Fast Way to "Centreline" many complex outlined paths?

[Bill W]

Greetings Stephan,

I have attached an action and files for Illustrator 5 as unfortunately actions have had troubles working between different versions of Illustrator. Actually I am glad you did not have Ill 6, as this gave me a chance to streamline the action a bit.

Two things to remember:

1. Actions can only act on elements that are selected. Therefore some interaction with the action steps is needed. An action guides one through a series of steps that can be done without the action. If you are all ready proficient in these steps an action may not necessary speed up the process but will allow others not so proficient to complete the process.

2. After the 5th stop message in the action I built, there is a dialog box that may say "....lock is not available." If one does not select a element in the step before, which one may not need to do. If that dialog comes up, just select the continue button in the dialog.

Have fun watching the action.

-Bill-

-Bill-

 

[Bill W]

Stephen - had a chance to use the action? Any feedback?

-Bill-

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thank you Bill, I am sorry for not getting back to you, our Epson 9900 has had it's head replaced due to a nasty 1A37 error (close to $2K in parts and labour) and I am having a nightmare with my delta e values. I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks again!


Stephen Marsh

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Bill, again, my apologies for the delay in my reply. I am now past the colour issues that I was previously having with our 9900, I was chasing my tail with dE vs. dH values contradicting each other, constantly failing proof certification.

The CS5 action works great, thank you for your time and for helping to come up with a solution to help streamline this process. Cheers Bill!


Stephen Marsh

 

[Bill W]

Anytime - Glad the action can help streamline your process.

-Bill-

 

[Dahzee]

I know this is an old thread but could somebody explain to me why as in the original post these files even come into being?

Why would you want to change a line into a thin rectangle, that is filled?

I talk to a lot of diemakers and whenever I mention this type of vector file to them, I always get the same reply, "If you find out why they are created this way please let us know", as it is an absolute pain having to redraw something from the start again when it was originally a proper line in the first place!

Sorry if this is a bit of a rant as my first post, but I have just received another file like this, third hand from my client who won't have access to whoever created it in the first place!

Most diemakers don't have programs such as Illustrator or the time, to play around with these files and try and get them back to their original state and customers always baulk at being charged for what in their eyes is a perfectly good file.

I have climbed down off my soap box and am now taking deep breaths into a paper bag!

Best Regards,

Dahzee

 

[Stephen Marsh]

I know this is an old thread but could somebody explain to me why as in the original post these files even come into being?

Why would you want to change a line into a thin rectangle, that is filled?

I talk to a lot of diemakers and whenever I mention this type of vector file to them, I always get the same reply, "If you find out why they are created this way please let us know", as it is an absolute pain having to redraw something from the start again when it was originally a proper line in the first place!

Sorry if this is a bit of a rant as my first post, but I have just received another file like this, third hand from my client who won't have access to whoever created it in the first place!

Most diemakers don't have programs such as Illustrator or the time, to play around with these files and try and get them back to their original state and customers always baulk at being charged for what in their eyes is a perfectly good file.

I have climbed down off my soap box and am now taking deep breaths into a paper bag!

Best Regards,

Dahzee

Hi Dahzee, I am not 100% certain, however in some cases I believe that this may happen when a packaging file passes through an Esko workflow that uses these offending settings. EDIT: It could even happen with an Adobe transparency flatttener setting.

However it may happen, it is a major PITA!

Since my OP, we have become a reseller of Arden Impact software. This is a serious database driven CAD/CAM package, with extensive drawing, parametric editing FEFCO & ECMA based standards (or even custom parametric standards), step and repeat, diemaking, plotter drivers and 3D folding/visualisation/rendering etc.

I will have to double check, however I am certain that this software does offer the ability to auto trace a raster version of a die and to create a single line vector version.

EDIT: Yes, the Art Trace feature works like magic to auto trace a centreline from a raster version knifeshape/dieshape. It is so much faster to rasterize the double path outlined knifeshape, then perform an Art Trace in Arden Impact, then perform any minor corrections as needed.

ardensoftware.com/impact/


Stephen Marsh

 

[Dahzee]

Stephen,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I think after spending the time redrawing this type of file this morning, I am going to refuse to accept them in future.

Being provided with a file that has been created through ignorance, gives me enough excuse not to waste my time.

I think I will create a spec. sheet with file type information on so I can provide my customers with information in advance to try and head these files off at the pass.

Usually knowing you will have to pay extra can sometimes concentrate the mind!

This might be a bit of wishful thinking on my part but at least my customers can't say I didn't warn them when they want something in a hurry!

Regards,

Dahzee

 

[rich apollo]

It's not created out of ignorance. Nobody, as far as I know, does this intentionally. If you create a line in Microsoft Word, save the document out as a PDF, and then review that line in the PDF you will have a rectangle. I believe many of the CAD programs do this, as well. In CAD software packages a line has no thickness. To have any thickness the line must be a rectangle. From a purely geometric view it makes sense.

I think these files are the result of unintended uses.

It would be interesting to have the file built, and exported, with no thickness ascribed to the dielines to see how the dielines would come through the process.

 

[Dahzee]

Rich,

I think I probably used the wrong wording, the file is more than likely created as a consequence of another one of the processes of Artwork creation.

I imagine the file is created after the artwork has been finalised, when it probably should be created as a separate file before.

I understand what you are saying about the rectangles, at least you know this file was probably created by a packaging designer before the artwork, as opposed to the people that draw cutter guides in Illustrator using lots of rectangles for each panel (double lines everywhere!).

If I learn any more about these files I will report back.

Thanks for everybody's input.

Dahzee

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Rich, in my experience, die files come into design/art/prepress as a single path, that is then stroked at the appropriate thickness. If the die file came in as a single path and comes out as an outlined path, then the issue is somewhere in the design/art/prepress stage. I have always blamed ignorance of the file settings/issues, as if this is not intentional - why does it happen?

If the CAD program is exporting the .ai/.eps/.pdf version of the die as outlines, the issue is with the CAD software’s export options. Perhaps exporting to say .dxf and importing that into Illustrator would resolve the path issue?


Stephen Marsh

 

[rich apollo]

...as opposed to the people that draw cutter guides in Illustrator using lots of rectangles for each panel (double lines everywhere!).

guilty...

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Originally Posted by Dahzee
...as opposed to the people that draw cutter guides in Illustrator using lots of rectangles for each panel (double lines everywhere!).

guilty…

This should not be too much of a problem with a good CAD program that can easily clean up and optimise errant artwork produced by other software.


Stephen Marsh

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Stephen,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I think after spending the time redrawing this type of file this morning, I am going to refuse to accept them in future.

Dahzee, post again in this topic the next time that one of these files comes in. I will Art Trace the die using Impact Designer and return the result in a vector format of your choice, in order to demonstrate what is possible with great CAD software such as Impact Designer from Arden Software.


Stephen Marsh

 

[Stephen Marsh]

When I posted this topic thread, I was using CS5, which only had outline options in Live Trace.

I just looked in CS6, which has been retitled to Image Trace (and still offers live behaviour) - however Adobe have added the long missing feature from StreamLine to outline as a SINGLE PATH!!!


Stephen Marsh

 

[PDL]

You may be getting a PDF of the die from your customer because they figure you can’t work with the original (Artios)CAD file. They may be going an extra step themselves to provide the PDF of the die to you. Download and install the Esko Data Exchange plugin for Ai available at the link below and let your customer know you can import the CAD file into Illustrator now. Never know, this may work for you.
Free software - Esko

 

[[email protected]]

When I posted this topic thread, I was using CS5, which only had outline options in Live Trace.

I just looked in CS6, which has been retitled to Image Trace (and still offers live behaviour) - however Adobe have added the long missing feature from StreamLine to outline as a SINGLE PATH!!!


Stephen Marsh

Thank you for pointing this out Steve, I look forward to experimenting (someday, in spare time).
-Dan

 

[rich apollo]

But, this is only available when tracing an image, right?

 

[Dahzee]

Rectangles (outlines) instead of lines

Rectangles (outlines) instead of lines

Gents,

Please find attached a file I have received from one of my clients.

It is comprised of shapes and not lines, If I open this in a CAD program I either get just solid hatches with no outline or if I save it as an Illustrator file and then import it, I get lines but unfortunately they are as I mentioned in earlier posts just the outlines of the lines i.e rectangles.

As it is they are about as much use as a Kamikaze reunion party!

The original file with artwork was created in Illustrator CC but saved as a PDF Version 1.3, if that helps.

Have a look and let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Dahzee

 

[Stephen Marsh]

But, this is only available when tracing an image, right?

Yes, that is right rich!

To recap, what spawned this original thread was a complex knife/dieshape. The customer supplied a PDF for a Roland print/cut demo, however the dieshape path was not a single stroke, it was an outlined path. There was no time to manually redraw the knife, while manually creating an offset half the path distance was not viable either.

Although an auto trace single vector path would be a poor knifeshape for production, it would have been better than nothing for a demo. The old Adobe Streamline product did offer a single path trace option, however Adobe never included the feature in Illustrator when they killed off the old Streamline product.

It was only later that we picked up Arden ImpactDesigner CAD/CAM software, which does offer a very good auto trace option than can also create a single vector path.

Now in Illustrator CS6, the single path Image Trace option has finally been included. That being said, it was not really worth waiting for, although I hope Adobe can improve it. I am glad that Arden Impact offers a better alternative.


Stephen Marsh