3dmax to vector

[Clockwork]

Get any one of the following plugins....

Plasma (by Discreet)
Swift 3D (Be Electric Rain)
Vecta 3D

These are all plugins for max - Plasma and Swift 3D offer stand alones. I would say Plasma is your best bet. The export in .swf format among others.

[zarkos]

It depends what you need for export. If you want to export anims than you need a plugin. But if you need a static image you can try to export to DXF.

[Arnage]

FinalToon also has a good vector exporter :beer:

[Goodie2Shoes]

i tried dxf... freehand can't read it good...
hmm, any free ones?
thanks

[Martijn Wijmer]

If you need to export an image or small animation, you can use shell shading (or ink 'n' paint) in Max, and use the "trace bitmap" function in Flash, that's how i did all my animations on my personal website, and it worked out okay.

[zarkos]

That's great idea.

[coffeepenguin]

Hey Martijn Wijmer:
Just out of curiosity what settings did you have you render in Max set as and what settings were the trace bit map set as in Flash?
I got a couple gray patches by my lines in Flash after the trace bitmap was done.

[Martijn Wijmer]

It's been awhile ago since i used this method, and i remember that i had to draw some lines in Flash myself, so it's not like you trace the bitmap and you're done. I did it with max3.1, so i had to use shell shading (made thin outlines with falloff, self-illumination 100%) I really don't know the trace bitmap parameters i used. Curve fit and Corner treshold i used the standard parameters tight and normal, you have to play with the color treshold and minimum erea. But the most important thing is that your render from max is good. For animation the best method is to draw the outlines in flash, because when you trace them in Flash, it's not a line, but a filling. So it takes some time to get it right, but it will work eventually.

[Martijn Wijmer]

It also depends on what kind of effect you're after. I needed drawings/animations in flash with a black outline and white paint. If you need some shadow effect in your drawing, it's better to just render without any outlines, trace your render, and do the outline in Flash. Just be creative with your tools.

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