Tutorial: Detailed Forms Made Easy

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box5Nick
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Joined: Mon May 30, 2011 11:04 pm
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Tutorial: Detailed Forms Made Easy

Post by box5Nick »

Hey Everyone!

I've wanted to do a quick tutorial on the subject of creating intricate forms for a while so here it goes... I've also attached a couple of forms I've made using this method for use (or play) in EnVision.

When setting out reproduce a very specific shape I like to trace as much as possible to ensure I get the proper proportions.

First I find a digital image of what I want to create... For the two forms posted here I used our EnVision logo, and the Apple logo (I created these for use in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leoww4msq9A) Download the image to your hard drive and remember where you saved them.

Second, locate the image in file explorer or finder to find out the pixel dimensions of the file. There are many ways to do this depending on which OS you are using, but often times right clicking on the file and selecting 'properties' will get you to this kind of information.

Third, it's time to fire up EnVision and create a custom canvas! Choose the 'Canvas Editor' tool from the top bar (six from the right). Under the 'Customize Size' tab, adjust the width and depth of the canvas to match the dimensions of the image you want to reproduce. Depending on how the image is laid out (and its size) you might need to adjust these dimensions proportionally to get a satisfactory physical size for your form.

Next, scroll down to the bottom of the Canvas panel and click on 'Use Image Map', then load your desired image. You should now have a canvas laid out with your chosen image un-distorted and ready to trace!

Fourth, use the various form tools as needed to build your shapes. Remember that different tools will work better for different jobs. For the EnVision logo I used the Arc tool and the Line tool since the image is mostly circular. The Apple logo however has much more irregular curves which makes the Curve tool a better choice.

Finally, select all of the pieces of your form using rectangular selection then save your form using the drop down menu Forms>Save Forms. Now you can open up whichever project you want and drop in your custom form by choosing Forms>Load Form.

And don't forget to post your forms here on the Box5 Forums!
Attachments
Apple.frm
Apple Logo
(4.37 KiB) Downloaded 1169 times
BigV.frm
EnVision Logo
(7.12 KiB) Downloaded 1269 times
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