Creating 3D logos from a jpg
Lately I've been creating quite a few seals in my renderings, and
thought I'd share a really fast way to bring 2D logos and seals into
your 3d models. To do this well, you have to have illustrator, but
there may be other vector programs out there that do this that I'm not
aware of. Typically I look first for a vector version of a logo, usually I find them embedded in pdf files such as handbooks with a logo on the title page. However, if I can't find a vector image, then I can still work with a raster image.

So I start off with an image, typically found off the internet. I use Illustrator to convert a 2d image to vector, and it does the job fairly well. There are several things to look for when picking your image to get this to work well:
• Choose the highest resolution image you can find
• Images with strong contrasts in color work better
Simply open the image in Illustrator. With the image selected go to Object->Live Trace->Tracing Options. In CS 6 this has moved to Window->Image Trace. I always check "Preview" to see what my image will look like when it's converted. I also check "Ignore White" to remove white as an object and simply use the lines. The advantage to this is that you can get true holes in your logo, which is an effect impossible to create with opacity and bump alone. Text can be a bit tricky with the conversion and often doesn't look quite right, but you can adjust some of the Trace Settings to tweak them. Then hit Trace.

After it converts the image to vector, don't forget to hit the "Expand" button to bake the shapes in. Now I simply save the file as an .ai file. I use version 8, so Max will import it correctly, but newer versions of Max may handle newer .ai files.
Now that I have a spline in 3dsmax, I simply add an Extrude modifier to the spline and watch the magic happen. You will notice that the result isn't perfect, but modeling something with this detail could simply take hours, and using this technique gets the job done in minutes!
So I start off with an image, typically found off the internet. I use Illustrator to convert a 2d image to vector, and it does the job fairly well. There are several things to look for when picking your image to get this to work well:
• Choose the highest resolution image you can find
• Images with strong contrasts in color work better
After it converts the image to vector, don't forget to hit the "Expand" button to bake the shapes in. Now I simply save the file as an .ai file. I use version 8, so Max will import it correctly, but newer versions of Max may handle newer .ai files.
.ai imported into Max |
Why .ai files? Your initial thought may be to export from Illustrator as a .dwg. The problem with doing this is you get thousands of vertices in your spline, and it makes 3ds Max angry. Importing .ai files reduces the number of vertices and makes Max happier.
.dwg imported into Max |
Now that I have a spline in 3dsmax, I simply add an Extrude modifier to the spline and watch the magic happen. You will notice that the result isn't perfect, but modeling something with this detail could simply take hours, and using this technique gets the job done in minutes!
Could you do the same thing with a Bump map instead of having to trace it?
ReplyDeleteThe bump map will only work if you have a back to the logo. The example I posted may not be a good image, I'll try to update it and perhaps it will make more sense.
DeleteYou can definitely use a bump in some situations, though.
Thanks
Great very nice post Thanks a lot for such a nice blog post and .I am going to follow your blog. thanks for sharing.
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Gracias Ramy...siempre un placer aprender de un grande.Saludos
ReplyDeleteHi, Is there a way to do it with Photoshop CS5?
ReplyDeleteThanks
I don't think this can be done in Photoshop...sorry.
Deletethank you very much, for sharing this. I find your work is amazing & your blog is very helpful, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHazem
I usually use vector icons from http://www.cannypic.com/ to make my own 3D logos. For each element, there is a separate page where you can record information about the file to see the preview, assign a rating and some other features.
ReplyDelete