Attached Link: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/softsoft/wintopo/index.htm

Thanks Zhann - I think this software will be really interesting to play with.

hmmm, any screen shots? I'm just kinda new to understanding the relationship between vector and 3d. I don't have PSP, which by the demo has a good vector tool. I've got PS 5.5 and 6. and Illustrator something (7). So, while i've exported illustrator vectors into Electric Image Universe just for fun, I do prefer to use the full on nurbs or bezier tools that come with EIU. So am I to assume that this proggy takes a raster (grayscale) image and converts it to vector (something that can be directly imported into EIU and extruded)? Why not just use the gray scale in Bryce terrain editor? or is that too rough on the edges? I'd love to hear more about this.

Well, I believe this app is more for eliminating the need to trace a profile for extrusions in 3d modeling progs. I was told, 'Use the freeware program Win-Topo to turn the image or outline into a DXF vector file, which Amapi can handle directly as a polyline. Much more accurate than tracing!' in the Amapi forum, and that's what I'm using it for (architectural copings and bases). I have PSP7 and it handles vectors, but I found no way to export them as dxf files...

Doesn't Adobe Illustrator deal with dxf's?

Don't know, don't have it...anyone know?

This is what Adobe lists; Import and export files in a wide range of popular graphics formats. Work with Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), EPS, SVG, Photoshop, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, WMF, EMF, SWF, CGM, DXF, DWG, BMP, ASCII, and RTF files. I assume it's the kind of dxf's you're talking about? I don't know myself. AS

oky doky...:)

I looked around for an import/export filter for Photoshop, for dxf's, nothing as of yet.

Attached Link: Baument.com

Maya, Lw etc will use ai (Illustrator) files as curves "paths" "splines" etc.. most vector apps. And Photoshop will export a DXF file, you have to have the plugin, grr can't remember where it is oright now.

Cool. Don't worry, it will be found! Thanks, Clay for the verify. AS

Sounds nifty...

Ditto!

Ooops, meant to ask does anyone know if PaintShopPro has the same capability, I couldn't find anything, and will the PS plugin work with it?

Thanks Zhann. I'll check it out. PSP? dunno probably. I'm hoping the plug in Clay refers to works with corel photo paint myself.

dxf is pretty common. I know Wings 3d can handle it, I think Anim8tor, Bryce for sure, and possibly Poser. The files tend to be a bit larger than .3ds, but there's conversion programs that can handle that as well. I got the program, but I understand about 1 word in 3, so it'll be slow going for awhile.

Paint Shop Pro can import dxf, but not export it.

Bummer..:( Guess WinTopo for me....

I had found WinTopo not more than an hour before I read about it here. It does work, however, I could not get the resulting dxf into Bryce. I was able to import it into trueSpace, select the face and extrude, then export as dxf and import into Bryce.

Corel PhotoPaint will export .ai. I think dxf as well. I sometimes use an old version of HijakPro(IMSI) for converting to and from 2d .dxf as well as converting screenshots to jpg, but I really need to update it.

OOpS! forgot to mention there is 2d dxf and 3d dxf - jelisa noted that a 2d dxf needs to be converted to a 3d format to import into Bryce as an object.

Yup, that's why I wanted it, to bring in a polyline profile to extrude in Amapi...

Zhann, gotta love you ... you grok extrusion!

Why, thank you bikermouse, I grok you too, in a good way of course...8)