Mike Wilkinson Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Could anyone tell me please how I import a jpeg file to use as an image in a Polygon? It is probably really simple! Mike Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 In Vectorworks, mouse up to Main Menu/File/Import/Import Image File navigate to the image on your disk and set the import options. Click Open. All is good. You can resize image with the reshape tool. Use a clipped polygon to create a polygon mask to change the perimeter shape -B Quote Link to comment
Mike Wilkinson Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 Hi Benson, Thank you for your reply. I can import images fine. Then I am stuck, what is a clipped polygon and what is a polygon mask? Kind Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Your original post asks for image in a polygon. I think that means an image cropped to fit inside a non rectangular shape. Sorry if this sounds pedantic: The photo imports as a rectangle, and you may need to use it with part cropped out to a non rectangular shape. VW can't do the crop, but you can mask out parts with a rectangle with a hole(s) in it to reveal the part(s) you want. The holes can have any shape - polygon, circle, etc. Draw the rectangle with a fill color (white would be common), and the shapes for the holes. Select base and holes. Use the Clip Surface command (read about it in VectorWorks help). Delete the hole shapes leaving the rectangle as a polygon with holes clipped out of it. Place this poly in front of the image and the image will show through the holes. Group the image and poly, and send it back or forward to work with other elements in the drawing. Another approach is to use other image editing software to make unwanted areas of the image transparent (alpha channel masking). VW can't do the alpha work, but the mask/image group described above can be exported as a png which can then be alpha'd by other software. If you are working 3d, then image textures are the way to go. -B Quote Link to comment
Pat Stanford Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Benson, while what you are suggesting works, I think it is the hard way. Image fill is a much easier way to get the same (or similar) end result. From the Resource Browser do New Resource in ... Select Image and browse to the image file. Draw/Select the polygon in the drawing. In the Attributes Palette, select Image as the fill type. Depending on the size of the image and the size of the polygon, it is likely to come in as black. Click the Settings (wrench) button next to the Image Fill in the Attributes Palette. Uncheck the Repeat check box. Change the I Length and/or the J Length to an appropriate size. Use the Attributes Mapping Tool to move the image around to properly fill the polygon. Pat Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Whoa! Thanks,Pat. I am sooo old school! Good call, that works a treat! -B Quote Link to comment
Mike Wilkinson Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Excellent!! That was exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks to both of you for your help. Kind Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment
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