Bezier/spline drawing

[seachnasaigh]

I just discovered path drawing, and just wanted to show off some of the stuff I've been making. I have now begun to use PI-11 & PI12 to draw new things for use in my 3D program. By drawing the desired shape with the 3D object enabled and applying one of the standard PI gel materials, the texture has the appearance of depth.
My first effort was a bat wing (one metallic, one sheer black). I'm not very keen on the whole bat thing, but someone wanted it, so I made it.
click to enlarge for more detail



Then it dawned on me that I could make Tinkerbell wings.


The book Tinkerbell is reading is scanned from a 1912 Irish prayer book in my library; the page Tinkerbell is reading includes the Lord's Prayer, in Irish.

A single spline-drawn raindrop was stamped and compiled into an AVI movie using GIF Animator 5; the AVI was then imported into my 3D program to make a rainstorm.
A single Bezier-drawn starburst was similarly made into a 3D glitter effect.
Finally, I used the GIF-X 2.0 plug-in for GA5 to make lightning.
Here is a sample animation; the pixie wings and raindrop were spline-drawn in PI12, the glitter starbursts were Bezier-drawn in PI11, the lightning generated in GA5. They were all imported into my 3D program and the animation frames rendered out, then finally I compiled them in GA5.
Pixie sheltering from storm - 590 Kb
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/ ... 5dtN25.gif
non-animated wallpaper:

[Chelmiii]

Wow, something like that can be done with PhotoImpact? How?

Looks like I have a lot to learn.

[seachnasaigh]

Here is where the path draw tool is in PI-12.
(all screenshots can be clicked to enlarge)


Select which means of path drawing you want. Spline traces the curve along your points so as to minimize eccentricity, like the shape a rod of spring steel would assume. Bezier will connect your points with straight lines.


Here is where you select 3D effect and gel material for your object.


This is a spline-drawn path. I used spline to get the graceful curvature of a pixie's wings, but to get the cusp (the sharp point) at the tip, you need to put a couple of points very close together.


When you finish the complete path, double-click on the same spot as the first point, and the path is converted to a 3D gel object. Instant pixie wing!


Bezier is good for angular objects, such as a glitter starburst.


Finish the path and double-click. Instant glitter starburst!


Objects like these (pixie wings, raindrops, glitter starbursts) were imported into a 3D program to render the scenes out.

[groundhog]

Thanks for the mini tutorial. Impressive work.

[Ron P.]

Great little tutorial..

Maybe Steve could add this to the tutorials section.