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SMSgtRod | 6 years ago | 13 comments | 1,484 views

It is beyond me to be able to write nice text using Bixelangelo. I can't even write legible text on paper. LOL

That said, I let the computer do it for me and now things go awry.

Ariel font, exported as PNG file and brought in as sketch layer. Now the problem begins.

As you can see in the pics above., BT brings the text in outlined and from the progression of the images above, writer traces over the outer and inner outlines, then moves to the next letter. I would like to know how I can avert this double tracing action.
Is there a centerline import trace someplace that I have missed? I have spent a good deal of time trying to resolve the problem. The community is now my last hope! LOL

Any and all Ideas greatly appreciated
Sarge




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What you are looking for is not called tracing. It would be a nice new feature, thank you for your feature request!

I doubt however if such functionality would satisfy you because it can be done in many different ways and chances are low it will be done the way you have been taught at school. For example do you write the 'O' clockwise or counterclockwise? Do you write the 'I' upwards or downwards? And where do you start writing the 'a'?

I advise you to edit your writing in Bixelangelo to make it perfect.

michiel, 6 years ago


Tracing text outlines can be also be done in BluffTitler:
-choose FILE > NEW SHOW
-switch from SOLID to TUBULAR SQUARE with the 3rd dropdown below the textbox
-choose MEDIA > CHANGE EFFECT... and select the Text\TextWriter effect
-optionally clear the 1st and 2nd textures
-click OK
-animate the FX WRITER prop

michiel, 6 years ago


@michiel.... direction of travel does not matter. So long as it is from left to right and not back tracking. BT seems to trace the outside perimeter of the text. I would like a trace of centerline that way the letters are not encircled.

I tried your directions and at the end find no 1st or 2nd textures to delete.

Sarge

Updated to left to right

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

The textures of the Text\TextWriter effect are optional so don't worry about this.

michiel, 6 years ago


I think I see what my problem is. True Type fonts are outlined and then have a center fill. So BT and others will display the outline of the text letter. Then writer will trace over the complete outline.

To have it perform as it does in the BT Sketch demo it has to be a single line and I have yet to find a way to go from outlined text to single line text. That is, unless I scribble it in Bixelangelo myself.

Sarge

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

Yes, TrueType fonts are defined as outlines: the capital "I" is defined with 4 lines.

What you are looking for is a stroke representation: the capital "I" defined as a single line. There have been experiments to define fonts this way but I don't know of any standard.

It's an interesting challenge to convert the 2 representations. Technically it can be done, but there's also a cultural aspect: the ways you are taught to write at school. For the "I" there are only 2 ways: upwards and downwards, but for other characters there can be many more ways. Most of them will look alien. We're going to need a serious database with examples to stroke the fonts in a human way.

For now I advise you to draw your texts by hand in Bixelangelo and edit them afterwards to make them perfect.

michiel, 6 years ago


That's what I was deathly afraid of. There are thousands of fonts available. Many quite beautiful scripts.

All I want BT to do is write it pretty like in the Script Handwriting Demo. I could careless if it exactly traces as I was taught. As in the Demo it flows just fine from left to right and really doesn't come anything close to my writing style at all. LOL

I guess I'll get working on it by hand. Unfortunately some of the names I have to deal with are rather LONG!! LOL

Thanks michiel for the assistance....
Sarge

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

Realize that in the latest version of Bixelangelo you can *EDIT* your sketches. This way you can turn the most clumsy handwriting into a splendid professional masterpiece!

michiel, 6 years ago


It would be helpful it seems to be able to disconnect a point or join two. I don't see any means of injecting a point.

Sarge

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

To disconnect a point, press CTRL and right click on it.

To join 2 points, left click on one and drop it on the other.

To inject a point, press ALT and click on a line.

outerspace-software.com...

michiel, 6 years ago


Michiel.... sometimes I think that my reading comprehension has dropped to that of a third grader. And many third graders may suggest that I'm over rating myself! LOL

But, it seems that only unlike points can be connected. Correct?
Sarge

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

Because Bixelangelo has been designed for animations, direction is important.

You can connect head to tail, or tail to head.

But not head to head, or tail to tail.

michiel, 6 years ago


Ok, I see the need.

I had an idea for a coaster that would be most likely a first of it's kind.

The coaster would be interactive. Like a railroad have branches. My coaster could be switched from branch to branch along it's line of travel.

How it is switched is determined by the riders. The could select to travel, left, right, or straight ahead.

Until they arrive at the junction none know how the vote went. With several branches available one could ride the coaster numerous times and the experience never be totally the same.

So, that was why I was trying to apply branches.

Sarge

SMSgtRod, 6 years ago

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