Import .eps File for Use with Push-Pull Tool?

VikR · 17 Jan 2011, 18:46

I have an .eps file containing vectorized text. I would like to import it into SU for use with the push-pull tool. I imported it using the File Menu->Import item. However, the push-pull tool does not seem to work on it.

How can import this file so as to use it with the push-pull tool?

Thanks very much in advance to all for any info.

Best,

-Vik

TIG · 21 Jan 2011, 18:47

@vikr said:

I have an .eps file containing vectorized text. I would like to import it into SU for use with the push-pull tool. I imported it using the File Menu->Import item. However, the push-pull tool does not seem to work on it.
How can import this file so as to use it with the push-pull tool?
Thanks very much in advance to all for any info.
Best,
-Vik

Without some more clues it's hard to tell...
PushPull only works on one Face at a time.
You can see the 'text' ?
If you select it what's its Entity Info say ?
If it's a Group or Component edit it and select again see what you have then...
If its an image Explode it and it'll become Faces...

Once you are down to the level of 'Faces' they should PushPull.
Turn on View > Hidden Geometry to see individual Faces IF they are combined into a smoothed 'Surface'.

VikR · 21 Jan 2011, 19:44

I don't even remember what eps file I wrote this question with regard to, but I have just imported the image of the text from a .psd file.

I can see it. If I select it, the Entity Info shows the width and height. It has Receive Shadows checked, Cast Shadows unchecked, and Hidden unchecked.

The Make Group and Make Component menu items are both disabled, but I'm a SU newbie and don't yet know what that means.

I can Explode it. After Exploding it, using the Push-Pull tool creates a 3D block, with the image of the text on the front. I can't yet make the individual letters of the text 3D. Is there a way to do this?

TIG · 21 Jan 2011, 20:46

@vikr said:

I don't even remember what eps file I wrote this question with regard to, but I have just imported the image of the text from a .psd file.

I can see it. If I select it, the Entity Info shows the width and height. It has Receive Shadows checked, Cast Shadows unchecked, and Hidden unchecked.

The Make Group and Make Component menu items are both disabled, but I'm a SU newbie and don't yet know what that means.

I can Explode it. After Exploding it, using the Push-Pull tool creates a 3D block, with the image of the text on the front. I can't yet make the individual letters of the text 3D. Is there a way to do this?

OK you are Importing an Image [?]
The only way to make separate pieces from an image is if it's a .png file with a transparent background - you CAN do that in PhotoShop and Gimp etc as a save_as/export...
Then import the .png Image file and then select it and use my ImageTrimmer [available on the Plugins Forum - do a search].
This will make the selected Image into a component, trimming around the transparent areas and making individual letter faces from the 'solid' areas.
You can then split the component geometry into parts and PushPull them into 3d if needed...
If you explained a bit more about what you are trying to do we could perhaps make more suggestions...

VikR · 21 Jan 2011, 21:42

I have saved the file as a .png with a transparent background, using Photoshop. I have downloaded SKMtools20110121a.zip and installed the SKMtools folder and SKMtools_loader.rb in "/Users/myUsername/Library/Application\ Support/Google\ SketchUp\ 8/SketchUp/Plugins". (I'm on Mac OS X).

Relaunching SU, I see a menu item, View Menu->ImageAnimator. Is that the menu item added by your plugin? It is a submenu, with 10 submenu items. I do not yet see one labelled Image Trimmer. Which submenu item can I use to make the selected image into a component?

TIG · 22 Jan 2011, 13:33

See Tools > ImageTrimmer...

VikR · 22 Jan 2011, 20:20

Found it. I am running Tools->Image Trimmer. It says "Making 'Edges' files - please wait...". I let it run for about 2 hours, but nothing seemed to happen. The "Making 'Edges' files" message is still at the bottom of the window. There is a lot of text for it to work on. But is this expected behavior?

VikR · 22 Jan 2011, 20:24

I just ran ImageTrimmer again. The message disappeared from the bottom of the screen, but otherwise nothing seems to have changed. How will I know when it has successfully completed, and, what is the next step I must take to use the push-pull tool on the result?

TIG · 22 Jan 2011, 21:20

Exactly how much 'text'...

Please post the SKP with the image inserted...................

VikR · 22 Jan 2011, 22:00

The .skp file is attached.

Imported from png small.skp

TIG · 23 Jan 2011, 00:17

OK
Now we see the problem!
This is a very pixelated image...
Many, many separate areas of solid 'text'.
It will take hours for ImageTrimmer to try and make all of the separated areas and it'll probably fail anyway because the single pixel 'lines' will return as empty areas - its limitation...
You are trying to do something in Sketchup that is virtually impossible...
WHY do you want to make a 3D representation of the Declaration of Independence anyway - it was originally a 2d written document ??

I don't quite understand where you are coming from or where you are going ???

What would your ideal final product look like - word-pictures please.......

VikR · 23 Jan 2011, 03:35

We have something in mind, but I'd prefer not to describe it on a public forum. I really appreciate your help. If I just take "We the People" and clean it up, do you think ImageTrimmer might work on that?

TIG · 23 Jan 2011, 13:54

@vikr said:

We have something in mind, but I'd prefer not to describe it on a public forum. I really appreciate your help. If I just take "We the People" and clean it up, do you think ImageTrimmer might work on that?

In your image manipulation app scale it up so there are no single pixel width black areas - ImageTrimmer needs at least 2 pixels for it to take an area as 'solid' - this is because it finds solid areas in the image 'by pixel', if an area is one pixel wide when it makes a face to take that part of the image as a material it will make two edges that are effectively coincident: therefore there is no face just an edge, and any un-faced edges are removed from the final result.

VikR · 24 Jan 2011, 22:57

I've produced a new file (attached) which I believe has removed all the 1-pixel-width edges. Should this file work? I've been running ImageTrimmer on it for about 45 minutes with no visible results so far.

we the people 2.skp

TIG · 25 Jan 2011, 10:06

@vikr said:

I've produced a new file (attached) which I believe has removed all the 1-pixel-width edges. Should this file work? I've been running ImageTrimmer on it for about 45 minutes with no visible results so far.

For me it scanned the Pixels and made the 'Edges' png in ~1.5 minutes BUT slowed to a crawl at ~25% on making the edges...
I looked at the ImageTrimmer Edges png and saw many many holes and 'missing parts'.
On looking at the original png I see that there is not just the completely transparent white background BUT many individual 'grey' pixels in the letters themselves that have some transparency. The tool takes all opaque pixels as 'solid' and any with transparency as 'void'. You can easily fix this in your image processing app, by selecting all of the letters using the paint bucket to make them solid opaque black. Alternatively flatten the image to remove transparency then select all of the white areas and delete them so these become 100% transparent - then any 'grey' pixels will also be solid.
I attached 'fixed' version but urge you to see how to do this yourself.
With the corrected image it still takes ~9 minutes to process but only 10 secs to 'simplify' - reducing the edges from ~15500+ to ~500+ !!
WeThePeople.skp
Please note I have updated the ImageTrimmer tool and will be posting it shortly. As a result of testing your image I have spotted a minor improvement in the simplifier code that will help you to avoid error messages later on...
EDIT: See here http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=303761#p303761

VikR · 25 Jan 2011, 19:23

When I hover over the text with the push-pull tool, the face is not selected. The push-pull tool shows the red circle with the diagonal line through it. Is there a way to use the push-pull tool on the text?

Gaieus · 25 Jan 2011, 20:14

Hi Vik,

The 3D Text (I guess that's what you mean) comes in as a group (or component?) You need to edit a component/group in order to use the PushPull on the individual faces. Double click on it and it will be accessible to PP.

TIG · 25 Jan 2011, 20:36

You need to either explode or edit the component so you can PushPull the faces. It's also best to have Hidden Geometry ON...WeThePeople.zip

VikR · 25 Jan 2011, 22:14

This is really great. On my system I'm seeing an odd pattern on the sides of one of the W faces when I pull it. It seems to show the rest of the text. I'm attaching an SU file. How do I get it to look the way it looks in your demo file?

VikR · 25 Jan 2011, 22:50

Sorry, here's the SU file.

WeThePeople v3.skp