Applying live paint to extruded and beveled overlapping objects

I have a celtic design that has sections I want to overlap, but I have extruded and beveled it to make it look more realistically metallic. I tried expanding its appearance before making live paint, but "live paint make" option remains faded out on the menu... what can I do to live paint this object without losing the 3d look of it? If I outline the strokes first, and then make live paint... it loses all its extrusion and beveling. HELP!

oooh I figured out a way... it's a bit tedious, but it works!!!
I ungrouped, and put copies of two of the components I want to overlap on a new layer, in place...
then I make a clipping mask of the current overlapped areas...
this clipped mask then sits on top of the underlying section that was not layered right and now brings the bottom object to the top!
I now have to do this with every overlap where I want to bring the bottom object to the top... but it's worth it for the awesome effect!
Hope this helps someone else out!

Similar Messages

Maintaining extrude and bevel effect

I am currently designing a logo with the extrude and bevel effect. It is fine at full size, but when I copy and paste it and scale it down for another file--a.e. a business card--the effect is lost.
Why is this happening? Do you have to apply the effect seperately when the object is rescaled?

This is another option of scaling effects but it slows down the computer when it comes to more than one applied effects. That's why I told him to expand the effect. Of course when expanding he can't edit effect's properties.

Extrude and bevel darkens original colors

I am designing a logo using the Extrude and Bevel effect for some depth. When applied--using the Plastic Shading option--it darkens the original colors.
Is there a way around this to maintain the hue in the original color.

If you still want to use 3D Extrude & Bevel, or use it to refer to while building it from scratch, click on the effect in the Appearance panel, click on More Options, go to the Shading Color menu and set a custom color. Default is black (middle), I've set it to white (right).

How to I get a mirror image of a 3D extrude and Bevel image?

I created a ribbon using the extrude and bevel effect and then mapping it with a custom symbol. I copied the image and then tried to get a matching image on the flipside to mirror it but cannot seem to figure it out. Is there a way to somehow flip the orientation of the image? I tried using transform and then reflect and it does not do anything. I tried to do it manually in mapping and flipping the box upside down and in reverse but it just doesn't seem result in the a reflective image. Any ideas on this? Attached are the two images I am trying to get to reflect each other. Thanks

It works so it is you who have perhaps a blind spot you have to select reflect X and move the object horizontally just look at my settings and the video.
If you do not see a difference than what I have done and what Scott has suggested than what you actually did then he problem is something entirely different.
Here is a video you can go wrong if you follow it.
http://www.wadezimmerman.com/videos/TransformReflex.mov

Why do I get an error message when trying to Extrude and Bevel my image?

I am making a logo for a friend and he wants something similar to the Stark House symbol. (The Direwolf) but as a dragon instead. I used the pen tool to make the shape, and now I want to fill it in and make it more 3D. I can't fill it in properly and my image gets an error message when I try to Extrude and Bevel. Why is this?

error message,
Is the path/shape closed?
Selecting it and Ctrl/Cmd+J should close it if not, then you may try again.
You may also have a look in the Document Infor palette with Objects ticked in the flyout and the path selected.

Error in Perspective ( 3D effect extrude and bevel)

Hello,
When I open the Illustrator CC 2014, make an object and put the 3D effect extrude and bevel and increase the perspective to the maximum (160) the object undergoes deformation.
Why does this happen?

this has 120 perspective
and this has 160 perspective

Extrude and bevel banding... how do you make the gradient smooth?

Hi,
I've got a shape that I want to make 3D using extrude and bevel tool but despite making the blend steps the highest possible amount, I still have banding. I'm using CS6. And there's no gradient on the flat image (it began as white). Any ideas?

OMG! Just tried Object>Path>Simplify and it worked! This is the result which I am much happier with:

Erro no perspective (efeito 3D extrude and bevel)

Olá, o meu illustrator é o CC 2014, quando eu crio um objeto qualquer e coloco o efeito 3D extrude and bevel e almento a perspectiva ao máximo (160) o objeto sofre várias deformações, por que isso acontece?

Oi
Pode mandar uma imagem para demonstrar o problema?
Abraços
Gustavo.

3D Extrude and Bevel, Isometric vertical paths not vertical

While using the 3D extrude and bevel tool, specifically the isometric preset from the position drop down menu. I am noticing that when I expand the shape (in this case a perfect cube), the vertical paths are not exactly perfect, and are not truly vertical, but off slightly. Is this something that can be fixed or adjusted in the settings, or is this how the tool works?

Since isometric drawing means just skewing shapes around...
Isometric drawing is far more than "just skewing shapes around."
in most cases drawing such stuff conventionally using normal blends or angled gradient fills is much more efficient...
Depends entirely upon what you're drawing. Many subjects are more expedient to draw/shade with 3D Effect than to construct manually.
JET

Live Paint doesn't work on Complicated Objects?

I have never really figured out how to properly build an illustrator file in a way that it will fill properly so my only other option (that I know of) is to use Live Paint. Unfortinately Live paint also wrecks all my line weights. It also makes the object noneditable later down the road. I found this out the hard way for a logo project at college and spent over 30 hours on it just trying to fiddle with the illustrator program, looking up tutorials that never seemed to work for me and nonstop frustration.
This time Live paint doesn't work at all. (I'm trying to paint in a more complicated object than a simple logo). First off my object has gaps in it, and even when I click "Gap options" it doesn't appear to do anything and there are still gaps. So I try to fill them in myself but this wrecks my line weights. And finally Live paint appears to work but only on certain objects such as the eyes, the nose, annd the ears, yet it refuses to fill in the entire body of the animal I'm trying to colour in. I drew this animal in illustrator with the pen tool and applied line weights with the line weight tool. Yes there are numerous gaps in the image.
I have another project due really soon on a more complicated illustrator file and I can't even figure out how to colour it in properly! Please help! This is what it looks like as of now:
http://aprilsilverwolf.deviantart.com/art/Dhole-Lineart-414792208
Only imagine it not in a pdf but an illustrator file because yes I have the original and yes it's vector.
Also I use Adobe illustrator CS6

I looked at your drawing and have a few suggestions:
As you have no doubt learned, Live Paint strokes cannot contain stroke profiles or other effects at the individual stroke level. There are 2 solutions:
1. Set the stroke on the Live Paint object to a very small width, then add a stroke attribute to the LP object using the Appearance Panel. There, you can assign a global stroke that will effect any paths on the LP object that have any stroke applied.
2. Assign no strokes to the LP Object. Instead, duplicate the LP object, release Live Paint and assign stroke attributes to the duplicated lines. I have found this provides better control of stroke attributes, making them independent of the Live Paint Object.
I agree, the "Gap Options" feature does not always work well. That's another reason I prefer to handle the lines and fills separately, so I can manually fill any gaps by extending the lines using the pencil or pen tool.

Text wrap on Extrude and Bevel?

Hello everyone! = )
I am trying to follow this tutorial: http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-3d-newspaper-text-effect-in-adobe-illustrato r--vector-5455. Everything is good until I reach step 11.The symbol "front", "back" etc.. doesn't appear. I only get the usual: Cube, grimes and so on. I can't seem to wrap my text around the font. Please help me Thank you so much!

You need to create those symbols. Somewhere in that tutorial there need to a step that tells you how to do it.

Live paint bucket and eyedropper

Right; I've got my fill color set up in the toolbar using the eye dropper.
Now I activate the 'live paint bucket' tool, and the fill color vanishes.
So I hit 'i' for the eyedropper again and lose the bucket tool.
The color picker the doesn't have eye dropper ability like big brother PS so how the f*** am I supposed to get my bucket's color? (other than fill up my swatches)
At the moment I am sampling in Photoshop and copying the hexidecimal code.
12 years in Photoshop, 3 days in illustrator and can't believe this is industry standard.

DelBoy78 wrote:
I've found what the alt+eyedropper is all about; shortcut for applying a fill colour to a line. Thanks for that but as the image lower down shows, the areas I want to fill with colour are not built from a single fillable line.
Eyedropper applies the attributes of the clicked object to the selected object/s as set in its options accessible by double clicking the Eyedropper tool
Holding Alt while clicking with the Eyedropper (In my version CS5) does the opposite - it applies the attributes from the selected object to the object being clicked.
Holding Shift while clicking with the Eyedropper applies the color being clicked to the fill or stroke of the selected object/s depending on which (the fill or the stroke) is in front in the color selector found in the Tool box and the Color panel. Pressing the X key on your keyboard, swaps which color, fill or stroke, is in front (focus of your input).
While using the Live Paint Bucket tool, holding Alt switches temporarily to the Eyedropper tool. However using the Eyedropper to pick colors from a Live Paint group may feel as if it is working differently because it may not be picking the stroke color. This is because internally behind the scene, the Live Paint group is separating the fills as different objects without strokes. Expanding the Live Paint group reveals this.

When do we use Pentool, live paint bucket or brush?

For example, I want to draw a bush
I know there are many different ways to create: some use pen tool, some use live paint bucket tool, some use brush and eraser.
No matter what methods we use, it all leads us to the same result. I want to draw as smart and convinient as much as possible. So I dont understand in which case what method we should use. I am recommended to use basic shapes as much as possible when drawing. But when drawing complex objects, it takes too much time to use basic shapes to create
For example, In this case I think we should use brush and eraser
I think that using pentool can make my work goes faster. But why do people use live paint bucket tool and when we need to use basic shapes to create objects?
Is that right when I said that it depends on what style of art we are creating? (such as logo, flat UI design, artwork for children, ect...)
*Question from a newbie to illustrator TT_TT*

This is the kind of question I like most to see in drawing software forums and it's increasingly rare. So first, let me commend you for thinking in terms of seeking usual and customary best practice, rather than just assuming every whiz-bang, instant gratification cheap trick feature should be employed willy-nilly without ever a thought toward the elegance of your drawing's structure. It suggests you are serious about maintaining quality in your vector drawing, rather than just assuming anything that "looks good" on your monitor is "quality."
Unfortunately, one could write a whole book on this. So I'll try to keep the following general and reasonably brief. That may make it sound a bit preachy. If you want to talk more specifics, continue the thread conversation.
Vector drawing is, by its nature, an exacting medium. It strains against itself when it pretends to be "painterly."
There is, of course, a balance between a strictly purist mindset and real-world practicality. The way to find your balance is to approach automated effects (especially new ones) with a healthy dose of skepticism. Try them, sure; but closely examine the results, tear them apart, and try to understand what's really going on.
Regarding specific features you mention (Live Paint, Brush, Eraser), try them, examine the results, and consider whether the results are what you would expect if they'd been deliberately and efficently drawn. I find that Live Paint and Shape Builder (much the same thing) usually do a decent job of maintaining true-ness to the original paths, matching abutting edges which should be exactly identical without creation of many unnecessary anchors.
I find much the opposite to be true of features like Offset Path, Outline Stroke, and even moreso of features like Variable Strokes. Basically anything that involves automated enveloping (not just Envelopes, but also things like ArtBrushes) are suspect. I'm certainly not saying never use them, but be as aware as you can of what's going on. I leverage Artbrushes and Pattern Brushes to high advantage for certain things, but I do so knowingly, not willy-nilly. I rarely ever acutally use the Brush or Pencil or Blob Tools. I create the artwork contained in the Brushes as cleanly as possible and apply the Brush to deliberately-drawn paths.
Much has to do with the intended practical uses of the final artwork. For example, overlapping paths is standard fare for artwork destined for print. It's a functional deal-breaker for artwork that wil also be used to drive a cutter/plotter for signage. (Just one reason why proper logo master files should be as cleanly constructed as possible.)
Automated routines--no matter how seemingly "powerful"--do not have human discernment. The poster-child example of this is autotracing. An autotracing feature doesn't know a round iris from a hex bolt. The autotracing features of mainstream drawing programs don't even have any geometric shape recognition. So with infrequent exceptions, autotracing is overused pointless junk. It just trades one kind of raster-based ugliness (pixelation) for another kind of vector-based ugliness (shapeless jaggedness).
I know...you didn't mention autotracing. But I mention it as an extreme case of a principle that you can apply to the features you did mention: Ask yourself what a purely mathematical algorithm with zero aesthetic discernment is going to yield in terms of what you would consider elegant execution.
Again, I'll cite a well-known extreme: Anyone who has ever had to deal with auto-generated 2D DXF exports from CAD/CAE programs is familiar with the ubiquitous problem of dealing with thousands of tiny disjointed straight segments meant to represent a curve. Those tasked with handling such drudgery deal with it routinely. Some of them even devise additonal automated algorithms to make a bad situation marginally better. Yes, it "gets the job done." Yes, today's computer hardware can process the ridiculous amount of geometrically unnecessary data without choking. Yes, at the scale at which it will be printed in the parts catalog, the faceted shape will not be distractingly noticeable. But no self-respecting technical illustrator would ever actually draw the same subject that way from scratch, and his far more elegantly drawn-from-scratch result would be far more versatile and robust for multiple final uses.
Your bush example is not so complex as to make drawing deliberately and directly with the Pen impractical. In fact, doing so is much less work than the second example using a bunch of ellipses and applying boolean operations. But maybe you stylistically desire each edge of each blade to be a portion of a mathematical ellipse or even strictly circular. In that case, using automated boolean operations may be justified. But (especially in Illustrator) I would be sure to carefully examine the results. Illustrator's automated path generation routines (Pathfinders, Offset Path, Outline Stroke) have been notorious at various times (versions) for generating ugly and sometimes functionally problematic artifacts such as needless coincident anchors (for just one example).
Your second example of the "scratchboard" style illustration is a case-in-point of situations where we make value judgements and (hopefully careful) compromise between semi-automation and path-drawing purism. You're trying to emulate an expressly non-geometric aesthetic style. The particular example is a good one, because it's a "borderline" example. That drawing is simple enough that it could be drawn entirely anchor-by-anchor, and I would likely do it that way if, for example, it was going to be cut from sign vinyl enlarged to the scale of a trade show background or a wall hanging in an airport.
But if it were only to serve as a one-time placement as a spot graphic in a magazine, I might, for example, create an ArtBrush for certain portions of it, like the selected sun rays, and "let it go" for practical considerations. (Although I'd not deliver it as such; I'd consider it a matter of due dilligence to expand such semi-automated "live" onstructs and check the paths for reasonable cleanness.)
Bear in mind, Bezier-based drawing has been the mainstream for three decades now. We're not "fooling anyone" anymore. There now exists a new aesthetic discernment. Even our audiences are well aware that digital emulations of the randomness of so-called "natural media" are just that; contrived digital emulations. Our audiences view our artwork with a certain skepticism.
And when you put something in print, there's (hopefully, although I often wonder) still the matter of professional pride which bears in mind that our artwork will be viewed not by just the "unsuspecting public" but also by our peers; our colleagues. So you want to avoid any "dead giveaways" of execution by "cheap tricks" which "hurt the eyes" of other vector illustrators. At the scale viewed on this computer in this forum, there are details in that drawing which look like (whether they are or not) the kind of unintentional artifacts commonly generated by path operations and such. Such artifacts don't read as "natural randomness" of the emulated medium (again, we're no longer fooling anyone). They break the stylistic consistency of detail of the overall drawing and therefore look like unintentional but disregarded results of some automated feature.
So anytime you employ an automated path-generating feature, consider it normal to perform some cleanup on the result. Again, an extreme-case common situation exemplifies the principle. I put 3D Effect to use, but I would never deliver the raw results of it as final deliverable vector artwork. Automated features can be used as a rough-out tool; a means to an end, not the final end itself.
JET

Live Paint Bucket in CS5

Using Illustrator on a Windows box running XP sp3 with an Intuos 2
I've been using Illustrator CS2 for awhile and have upgraded to CS5. I need some help with a problem I'm experiencing with the Live Paint Bucket. I select the illustration, go to Object > Live Paint > Make and get the Blue bouning box. I choose my Fill and Stroke colors and go to work. It seems to work until I get a closer view, around 800%, and then I notice that the stroke isn't filling in some of the strokes completely (there appear to be gaps within the Path that don't show in a normal view). Its leaving artifacts (I don't know what else to call them) unstroked. I've attached two two examples of these artifacts. I've also tried to correct this with the Live Paint Selection Tool which I'm also having a problem with. I've released the Live Paint group and checked that all my paths connect and have corrected any problems I can see.
This hasn't helped either. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong. I've consulted the Help and either I can't read English with comprehension or........I can't find the correct words to bring up the problem.
I thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

I'll try to help. Since I don't know what you expect to see, it is hard to say what you're doing wrong. The gold line end, in the top left boxed area, can be selected with the Live Paint Selection tool and either deleted or painted with "none". Clicking on the line can be tricking with the selection tool because it tends to select the fill instead. Zoom in and you will see when it's selected, then just hit "delete" or type "/" to assign a stroke color of "none" to the selection.
You can also using the Live Paint Bucket tool to do this. With the Bucket tool active, hold "shift" to highlight strokes, then choose "none" and click. You can scroll through the color choices using the left and right arrow tools.
I'm not sure what you want to change in the center section. Remember, you don't have to release the Live Paint object to make edits to the paths with the pen or pencil tools. They remain fully editable. You can also add new paths to the Live Paint object by either working in "isolation mode" or by dragging paths into the Live Paint object within the Layers Panel.

Can't rotate a gradient when it's a live paint object?

Hello,
OK-so I have a bunch of paths currently activated as a Live Paint object.
I place linear gradients in them, and when I go the gradient panel and try to rotate them, it looks like it will let me, by changing the rotation amount in the panel, but nothing happens in the gradient.
Is it possible to rotate a single gradient within a single, path while its still a Live Paint object?
thanks!
babs

Hi Monika and Gradientmush!
So sorry for the delay....My client came in and we just finished up, so I just got your responses!
I feel like an idiot!!! That was it Monika...I completely forgot about the paint paint selections tool!!!! As soon as I selected it with that tool and rotated the gradient in the gradient panel, it worked beautifully!!!
Thanks so much to the both of you.....one of those duh..moments ;-)
Haven't used live paint in awhile, and I completely forgot about the separate selection tool!!!
thanks!
babs

Applying live paint to extruded and beveled overlapping objects

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for