• Outlining with Pathfinder

[Eraser Nubbin]

Was wondering if there was a way to use the pathfinder to make exhibit two from exhibit one. This valve is a dwg brought into Illustrator from Autocad and is just a bunch of unconnected lines. I need to take these unconnected lines and make a solid outline.

Thanks

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6816/valve8sy.gif

[PrintDriver]

I hate Autocad.

Any chance you can get the dwg re-exported as a polyline drawing rather than splines or lines? Sometimes it has to be drawn with that in mind to begin with.

It would be faster to just trace it if you can't. Nothing in Pathfinder will work for you. Pathfinder is meant for closed shapes or shapes that can hold a fill.
If you can get the drawing as a polyline, you can try filling the shapes and using the upper leftmost tool in Pathfinder. You'll probably still have to clean up.

This is probably where Broacher says CorelDraw could do that...:D

[PrintDriver]

Or you could try giving the lines a stroke thickness, converting the strokes to outlines then try using the same tool to combine them all. You'd maybe have to then break the compound paths and use the same tool again and hopefully all the fills will combine.
In theory anyway.

And you'll still have to do cleanup where the lines overshot their join points.

[urstwile]

I agree with PD that it's probably quicker just to redraw it. By the time you get all the interior lines and stuff out of the way, click around joining stuff and nudging stuff, etc. you could probably have redrawn it about 4 times. Or maybe that's just me. :D

[Eraser Nubbin]

Thanks... I have manually been connecting the outside lines to match the exact shape which works good, I am just having enough trouble with the onset of carpel tunnel as it is with no girlfriend and all ;) tracing these things ain't helping.

Thanks.

[PrintDriver]

Learn to use both hands.
:D

[Eraser Nubbin]

I try, but I keep getting the left and rick click backwards when I try using my left ;)

[Craig B]

Here's what I'd do:

1.) Save the line detailed line drawing as an .eps, .pdf, whatever
2.) Open it in Photoshop at atleast 300 dpi (maybe more depending on how much detail you need)
3.) magic wand the "outside" white (should work fine as long as all your outside lines are connected.)
4.) invert your selection
5.) save selection as path
6.) export path to Illustrator

Depending on how precise you need it, that may or may not work. Hopefully it'll help.

[Eraser Nubbin]

ooooh that just might work...

[Craig B]

I hope so, let me know.

[PrintDriver]

No fair. He said "using Illustrator's pathfinder".
Let me outta this box! Please!
LOL.
Good call Craig.

[Craig B]

I try to think outside of the box, but it's only because I'm claustrophobic and allergic to cardboard.

[carter the artist]

yes, you can use illustrators pathfinder. Select all. and then pick the first tool on the pathfinder window. Now Expand should be allowable and hit that.

I use this all the type to make cutting paths for vinyl.

[carter the artist]

wait. now i reread it, and noticed the auto cad thing. hmm... sounds like my problems with corel draw into illy.

[PrintDriver]

AutoCad is far worse than CorelDraw.
Each individual line segment comes in rather than shapes (unless the draftsman knows how to convert to polylines). With Corel, at least the shapes are there. They may have odd cuts in them but they usually weld back together. Doesn't happen with AutoCad.

I especially like Autocad when it turns curves into splines and you get an out of limit error in Illustrator because there are so many facet segments the number of points exceeds the program limit.

And the one that stumped me for several hours when I first started - the lines come in white! Why do draftsmen draw in white on a black background anyway?

[urstwile]

Lately I've been working a lot with floor plans sent to us as EPS files out of some type of CAD software (I'm guessing), not sure which. All the shapes that look like rectangles on the screen are actually built out of triangles. :eek: A real pain in the booty to work with and edit.

[Eraser Nubbin]

Nice save craigBaby! That totally worked. The shapes are not exactly the same, but I was just looking for something really close as I needed to apply a fill to the valve outline and placed it below the autocad strokes.
Thanks again folks.