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Need Help with Curving a Group of Objects

Jul 16, 2012 6:32 AM

Hi Group;

 

This is my first post in this group. I'm quite new to Adobe Illustrator CS5, and I had to start using it to supply the proper file type to a Dye-Sublimation printer in the USA. They use CS5, and all colours are restricted to Pantone Solid Coated for their printing system. I'm printing swimwear fabric.

 

However, my question is probably very basic. It's also frustrating, because I already successfully did what I'm about to ask, just can't recall how I did it.

Curved Objects Example.jpg

In my image, the top rectangle has been curved to its finished shape (bottom). I did this before, with actually several objects together. They all curve with the rectangle.

 

I tried to do this again, using all kinds of Transform tools (shear) and Effect tools, and everything I could find, but nothing worked. I thought maybe Shear might work if I could pin down the middle of the rectangle and shear both sides of the rectangle upward, but this doesn't work. I think I'll start taking notes when I find something that works !

 

How do I do this simple curving of single object or group of objects? It can be done, I know that !

 

Thanks, Tom.

 
Replies
  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 16, 2012 6:48 AM   in reply to Tom C. Kay

    Try using an envelope with a mesh.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 16, 2012 7:16 AM   in reply to Bert_Philippus

    You can also use the Warp ffect or the Emvelope distort>Make with Warp Arc

     

    to ways to apply it

     

    one as individual objects and one as a group

     

    As objectrs

     

    Screen Shot 2012-07-16 at 10.12.02 AM.png

     

    As a group

     

    Screen Shot 2012-07-16 at 10.12.32 AM.png

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 16, 2012 7:16 AM   in reply to Bert_Philippus

    Bert.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 16, 2012 7:24 AM   in reply to Wade_Zimmerman

    Just for the fun of it if you needed a more 3D effect you can turn the art to a symbol and map it to a 3D cylinder with invisible geometry.

     

    Screen Shot 2012-07-16 at 10.22.35 AM.png

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 16, 2012 10:26 AM   in reply to Tom C. Kay

    The only reason I bought Illustrator was to supply the right file type to the Dye-Sub printer, and in the right colour book (Pantone Solid Coated).

    This is simply a matter of defining colors in your file and naming them appropriately. There is nothing magical about selecting the names from a Swatch Library. In other words...

     

     

    I actually draw all of my vector shapes in Corel Draw, colour them, then open as an RGB file in Illustrator, and recolour the objects in Pantone Solid Coated. Cumbersome...

    ...Cumbersome and unnecessary. You can do this in Draw.

     

    I suspect that CS5 is infinitely more flexible than Corel Draw...

    Depends on what "more flexible" means to you. Each program has its competitive advantages and disadvantages. Draw is arguably more versatile because it includes many functions long considered standard-fare, but which Illustrator has never had. Just a few that come to mind:

     

    User-defined drawing scales, and dimension tools make Draw more easily adaptable to tech-ish drawing.

    Callouts and connector lines make it more easily adaptable to diagrams like flow charts.

    Its Dynamic Guides are better than Illustrator's SmartGuides.

    Draw can edit font files; make clipart fonts.

     

    I'll try to learn more about CS5, but with so many tools, that's a long flat learning curve.

    ...And Illustrator is worst-of-class in terms of intuitive interface.

     

    JET

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jul 17, 2012 2:48 PM   in reply to Tom C. Kay

    Just FYI:

     

    They're probably up to V12 or more now.

    Actually, X6 (Think 16, like Illustrator). 64 Bit.

     

    In my version, there are several Pantone colour books, but not Pantone Solid Coated

    All the usual Pantone libraries are there, but it doesn't really matter. Every color separation simply prints grayscale. So again, making spot color separations for Pantone colors is a simple matter of defining a spot color and naming it as the Pantone ink. Makes no difference whether you actually selected the Pantone color from a library.

     

    JET

     
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