to optimize that before you start).
- alternatively, use the facet tool to manually create your connecting facets. It's slower, but gives you more control.

Ciao,
Wim

P.S.: why do you not use the 3D text tool in Hexagon directly?

Sketchy · 17th May 2007, 16:23

There's no such things as compound paths in Hexagon. You need to manually connect related edges till you come up with the letters. Wim Scheenen is right, you are basically working with ngons if you do it the compound way. Using booleans will probably get what you want. If you have Carrara try the Spline modeler.

Plum · 18th May 2007, 05:11

Hiya.

Have you tried using the "Thickness" tool under the Surface Modeling tab?

jbshorty · 18th May 2007, 15:58

sorry this might sound like a rant but... personally i can't stand illustrator. It's OK for print, but the curves it produces are pure crap. they are loaded with stacked (and unnecessary) control points, and certainly not optimized for any work in 3D. If possible, you should really create the text in Hexagon. In either case, Hexagon text primitives or imported AI curves all have to be rebuilt if you are planning to smooth your letters (especially around long thin points). My approch is to reduce the curves to as few points as possible to hold the shape after smoothing (you can test it by smoothing the curves). then i would use the bridge tool to build a 2D planar mesh (again testing the shape with smoothing as i go). Weld all of the planar text into one mesh, then thicken...

shorty

17th May 2007, 05:39	#1 (permalink)
REvans Rick Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 10	Compound Path Hi all, I want to model two letters, a Q and a P which are drawn in Illustrator. I have extruded the path for the Q, but am having a problem because of the compound path created by the empty space in the middle of the letter (it gets closed). Any suggestions? Thanks, Rick

18th May 2007, 05:11	#4 (permalink)
Plum NURBS Booleans are your friend Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 133	Hiya. Have you tried using the "Thickness" tool under the Surface Modeling tab? __________________ ^_^ "We've got a blind date with destiny...and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." --The Shoveler Paul L. Ming (Dual Opteron 246's, 2GB GDDR3, BFG 7800 GS OC 256MB, Windows 2000 & XP Pro 64-Bit, 21" CTR)

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17th May 2007, 11:16	#2 (permalink)
Wim Scheenen Cube Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands Posts: 82	This might get you in the right direction: - (fast) extrude both paths seperately, without closing them. - weld both extruded shapes together - use the ruled surface tool to connect them (if the two compound curves - have different number of points you are in for some non-quads, so you might want to optimize that before you start). - alternatively, use the facet tool to manually create your connecting facets. It's slower, but gives you more control. Ciao, Wim P.S.: why do you not use the 3D text tool in Hexagon directly?

17th May 2007, 16:23	#3 (permalink)
Sketchy Box modeling Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 317	There's no such things as compound paths in Hexagon. You need to manually connect related edges till you come up with the letters. Wim Scheenen is right, you are basically working with ngons if you do it the compound way. Using booleans will probably get what you want. If you have Carrara try the Spline modeler.

18th May 2007, 15:58	#5 (permalink)
jbshorty proud to be a nurb Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: only in your mind Posts: 1,365	sorry this might sound like a rant but... personally i can't stand illustrator. It's OK for print, but the curves it produces are pure crap. they are loaded with stacked (and unnecessary) control points, and certainly not optimized for any work in 3D. If possible, you should really create the text in Hexagon. In either case, Hexagon text primitives or imported AI curves all have to be rebuilt if you are planning to smooth your letters (especially around long thin points). My approch is to reduce the curves to as few points as possible to hold the shape after smoothing (you can test it by smoothing the curves). then i would use the bridge tool to build a 2D planar mesh (again testing the shape with smoothing as i go). Weld all of the planar text into one mesh, then thicken... shorty