Extrudeing paths Cinema 4D

[Guest Scorch]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to extrude various paths I've designed in illustrator in Cinema 4D. The problem I've got is that if for example I've got a ring with one circle inside another, the extrude tool only extrudes the outer ring, meaning I've just got a cylinder when I want a cylinder with a hole in it. I'm a complete novice when it comes to 3D (& indeed 4D!) so apologies if this is dumb. Do I need to use boolean something-or-other...I really have no idea and can't find a tutorial..

 

Thank you

[Guest the_Monkey]

Depends on the shape of the spline and whether you are using just one spline.

Do your splines cross? They can sometimes cause unpredictable results (although it can be done).

Curves with a uniform number of points behave better than those that don't.

 

Booleans only work on Polygon objects. If worse came to worse, and you couldn't figure it out I would just build the ring in a second extrude object. No rules broken there.

 

-m

[Guest Scorch]

cool, found out how to do it now, not difficult after all, just involves grouping the two splines and then connecting them before extruding. Found it here:

 

http://www.maxoncomputer.com/tutorial_deta...ialID=159&site=

[Guest TimC]

Booleans only work on Polygon objects.

 

This is actually incorrect. Try using an extrude NURBs and a loft NURBs in a boolean and it will work.

 

cheers

Tim

 

p.s. (@ scorch) you can change your preferences to automatically group and connect your imported illustrator paths. Also to connect objects, they don't need to be grouped under a null, you can just multi select them and then run the connect command. (you used to have to group them in older versions)

[Guest mikeh64]

since you're digging in to extruding illustrator splines in C4D, I'll answer one of your next questions before you actually have it...

 

Q. I have several separate splines (like a logo) and I want to extrude all of them together, but only one gets extruded...

A. there is a check box in the extrude nurbs object called "hierarchical" - this will extrude all child splines (no need to connect them)

 

maybe you already caught this one - but it might be one of the most common C4D newbie questions so I thought I post it since you were extruding (and remember, you can animate the extrusion depth)

 

mike

Edited March 29, 2006 by mikeh64

[Guest Tiziano]

FYI, more Illustrator/C4d fun culled from this CGTalk thread here:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=308034

 

-When using Illustrator, ALWAYS delete the guides before saving for C4D (Unlock Guides, select them all with the indirect select tool and hit delete), then relock the guides in case you forget (if you wish to continue working with the file in AI). Cinema does not like guides brought over from AI.

 

-Want your paths to come in at 0,0,0 in C4D? In Illustrator, put your zero ruler point in illustrator at the middle of your paths. I'm talking about the top left corner doohickey, which you can drag.

 

-When I have to be precise, I group all my paths and put align them into a box. Then with smart guides on I put the zero point at the center of the box (because boxes have a centerpoint, whereas a group of paths may not). Then I delete the box and save as AI version 8. This is also possible, and actually quicker, in C4D using Axis Center and Target Zero after bringing the paths in.

 

-Something else that applies to Adobe Illustrator files is that if you use "pixels" as units in Illustrator, they convert to C4D units!

So if I am making a window that is 1 meter wide and 2 meters high, make it 100x200 pixels square in Illustrator and use cm as units in C4D.

[Guest thomwill]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to extrude various paths I've designed in illustrator in Cinema 4D. The problem I've got is that if for example I've got a ring with one circle inside another, the extrude tool only extrudes the outer ring, meaning I've just got a cylinder when I want a cylinder with a hole in it. I'm a complete novice when it comes to 3D (& indeed 4D!) so apologies if this is dumb. Do I need to use boolean something-or-other...I really have no idea and can't find a tutorial..

 

Thank you

 

actually the easiest thing for this is just create a tube primative. its in the objects menu.

[Guest the_Monkey]

This is actually incorrect. Try using an extrude NURBs and a loft NURBs in a boolean and it will work.

Mis-spoken.

 

I was going to say "Parametric Objects" to include NURBS when I realized that was untrue and wrote polygon for brevity.

I guess it is best stated that Booleans only work with "Volumetric Objects"?

 

-m

Edited March 30, 2006 by the_Monkey

[Guest atslopes]

Mis-spoken.

 

I was going to say "Parametric Objects" to include NUIRBS when I realized that was untrue and wrote polygon for brevity.

I guess it is best stated that Booleans only work with "Volumetric Objects"?

 

-m

Such a wealth of knowledge. someone add this to the resources section, very helpful info.

[Guest P90]

Thank you very much I had problems with this too, very big ones.

 

 

Does anyone know WHY whenever I export AI files from photoshop and then I open them in C4D they are extremely jagged and look awfull close up? Thanks

[Guest Tiziano]

Does anyone know WHY whenever I export AI files from photoshop and then I open them in C4D they are extremely jagged and look awfull close up? Thanks

Photoshop is bitmap, Illustrator is vector.

In this sense, garbage into Illustrator from Photoshop, garbage out to C4d.

 

Then again, does PS's AI export, export vectors for paths?

And, are they local or global ?

Edited March 30, 2006 by Tiziano

[Guest jake_mathew]

 

Then again, does PS's AI export, export vectors for paths?

And, are they local or global ?

 

 

I've been able to create text in photoshop and then choose the option "Convert Text to Shape", and then choose "Export Paths to Illustrator" and it creates an Illustrator file with a vector path. I can import that illustrator path into C4D and get a nice crisp spine. (no jagged edges or pixelation - all vector)

 

But, I dont know of an option in photoshop to convert anything besides text to paths. You could always import the PSD into AI and then do a live trace, then smooth out the vector shape if its jagged, and then send it to C4D.