Image Inflate Docs

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Simon
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Image Inflate Docs

Post by Simon »

Inflate Image

Converts a BMP into a 3D model.

Image Inflate Tutorial

Image

1) Select Inflate Image from the Model menu.

2) Click Image... and pick a BMP image.


3) Click OK and you are done.

4) You can cancel during the "Prepare Height..." phase - It will still make a mesh, but will skip the rest of the smoothing steps.

The final mesh is made at the origin, with size determined by the two scale values [If Scale(X,Y) is the same as Scale(Z) an image circle should become a 3D sphere].

It is usually best to use a higher resolution image than you want the final mesh to be, Quad Size (pixels) is the width of an output quad represented as a number of incoming image pixels. (Using a Quad size of 1 gives very large (slow) meshes and also bugs in Curvy).
Image Inflate Settings

Inflation Mode:

Relief mode creates a heightmap from the image brightness.
Use a greyscale image with white where you want a higher surface.

Auto mode cuts out the white area of the image and estimates a rounded 3D surface to make a 3D model - this mode can handle very complex input images.
The best images to use are solid black and white pictures (not greyscale), 128-256 pixels wide with patches of solid white where you want your object to appear.

Smooth - Uncheck to get a straight line inflation, a circle becomes a cone, a rectangle becomes tent like. This can be useful along with Clamp Height to make spaceship bumpmaps.

Quality (Steps) - Used to control smoothness of the Auto surface.

Mirror to make back faces - Tick to make a full 3D surface, leave unticked to make a simple heightmap.

Pure Quad Mesh puts quads at the edge of the geometry instead of triangles - (better for subdivision). Triangles on the edge give cleaner models in Curvy.

If you tick Clamp Height any point more than Clamp Height (Pixels) away from an edge is flattened out - giving a beveled effect.
Simon
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Post by Simon »

Here are some example source images and an exported OBJ that demonstrate using "Auto" mode inflate.

http://www.curvy3d.com/Demo/InflateDemo.rar

The first pictures show making a sphere-like object from a white circle. I left a 12 pixel black border around the white to help the conversion process.

Inflate is not the best way to make perfect spheres, but it gets more interesting if we make the input shape a bit more complicated. The other images show what happens as I change the source image, then change the inflate settings.

Image
Ladybird
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SL

Post by Ladybird »

How would you get something like that into SL? I have seen the sword tut but it lost me in the middle. I'm going to read through it again after dinner but not holding my breath :P

I've seen one or two other topics mentioning SL too but most have broken links to the graphics.

Is there a REALLY basic beginner's tutorial anywhere? A more basic walkthrough of using Image Inflate would be great, maybe there is one that I haven't found?
Simon
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Post by Simon »

This is as simple as it gets, sorry. Hopefully after trying a few inflates you will start to get a feel for it.

As for exporting to SL, using the sword tutorial, that is more complex. All the info is there in the tutorial but it will take a while to master the process.
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