Export Options

[Bruce Kieffer]

Can anyone give me ideas to improve or simplify the work techniques I use with VW? Here's what I do: I make my 3D drawing, render it hidden line, export as EPS, then I import the EPS in Macromedia FreeHand MX and clean up there to create colored line art. The problem is the VW EPS is really a mess that requires lots of work to clean up. Is there some other export scenario that gives better results to be imported to FreeHand or Illustrator?

[grant_PD]

The file is really a mess how? Lots of jagged edges and stuff? That's a resolution problem, and you'll need to make a larger export file.

Illustrator will accept a dwg file, is there some advantage to you trying a dwg export? I know it will be a wireframe model, but at least then you can work with the file as if it was native to illustrator.

[alanmac]

If its extra lines you need to remove I'd do that in Vectorworks. Are you using Vectorworks just to give you outline lines ? If so do a convert copy to line, select hidden line as the option and once this has been created it will be a group. Put that on another layer, enter the group, clean off the lines you dont want then export as eps. You'll also need to address what Grant said about resolution.

Remember convert COPY to lines option not your original or you'll lose the 3D work.

Alan

[ 04-19-2005, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

[Bruce Kieffer]

grant & alanmac,

I tried both of you suggestions. The DWG export gives me much more than I want. And yes I am using VW to create 2D outlines that I can use to make closed paths that can be filled with colors. The convert copy to line export gives me the same as results when I render hidden line and export as an EPS. The messy aspect of the import is that most lines lay on top of other lines, and they don't break the underlying line with a point. So I need to go in FreeHand and manually "knife" the underlying line at the intersect to create a point. Does anyone have a idea for a faster method to do all of this?

[islandmon]

The way I do it is to use 'Cut 3D section' and trim out the exact image needed before export to EPS. I used this often with Photoshop and achieved perfect results with out any of the re-working you describe.

[Bruce Kieffer]

islandmon,

I can't seem to figure out how the "Cut 3D Section" command would work for what I need to do. I set a perspective view to exactly the way I want it to appear when I export it as an EPS and then import it to FreeHand. The "Cut 3D Section" command did not give me control over the view, and it created over 42,000 3D polygons. Even my "Big Mac" G5 slows down with that much stuff! Please give other suggestions for me to try. Thanks.

[islandmon]

EPS is tough no matter what you do. I used to enjoy exporting to EPS & then to PDF so that I could watch the Building itself in realtime line by line ... creates huge files ... but... wow. But expunging all those unwanted 3D lines yet retaining the 3D vectors is , indeed, a real 'boolean' challenge. You've got me thinkin' on this one.

[islandmon]

Just ran a quick test exportin to EPS with & without Hidden Line render:

1) Converting to 3D Mesh creates double lines !

2)Hidden Line render then export to EPS then import into Freehand8 ( Classic) produced exactly what you appear to be looking for... just those single lines regardless of Mesh or not . Not the Hidden Lines or the double Mesh lines. Just the outlines of the objects.

[Delmer]

There is a Cleanup Hidden Line Renderings plug at VectorDepot that eliminates redundant lines.

[Bruce Kieffer]

I've tried every type of export option in VW, and none is better than the poor results I get when using hidden line rendering and export as EPS. I don't have FH8 or classic anymore, and the plug-in that Delmar suggests is for VW9. So I guess I'm stuck doing it the hard way!

[ 05-17-2005, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: Bruce Kieffer ]

[mike m oz]

There is an Optimise Drawing plug-in (US$30) available from VectorBits which will remove duplicates and small fragments. www.vectorbits.com/

[Bruce Kieffer]

Mike, Thanks for the info. I looked at the Optimize Plug-in, but it won't help me with my problems. I did find some of the other plug-ins very useful. I really hope that Nemetsechek makes a better ESP export in future VW releases. I think that's the only way things will get easier for me.