Happy New Year!
It's a holiday today and so I came out to the shop to just play a bit. Over the holidays I've been working on 3D files and then trying to figure out how to export them so they can be used in EnRoute. As usual there is a brutal learning curve. And I'm struggling through it by sheer force - as always.
In making the files I was so intent on what I was doing I didn't do any screen captures. At this point I am so mixed up it would most likely just confuse everyone in any case. But in spite of myself I am getting some results I like. I am working on a piece that honors the Fox & Hounds Pub's 'founder'. He's a fictitious dude - as is the date of the founding but it is fun never-the-less. I'm hoping the owners will like him enough to hang the sign in the food service area by the cash register near the restaurant.
I created the 3D mesh in a program called ZBrush. If you think EnRoute is complicated don't even try ZBrush. It makes my head hurt. But I did manage to churn out a mesh file I kinda liked. It will take a little hand sculpting to make it usable. ZBrush doesn't export in a format EnRoute can use, but a trial copy of Rhino did the conversion to DXF that I needed. Then I made it into a relief in EnRoute and tool pathed it using a 1/2" ball nose bit. Because I was whittling it from a 3" thick block of 40lb Precision Board I needed some serious length in the bit and the 1/2" did the trick. I wasn't worried about detail as I'll carve and sculpt that in later. Here's a quick movie of the MultiCam in action on the 3D file
While the face was being cut I whipped up a background plate and lettering oval for the sign. This was pretty standard stuff using a few of the bitmap textures from my TEXTURE MAGIC collection. The lettering is prismatic. I routed it in two layers so I would get the depth I needed to accommodate the 3D head of the pub founder.
I'll be sculpting in the neck and shoulders by hand as well as a little more detail throughout.
The sign looks good in it's rough state but will hopefully have a lot more impact by the time it is finished. I'll be back to post pictures of the progress. Stay tuned...
-dan
