truetype to polyline with styles

[Tagus]

First time poster here...

I frequently need to use the TrueType to polyline tool to convert text. I would like to be able to do the conversion after adding attributes such as Bold and Italic but it will only convert to the original. Any thoughts on this?

Ron

[Jonathan Pickup]

why do you convert truetype to polylines?

[Tagus]

I am in the awning business and most awnings need graphics. I need to produce mock ups for customers. They request things such as outlines, skewing and other modifications which I can do after converting to polylines.

[michaelk]

You could use the scale objects command to simulate bold and the shear tool to simulate italics.

But if you have Renderworks it would be much easier and more flexible to use textures.

hth

mk

[Jonathan Pickup]

what about text along a path? have you looked at the options?

[Benson Shaw]

I feel Ron's pain. Truetype to poly does not have all the required qualities.

Textures work for presentation, when mapped to the curved shapes of the awnings. But since they have no snaps or paths, textures are not good for stencil cutting, snaps/measurements. A new texture or image has to be created for each edit of text and other graphics on the awning.

Many letter and stencil cutting machines cannot cut from pdf or image file (but some can). Often they need the vector paths, including styled text in outline form - ie text converted to polys with all the bolds.

Seems like two processes are needed. One is to flatten the shape of the awning cover and have experience and vision to know how the graphics on the flat shape (vector based objects & text, images, etc) will look like when mapped to the curved shape (texture created from the flattened shape with graphics).

The flattened one can be scaled for mockups and for final printing/cutting.

-B

[bcd]

I agree with Jonathan,

Text Along Path.

Draw a Line the length of your text

Write Your Text

Select Both - Text>Text Along Path

Set to scale height & width

Move/Rotate to set the correct 3d position

I just noticed a peculiarity/bug - Font Styles work only when the fill is white!

[bcd]

If needed you can then Modify>Convert to Polygons

[Benson Shaw]

But the text is modified in the conversion of both Truetype to Poly and Text Along Path. Italics, stroke, kerning do not necessarily match original.

In a TAP The letters emerge from a curved path, but are planar objects which do not map or bend onto a complex surface. One can use extruded or shelled text and use solid intersections to make an approximation of the letters mapped to a surface. Mapping the letters onto saddles, spheres or other complex surfaces is quite a challenge. Textures work well except they are virtual - no snappable, editable object components.

I think Text to Poly and Text Along Path are wonderful, powerful tools, which can come pretty close in many situations. But the conversions do not keep all the text properties, and these commands do not map text onto complex surfaces. This could be a big problem in awning or other graphics biz.

-B