andrew's vector plugin's volume 18 manual for illustrator

Plug-ins notes

file:///C|/...ndrew/Products/Documentation%20NOT%20FOR%20RELEASE/Illustrator%20plugins/Volume%2018/GX18_Documentation.htm[30/10/2008 19:33:06]

Contour Plug-in - Andrew's (vector) Plug-ins Volume 18

Introduction

The plug-in works on a selected object, creating multiple copies of the selected object. The effect can be likened to a contourbut it can be used for dynamic zoom effects, blurring and other effects.

The plug-in can be used with a single path or multiple paths or a selected symbol or symbols as well as images and manyother types of objects in Illustrator ®

The plug-in works by repeating paths or in points mode, it works on the path's points (though this has no effect on images /symbols etc). The points mode can be used to create more unusual contour designs than the basic contour effect

Any questions or suggestions about the plug-in, please let me know.

Andrew

Installation of plug-in

If you have previously installed the contour plug-in, please remove earlier copies, though you should be able to use morethan one copy, it might be confusing see two or more entries of the plug-in name in the filter menu.

Please place the GX18_Contour.aip file in the c:\program files\adobe\illustrator CS\plug-ins folder [pc Illustrator ® CS] orc:\program files\adobe\illustrator 10\plug-ins [pc illustrator 10] or CS2 or CS3 or CS4

For the mac, please place the GX18_Contour file in HD:Applications:Adobe Illustrator CS:plug-ins [mac Illustrator ®CS] orHD:Applications:Adobe Illustrator 10:plug-ins [mac Illustrator 10] or CS2 or CS3 or CS4

** note: for OS X and CS2, please install the entire package 'GX18_Contour' (found in the plugin for Illustrator CS2), pleasedon't change the name or remove any of the contents as the entire files set is required for the plug-in to work.

Possible installation paths

PC CS4 C:\program files\adobe\adobe illustrator CS4\plug-ins\graphicxtrasPC CS3 C:\program files\adobe\adobe illustrator CS3\plug-ins\graphicxtrasPC CS2/12 c:\program files\adobe\adobe illustrator CS2\plug-ins\graphicxtrasPC CS/11 c:\program files\adobe\illustrator CS\plug-ins\graphicxtrasPC 10 c:\program files\adobe\illustrator 10\plug-ins\graphicxtras

OS X CS4 HD:applications:adobe illustrator CS4:plug-ins:graphicxtras OS X CS3 HD:applications:adobe illustrator CS3:plug-ins:graphicxtras OS X CS2 HD:applications:adobe illustrator CS2:plug-ins:graphicxtras OS X CS HD:applications:adobe illustrator CS:plug-ins:graphicxtras OS X 10 HD:applications:adobe illustrator 10:plug-ins:graphicxtras

(if the 'graphicxtras' folder does not exist, simply create it in the plug-ins folder or use another folder name if you wish. You

Plug-ins notes


can also just place the file in the top level plug-ins folder if you wish but putting it in a sub folder makes it easier to find at alater date)

Alternate plug-in installation location

Because of recent improvements in security, you may wish to install the plug-in sets in an alternate location such as an useraccount and not the default plug-in folder. If you are using a basic level account and one without admin features, you mightnot be able to save the AIP plug-in files to the usual folder. Set up an alternate or secondary plug-in folder in your useraccount and then copy the files there.

To specify an alternate plug-in for Illustrator ®

1) Go to the edit > preferences > plug-ins

2) Check the additional plug-ins folder option

3) Specify / browse for your required file in your user account (such as 'third party plug-ins' etc)

Initial use of plug-in

Please access via the filters menu of Illustrator ® via the <AVP Paths> menu (CS3 CS2 CS 10)

Please access the plug-in via the object > filters menu (CS4)

The plugin is split into multiple screens such as contour dialog, rotate, shift, points, style, settings. Most of the corefunctionality is in the first panel.

Start point / first use

I would suggest

1) Select a basic shape such as a square

2) Go to filter menu and select the contour plugin

3) Modify the contours setting, say set the contours to 4 or 5 (few paths created) or 20 (larger number of paths created)

4) Modify the scale setting, set to 1, the contour lines will be closer, set to 10, the contour will be wider and may 'go beneath'the original selected path

Another approach to check out a range of possible effects, select the square and then select a number of the presets (right ofthe dialog).

Another approach would be to click the 'tumble' button, repeat click the tumble button to randomize the settings. Many of thesettings on the other panels will also be modified as well as the main panel settings. The settings might result in nothing or asubtle effect or an extreme design. The tumble button has no knowledge of the settings or the combination so literallyanything could happen from a rubbish effect to a sublime one.

Early plug-in history

Plug-ins notes


The plugin was originally in volume 1 set as part of the mixed plugins. As the Inset plugin, it was one of the earliest plugins inmy Illustrator plug-ins sets. It was originally created for Illustrator 8.

The plug-in set was removed from the volume 1 and is now volume 18. The plugin has been greatly extended (you mayargue it has been improved or not...)

Shuffle button / tumble button

The plug-in has two randomization buttons. The first is the shuffle button. The shuffle button randomizes on the basis of thecurrent setting and doesn't change any of the values in the panels but changes the internal settings only if there is an elementof randomization associated with that setting. Most of the randomization settings are in the settings panel. If there are norandomization checkboxes or dropdowns set, the shuffle button is just ignored.

The second (latest) button is the tumble button and this randomizes the actual settings and will set the panels randomly. Therandomization is not to the extremes, though combinations of settings might result in extreme settings, but a reasonablerange of settings (though this can vary from document to document, machine to machine, use to use). If you would like anychanges to the range, please let me know. Use the tumble button to tryout a range of settings without a single modificationof a slider or dropdown. Not all the fields are modified, so some such opacity can be set by the you and will not be altered bythe tumble.

Objects contoured

The plugin can be applied to

normal paths

multiple paths

images

multiple images

text converted (in CS/2/3/4 but text and text converted in 10)

to paths with patterns and gradients

paths with styles

symbols

and many more types of path

A vast range of different illustration effects can be applied to each type. Some types such as the placed image are notmodified by style settings or points settings (likewise the symbols). Gradients and patterns also are not modified by fill andstroke. Symbols are the best approach for animation and SWF export (use the layer palette to spread across layers followedby the export command)

Applications support

mac OS X 10.2 .3 .4 .5 98 ME NT XP Vista Adobe ® Illustrator ® 10 CS CS 2 CS3 CS4

Questions

Please contact me on [email protected]

Other plugins are available on the site http://www.graphicxtras.com

Upgrades are generally available, either as free updates or inexpensive updates/upgrades. Please store the reference serialnumber or details of order. the serial number is found in the zip or hqx supplied and is not the order number or any othercode supplied with order. You should find it in a file marked GX18_Serialno.txt

Copyright

The plugins are copyright of 1999-2008, Abneil Software Ltd (Andrew Buckle). This product was released by Abneil Softwareltd (UK based company

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.graphicxtras.com/

Plug-ins notes


Trademarks

Illustrator and Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. We have no connectionwhatsoever with Adobe. Adobe product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Plugin use

Dialog - 'Contour' screen

The basic plugin screen to manipulate the scaling of the basic path

'Contours': Number of contours to generate, though this doesn't take into account the random create options and othersettings, so you might end up with no contours being generated. If there are 'too many contours', the contours will be createdbeneath the shape and will not, perhaps, be visible.

'Contour scaling options': The plugin scales the paths by default proportionally but the contour scaling options give a littlemore flexibility, scaling accumulated, scaling using the shift settings and more.

'Contour scale (%)': The scaling percentage to apply to the newly created path, depends on the contour scaling options.The checkbox beside the scaling locks the horizontal and vertical. If set to OFF, the vertical can be manipulated independentlyto that of the horizontal (creating thinner contour effects)

Plug-ins notes


'Skip/Create': Instead of creating all the paths, the plugin skips a path, creates a path and so on (depending on the patternset). If the skip is set to 2 and create is set to 2, then the plugin will create two paths, internally apply scaling etc for two'non created paths', and then create two more paths, and so on. Different skip/create settings can create unusual patterncontour effects (plateaus etc)

'Link contour scale': The scale setting are linked, so the horizontal and vertical scaling are the same

Plug-ins notes


'Place above': By default, paths are created on top of the original path and previous paths. This is useful if the contourgenerates paths that are smaller than the original but if the paths are bigger than the original or previous paths, the top pathis all you will see (unless some shift of paths or rotation is applied), the place below (or OFF) state then is more preferable.Visually, you might like to have the paths beneath the original paths anyway.

'Scale lines' : If on, the line width is scaled according the scaling of the path

Plug-ins notes


Dialog - 'Rotate' screen

Path / object rotation dialog. Adds rotation to the contour paths, and rotates about the path's original center (default) or thedocument center or a particular selected path center or the center you decide to select

'Rotation (/10)': Rotates the path (accumulative) about the current rotation option center. By default, the center is thepath center.

'Rotation options': Rotate the path about the current center or about a path center or user defined center or the currentshift position. Depending on the setting, some of the fields below will be enabled or not

Plug-ins notes


'Use path': Rotates the path around the selected path's defined first, second etc path. Depends on the order of creation ofthe paths. Setting a path number from 1 to 2 can radically change the displayed rotation of paths.

This feature is a little trial and error but you should be able to quickly determine which path is 1 and 2 or 3 etc, simply runthrough the numbers until the paths rotate about the required object

'User defined center (p)': Define your own rotation center for the paths (depends on the dropdown being set to userdefined rotation).

Dialog - 'Shift' screen

Path shift dialog. This screen works on the whole path, not points.

'Shift (p)': Shifts the path (using the current shift option) horizontal and / or vertical

'Shift options': Shifts the path adding to each path, accumulating the shift, applying jitter, applying the shift as a frame andmore.

Plug-ins notes


Dialog - 'Points' screen

Manipulate the individual points of the path for additional inset effects

'Points contour (p)': Instead of scaling based on paths, the points are moved towards the center of the path, this distortsthe shape (especially as it gets closer to the center and further from the original path). The points scaling is separate fromthe general contour scaling (unless the add scale setting is ON). The initial state will have the paths and points (if set to 0)overlapping the original. To see the points scaling, set the points contour to something other than 0. If the value is set to 0,the contour options field is not enabled.

'Points contour options': There are many application methods of point contour. Each option modifies the contour point indifferent ways, such as only applying the points value to alternate points or four points and a skip of a point etc. Use this tocreate different contour point designs

Plug-ins notes


'Variance (p)': An additional value added to the points and applied depending on the variance options dropdown (such asaccumulate or alternate add to the contour setting). Useful for creating many different contour designs

'Points variance options': Modifies the application of the variance value to the contour

'Interpolate(%)': Interpolates the points contour between the set and the center, creating many variant contour designs.The second box modifies the direction point / contour based on interpolation with the calculated and the center

Plug-ins notes


Dialog - 'Style' screen

Manipulate the fill and stroke and stroke width of the path across generated paths

'Fill': By default the fill remains as the original path. There are a number of options such as modify all new paths towardswhite / black / swatch color / inverted color; or randomize the colors; randomize the colors based on the swatches palette; aswell as alternate original color with black and white and swatch color and others. The entry next to the fill dropdown controlsthe swatch (this is based on the position in the swatches palette), the second entry controls the 'midpoint' for the fill and bydefault is ignored (set to 0)

Plug-ins notes


'Stroke': As with the fill but for the stroke

'Width': Modifies the stroke width such as adding additional value to the stroke width for each generated path. The value isfurther modified by the scaling lines option (if scaling and not using the points inset feature)

Plug-ins notes


'Pattern': Generates additional copies based on a particular center such as the document center. Useful for creating contourtile designs.

Interpolate style': Interpolates between the generated fill and original fill (and stroke)

Plug-ins notes


Dialog - 'Settings' screen

Additional settings check boxes

'Path - alternate flip': Each alternate path in the contour is flipped by 90 degrees

'Path - opacity (R)': The contour created paths are varied in opacity / transparency.

'Path - delete (visible in preview)': By default, the original path is left but this might or might not be as required. You willsee it in the preview, but after clicking OK, it will be deleted. Sorry about the preview visibility, just the way the plugin worksin combo with the application.

'Path - create(R)': By default, the contour is made up the number of contours requested. If ON, the path will be created ornot, randomly, leaving gaps in the contour.

Plug-ins notes


'Points - ignore direction': The direction points manipulate the curve of the path. The direction points are left in place as ifthe points contour is not applied. If both are set to ON, nothing will change. All the points settings are not enabled until youset a points value in the points dialog (they have no meaning otherwise)

'Points - ignore anchor': Paths are made up of points, anchor points being one part of the path formation (please check outthe Illustrator manual for more details about beziers, anchor, direction points, and others, and also each application calls theterm slightly different) If you set this to ON, the path's anchor points are not moved during a points contour inset (thedirection points / curves are). If both anchor and direction are set, there will be no change.

Plug-ins notes


'Points - rotate center': Instead of applying the contour to the points using the path center, the current rotate optionscenter is used. If this is set to the path center, then no change, but the rotation center can also be the shift position or userdefined center. Useful for creating unusual shape formations.

'Points - add scale': The plugin by default doesn't join the contour and the points scaling together. If ON, the contourscaling is applied to the points scaling (vica versa.. as well).

Plug-ins notes


'Points - apply (R)': Instead of applying the points contour to all the points, the plugin randomly modifies or applies thecontour to the points. This can create some really unusual contour point inset effects, especially if there are a lot of points.Even a simple square with a number of points can be inset and create jarred hi-impact tattered ragged path effects.

Examples of contour plug-in

Example 1. Shift settings

Plug-ins notes


Example 2. Contour scaling dropdown

Example 3. Scaling no longer linked

Plug-ins notes


Example 4. Rotation applied

Example 5. Multiple paths and rotation center set to the third path

Plug-ins notes


Example 6. Random create for points

Example 7. Interpolation and fill set to alternate black

Plug-ins notes


Example 8.Converted text and inset

andrew's vector plugin's volume 18 manual for illustrator

Documents

plugins pc illustrator

contour plugin

level plugins folder

default plugin folder

graphicxtras folder

cs2 hd

introductionthe plugin

plugin sets