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warp/distort and extrude(3d work) Make Affinity designer just an incredible tool


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I really love your product and appreciate your work thank you. I think that if we add extrude function and distort like in Illutstrator it will be amazing. these functions are not enough in AD that it would be an ideal tool) Thanks for attention)

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Hi B13eL,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Thanks for your feedback. There's already plans to implemented distortion tools in Affinity Designer (the Mesh/warp distortion tool in already on Designer's roadmap) but as far as i know we are not considering adding any 3d features to Designer. We do have Layer effects that allow you to simulate 3D effects (check the Bevel / Emboss and 3D) in a 2D plan, but nothing like Illustrator extrude or revolve etc functions.

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B13eL,

 

Illustrator itself is also really an entirely 2D program.

 

If perchance by "extrude function and distort like in Illutstrator" you are referring to Illustrator's 3D Effect, you may not be aware that 3D Effect is a plug-in which is a severely debilitated subset of Adobe Dimensions, a separate product which was an actual 3D surface modeling program, the unique advantage of which was that it rendered its results as normal 2D PostScript compatible objects (paths with grad fills, path blends, etc.)

 

I have no way of knowing, but I've long suspected that even Adobe Dimensions was based on another acquisition of a startup program, Satellite 3D, which appeared a year or two before Dimensions. (I actually have an original-package copy of it.)

 

Dimensions was discontinued by Adobe long before the limited pieces of it were re-packaged as the 3D Effect plug-in for version 11 (CS). At the time, many users familiar with Dimensions (myself included) would have much preferred for Adobe to simply bundle Dimensions with Illustrator, so that its full functionality would be available.

 

3D Effect has some additional capability in that, because it is implemented as a so-called "live effect" (which simply means it re-renders on-the-fly when you make changes to the underlying paths), its results can be used a key objects in object blends. But its performance and stability suffer quickly as you push those limits.

 

3D Effect's limitations compared to Dimensions are huge, though. You can't, for example, even perform different extrusions or revolves on two separate objects in the same 3D model space. And unlike Dimensions, it doesn't even include the third basic 3D construct of pipeline extrusion. Nor can it really do Boolean operations on separate objects (only what can be achieved from using compound paths in the source 2D artwork.

 

So while even a crayon is capable of nice things in the right hands, 3D Effect is not what I'd call a "professional" implementation of a 3D feature. Serif has repeatedly stated that Affinity's focus is toward creating a seriously purpose-built, efficient 2D program with a functionally elegant interface and without the "everything-including-the-kitchen-sink" clutter of most competing programs--ostensibly aimed at professional users.

 

My vote would be for Serif to doggedly stick to that. Serif doesn't (so far as I know) own an old 3D modeling program to cannibalize and insert a few of its pieces into Affinity Designer. Nor would I want it to. When I need 3D rendering, I'll use a separate program.

 

Several drawing programs (Xara, etc.) include similarly-limited 3D extrusion effect features for the typical "Superman" headline and such, but most render as rasters, which can produce more convincing lighting and shading effects, and which nowadays is fast and is typically implemented as a "live" rendering, so its resolution when exported can be adjusted as needed.

 

But frankly, (just like autotracing), that kind of "me, too" feature is something I really hope Serif avoids in Affinity. The last thing the vector commercial illustration market needs is yet another grab-bag of half-baked features.

 

Now, if what you're talking about is a truly thorough 2D extrusion, lathe, and pipeline implementation, yeah, I'd be all for that, but I suspect that would be a way too ambitious project. I'd much rather see Serif improve its axonometric drawing features, which is an area too long overlooked by competing programs. Commercial illustrator's should not have to resort to CAD programs to do axonometric drawing.

 

JET

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Serif doesn't (so far as I know) own an old 3D modeling program ...

 

Serif did have ImpactPlus, but they abandoned it nearly a decade ago.

 

... to cannibalize and insert a few of its pieces into Affinity Designer. Nor would I want it to.

 

Me too neither!

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I remember Dimensions: at the time it was already very limited compared to applications such as Lightwave and Max. Its saving grace was indeed the unique vector output that looked alright.

 

Sketchup Pro exports vector files of 3d scenes and objects. Unfortunately, it costs $600, because the free "Make" version does not support this. But if you need a simple to use 3d editor with vector output that is very easy to learn (easier than Illustrator!): Sketchup is it. And it is far more capable than Dimensions ever was (well, excepting the smooth gradient output).

 

I saw a post here a while ago mentioning Blender with SVG output. But that takes it to a whole different level, I suppose.

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Adobe Dimensions was wonderful. There has not been since comparable 3D app with vector output (?) (for mac?).

 

 

There was (is?) Swift3D, and similar vector-based rendering in a few 3D modeling programs (Infini-D was one). But most of them rendered shading as polygonal facets, not as path shapes which are reasonable to manipulate after creation. So (just like autotracing results), the very advantage of its being vector-based is largely rendered moot; you effectively just end up with a vector version of "resolution dependence."

 

I know it's just business, but Dimensions is one of those examples of what I mean when I say that Adobe's market dominance has effectively been a setback to vector drawing advancement. Same as discontinuance of FreeHand. ;-)

 

JET

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