Vectorized file for Beyond 3D

J

Joss

Member
Hello,

Is it possible to convert an Adobe illustrator (or any vectorized file) into a beyond 3D file, so I can use it in Beyond 3D? And can i use an image from a cue from Beyond and transfer it into Beyond 3D. What I have in mind is for example, a client who has a logo and would like to have a laser animation for his business on halloween or any events,do I have to remake the logo on Beyond 3D?

Best regards
 
It is possible to use vector files in BEYOND in a variety of ways. The easiest would be in Corel Draw (and probably Illustrator too), do CTRL+C to copy the picture onto the Windows clipboard, and then go into one of the normal BEYOND editors and go to the Edit menu and choose Paste.

When you do CTRL+C in those programs, your picture will be converted to a Windows Meta File, and then BEYOND offers a way to convert those Windows Meta Files into a laser-projectable graphic. It works well for 2D images.

For 3D it would be a bit different. BEYOND 3D supports FBX file format, so you will need to search the web for a utility program that will convert your AI file into an FBX file, and then import that into B3D. Once you have the FBX in B3D you can extrude it or do other manipulations.

Best regards,

William Benner
 
Vector transfer

Hi William. I've attempted what you said above and have not had success. I tried copying and pasting from Illustrator into the old and new frame editors but it says "Clipboard contains another kind of image". I saved the image as a WMF file, then opened it with the program that windows wanted to natively open it with, Paint, and copied it there as well with the same results when trying to paste into Beyond.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
 
Yo David,

Importing WMF files using the File > Import > "Metafile from file" in the new Frame editor works.
 
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well, it seems that although the WMF import does successfully import the vector points - they do not display well. Apparently, the WMF import function needs some point optimization work. When I trace a jpeg version of the artwork, it displays fine - but when I import a WMF file of the same artwork, the cue doesn't display correctly - and the scanners are buzzing.
 
Hi
I can't get WMF files, even the way William explained. The clipboard converts the files in PNG (the file type is shown as WMF but it's not) when I save the image in "Paint", there is no option for saving as WMF. I found a WMF converter but nothing and also saved image through "inkscape", I've tried lots of things on different sofwares. I'm on windows 7 64 bits, I don't know if this has anything to with my problem.
I have found a FBX file converter free for download here with a tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5cOxQGyv3Q. "The FBX Converter lets you drag and drop files to convert them to supported file formats. You can convert an FBX file to FBX, DXF, OBJ, or DAE (COLLADA) but you can only convert 3DS, DXF, OBJ, or DAE (COLLADA) to FBX format."
I converted file to dxf with "inkscape" and then to fbx with "FBX converter" , and I get nothing (I have to remind that I am not a wiz at all off this ...)
I am really bumed out that I can't make it for tomorrows webinar with Derek Garbos, hopefully there will be a video on youtube !!!
 
Hi meeble, I don't have adobe illustrator, just the files. Is it worth buying? What is the difference between an inkscape WMF file and the one from Illustrator?
 
Currently, with BEYOND not having a usable WMF import, I'd say it isn't worth it. If Pangolin can get the WMF import function optimized correctly, then yes, I'd say it would be.
 
Hi folks,

Thanks for your input. It is always valuable for us to understand areas of the program where users are struggling, or need improvement.

We've played around with WMF quite a bit over the years. This is a carry-over from work originally done in LAStudio more than a decade ago.

In our testing we had generally good results. So it means that for those having not so good results, there is something about the WMF that is different from what we have been using and trying in our own testing.

With that being the case, I highly encourage you to send us any files that are not working well. We will test the files and see what's going on, and then make adjustments to the software to make it work better.

If you already have an email relationship with us, you can send the email directly. Otherwise, we do not publish email addresses directly, as a spam-avoidance measure. To start an email relationship with us, use the contact form at www.Pangolin.com/contact

Best regards,

William Benner
 
Free FBX file conversion

Hi,

After searching left and right on the internet (for a while now), I finally found how to convert a hole bunch of different file format (ai, pdf, png, wmf, cmx, plt, svg, and more) to FBX files for B3D, and all that for free. You need to downlaod inkscape (here) and Blender (here). There is a tutorial that I also found that would probably describe the procedure better than me on how to do so. On top of that, it is explained how to transform a 2D drawing into a 3D one.
I have tried it and it worked fine. One detail; make sure that when you import your FBX file in B3D, under "import option" in the "FBX importer", choose "auto scale" and then either "merge with current document" or "create new document". Note that if you import a 3D object, you will have lots of lines (points). I still have to find out how to downsize the amount of points to make it easier on the scanners. If I recall correctly, I think there is something about that in one of the Beyond tutorials. I haven't tried with the laser yet .......
 
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