3D Engraving files

[William Johanson]

I stumbled upon a website doing some surfing today that I found very interesting. This website has some stock files or will convert your files to a 3D ready engraving file. They have a freebie test file that they will send you if you email them. I did this and the file worked awesome. This is the first time I have been able to get any good results using my 3D mode on my Pinnacle m40. Any of you Photopaint fanatics know an easy method to convert typical files into this type of a 3D ready file? Looks like this website does a good job but take a look at the Prices:eek: Wow. Anyway I dont think it is within forum rules for me to put a link on this posting. Do a google search for gantryco and let me know what you think.

Bill

[Mike Null]

William

There have been a few threads on this topic previously.

A search will turn them up.

[William Johanson]

Sorry, I got excited when I saw this and didn't check the old posts,

Bill

[Darren Null]

Any of you Photopaint fanatics know an easy method to convert typical files into this type of a 3D ready file?

I use photoshop, so the actual buttons are different, but the methods are the same. And there is no easy method, which is why they're so expensive.

1) First off you need a colour chart. Assuming 256 shades of grey, I knocked this one up by 'save for web' in photoshop, which gives you a palette of the possible colours:
http://cambs.com/etch/greys.gif

2) Your background is going to be black. Then build up from there towards white (at the front)

3) Add some mountains. Nearly black but not quite. Clip out your mountains and then colour-fill them solidly in your nearly-but-not-quite black

4) Add your floor. A gradient from your mountains (nearly black) to the front of the picture (not quite white).

5) Add texture to your mountains in a slightly lighter shade to the mountain colour.

6) Add trees. You'll probably need several shades of trees. Starting at slightly lighter than your mountain texture colour (probably best to skip a few shades, as the trees are going to be a lot closer) and working towards lighter at the front)

7) Add subject detail, working closer to white as you go.

8) Using the last few shades of white, I usually put in a foreground detail...a tree branch, a few blades of grass, something like that. It's an old photographer's trick to add depth to a photo.
================================================== ====

So basically, you have to clip out every layer, starting at the back (black) and ending up at the front (white).

3 hints:

1) Start at the back and LABEL YOUR LAYERS. That way the newer layers will automatically be on top. If you start at the front, you're in for a major reshuffle before you can use the picture.

2) Keep the colour chart open as a separate graphic. You get your next shade with the eyedropper tool. And cross off the shades as you use them, so you know where you are and what you've got left to play with.

3) Once you're done done burning your 3D piece, overburn the area with a 100% black on a fast pass...this will remove some of the charring and give your image a nicer finish.

I hope that helped some. To generate these images, you're going to be at your computer for hours, if not days or weeks. There is no quick way, really.