M4 - Guide 1: How to Prepare Figure Silhouettes for Rhino

Foundations of Design: Representation Module 4 How to Prepare Figure Silhouettes for Rhino

Step 1 Source the Image

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When searching for images online it is important that they are large enough to avoid pixellation. When using google you can set the search to only show certain size images.

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1) Select ‘Tools’ 2) Select ‘Larger Than’ 3) Select the size you wish to search for.

4) Select your Image 5) Select ‘View Image’ 6) This should open a new window, you can then right click and save as.

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7) Take note of the image address so you can reference the source in your journal.

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Step 2 Import into Photoshop Template

The figures for module 2 should all be in greyscale. This template has had its colour settings set to greyscale so running all your figures through this file will help to maintain consistency.

1) Open the FoD_M4_ CharacterTemplate.psd file.

2) Import your image using the ‘place’ command. File -> Place Embedded.

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3) Erase the background so you are left with only the character/object. Refer to the Workshop 1 notes in the survival guide for more tips.

4) Crop the image using the ‘crop’ tool.

5) Export or Save as PNG.

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Step 3 Convert .png to Vector Silhouette

A vector silhouette DWG file needs to be created so that we can place a reference for our figure into Rhino. This will help us get the position correct when we Photoshop our images in later.

1) Open a blank illustrator file and place png file. OR right click on the file -> Open With -> Adobe Illustrator.

2) Select the image, then select ‘object’ in the top menu. Then ‘Image Trace’ and ‘Make’. This traces our image with vector line work.

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3) Select ‘Preset’ then ‘Silhouette’.

4) Now we need to image to be one solid black object. To do this select the icon between preset & view. ...Continued on next page.

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Step 3 Continued

Convert .png to Vector Silhouette

5) The option we want to adjust is ‘Threshold’. It will be different for every image. We are aiming to get as close as possible to a solid object.

6) We can now select the ‘Expand’ command which will convert our image into an editable vector object.

7) We can now make the fill transparent and the linework black by clicking the small arrows next to the colour boxes.

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8) All that is left to do is export as a dwg.

File -> Export. Autocad Drawing (DWG).

The settings in the export options can be left as they are.

Now your image is ready to be imported into Rhino.

The next ‘How To’ guide will show how to place the figures into the perspectives.