Yesterday we discussed one approach (the Vector (solid color) setting for the Main Render Option parameter in the Vector Output control panel) to configure the paint synthesizer to allow for vector painting as well as vector file output. Vector file artwork output via EPS or SVG vector file formats is very useful for high resolution printing, since vector file formats are essentially resolution independent (unlike raster image files which being pixel based are tied to a specific resolution).
Both of the paint effects shown above were created using an alternative approach to building vector paint effects in the paint synthesizer. They use the Raster setting for the Main Render Option parameter. However, they use the AntiAliased Solid setting for the Brush Type parameter, which is a special kind of brush type that overrides the normal raster paint engine and paints directly with anti-aliased vector painting.
The first example image at the top of the post was made with the A MagicSpiral preset in the new 4.0 Assisted :Auto – Magic Spiros paint preset category. Some control panel settings associated with this first paint preset and associated image are shown below.
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Note that the Brush Type is set to the AntiAliased Solid setting, which overrides the normal paint synthesizer raster painting engine and directly paints with vector paint. What kind of vector painting is used is a function of the Vector Type parameter, which for this preset is set to the simplest kind of vector painting, the Line setting.
Some Vector Type settings will generate vector paint nibs that are placed along a paint path like the conventional Studio Artist raster paint engine. So in those cases (like the Sphere or Blob options) painting works much like you would expect for normal raster painting except that the paint nib is generated with vector drawing rather than a raster copy-blit operation.
The other Vector Type settings generate the paint stroke as an integral vector region generated in segments on the fly as you paint. So in those cases (like Line, Polygon, Spline), the paint path itself is a solid vector object (as opposed to a series of individual nibs spaced out on an underlying vector path). The Path Application control panel Spacing parameter defines the size of individual segments in the vector path representation with this type of integral vector region approach to rendering a paint path (since it needs to be built up of individual pieces as you dynamically paint or nothing would draw until you finished specifying the path). We’ll show below how changing the spacing changes the appearance of a paint stroke generated with the Spline option for the Vector Type parameter.
The simple image above shows a few individual paint strokes drawn with the Spline setting for the Vector Type parameter using the AntiAliased Solid Brush Type. The first 3 vertically descending paint strokes have different Color Opt parameter settings (Normal, Dual Fixed Color 1-2, and Gradient1 Fixed Color 1-2 respectively).
Fixed Colors 1 and 2 refer to the output of the Fixed Colors control panel. This control panel lets you define 2 different colors (Fixed Color 1 and Fixed Color 2). These colors could be static pre-defined colors, but in general they are setup to track the current source color with some kind of fixed offset (which could be based on luminance, hue, saturation, etc). So they are very useful in building color gradient effects that are integral to a paint preset and track whatever source color you are currently painting with.
The bottom 2 paint strokes have the same AntiAliased Solid Brush Type settings. The only difference is that the PathApplication Spacing changes from 800% to 80%. Note how the change in spacing changes the extent of the individual path region segments.
The second example image at the very top of the post was generated using a Spline setting for the Vector Type and a Dual Fixed Color 1-2 setting for the Color Opt. By combining different Poly, Color and Rim options together you can dramatically change the visual appearance of this kind of vector paint effect.
Vector File Output using the AntiAliased Solid Brush Type
You can also output vector files from vector painting generated with the AntiAliased Solid Brush Type as described above. The basic idea is the same as was described in yesterday’s post. You need to record your individual paint steps (manual or action painting) as action steps in a paint action sequence. You then play back the PASeq using the appropriate Action – Generate EPS or Generate SVG menu commands discussed yesterday to stream the vector painting out to an open vector file in real time.
This kind of vector painting in general outputs better as SVG vector format rather than EPS vector format. You should always check any particual pain tprese tyou are interested in that uses this vector drawing tecnique for how it works with EPS output if that is the file format you are interested in. The internal drawing is better suited to SVG file output support, so EPS output may or may not work correctly as of the 4.03 release. We hope to fix any issues where EPS output does not work with this style of vector painting in the future.
For the 2 examples at the top of the post, both output SVG vector files without any problems. The first example does not output as an EPS file, but the second does. Note that you could use the Action : Generate SVG : Print with Paint Action Sequence menu command to print to a PDF file if you needed vector file output in EPS formats ince most programs that accept EPS will also accept PDF formats.
The first image above shows off a small amount of hand painting with the first vector preset used for the first example at the top of the post, to show that SVG vector output does work for this paint preset. The 2nd and 3rd gallery images show off EPS vector output (in Preview) and SVG output (in Safari) for the second example image and it’s associated vector paint style.
One thing to notice is that the EPS vector file output is properly framed, while the SVG vector output currently outputs all of the vector painting that occurs, even when it goes beyond the edge of the display canvas. We’d like to fix this issue with SVG vector output in the future, it is something to be aware.
