Utilizing concept sketches and product/foam model photos

Scanned copies of sketches or photos can be added to datum planes to act as a guide for construction geometry.  You may need to do some work on the image in Photoshop before importing to CAD – cropping, flipping, increasing contrast, etc.

Photo tips:

  • put a ruler in the image for easy scaling
  • use maximum zoom to avoid wide angle distortion and minimise perspective – more zoom, more isometric
  • leave plenty of space around the subject and crop the image – there is more distortion at the edges of the lens and you don’t need a high res image

 

 Image import

View tab > Model Display drop down menu > Images

Image > Add > select plane > select image

 

The image now needs to be scaled and positioned to fit the model

Fit > Horizontal or vertical

drag sizing handles to known distance > Dbl click dimn and change accordingly

Cancel Fit function

Drag and rotate image to correct position

Note: if your image doesn’t show on your personal installation there may be a Registry conflict

 

At some point you may need to replicate some existing graphics such as a corporate logo, you could import the logo as a pixel based image as above and then ‘trace’ it in a sketch or you could import vector graphics……..

 

Utilising Vector based software

In the graphics industry logos are generally created in vector based packages such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw.  The linework is maths based and, unlike a bitmap, is scalable without losing any definition. [Definition: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics ]

Neutral, industry standard vector files such as .dxf or .dwg can be exported from these packages and opened directly into Creo.  This geometry can then be the basis of a reference curve.  Adobe .ai files can be generated in Photoshop or Illustrator and imported to Creo.

Either open the file directly or in a sketch; Sketch tab > Get Data > File System

 

Selections in Photoshop can be turned into paths and exported as .ai files

Selection > RMB > Make Work Path

File > Export > Paths to Illustrator

 

Consider the Live Trace function in Illustrator: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/11/15/illustrator-s-live-trace-sketch-to-vector/

Caution: high accuracy setting in the methods above will generate maximum control points in the resulting spline curve.

Firstly this can mean it takes a long time to process the data in sketcher.  And secondly a spline curve should always contain the minimum number of control points.  So try and minimise the number of control points by having the tolerance figure as high as possible.