Showing posts with label ILLustrator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ILLustrator. Show all posts

Friday, November 13, 2009

Compass: A Lesson in the Pen Tool

You will need this image to complete this tutorial.
1. Open the compass.ai Adobe Illustrator file from the zip file you downloaded. This is a template we will use to make your compass shape. Open your layers palette and highlight the arrows layer. Select your Pen Tool (P)

2. Click View=> Pointer. This should take you to the pointer template for making the inside pointer in your compass. With your pen tool set to black stroke, click on the point marked 8. click on the point marked 9. hold your control key down and click elsewhere. Use your selection tool to select this line segment. Set the Stroke on the stroke palette to a weight of 4 pt. Click filter=> stylize=> arrowheads.

3. Set the start box to arrowhead #3. Set the end box to arrowhead 17. Set the scale to 50% and click ok.
Double click your magnifying glass tool to set the magnification of your artboard to 100%.


4. Set your default colors, and then set the fill color to no fill by activating the fill palette on the tool box and clicking the no fill button below. The stroke remains black. Select your pen tool again. Click the pen tool in the square marked capitol A. This will set an anchor point for our starting shape at A.
5. Click in the square marked lower case a. A new anchor point is added to the first anchor and a line segment occurs between the anchors. You will see a highlight over your black segment.
6. You can end the line segment by holding your control key and clicking away from the anchor. Select the line with your selection tool and set the weight of the stroke on the stroke palette to 7
7. Select your scissors tool from the tool box. The scissors will allow you to "cut" a line segment.. Move the scissors over the middle of the line segment. Click on the middle of the segment. Half of your segment will now be highlighted with a new ending anchor. Switch to your direct select tool and grab the new anchor and move it toward the edge of the circle on the template to shorten the segment to go for outside to the circle. Click on the other new anchor point on the other half segment and drag it to the circle edge to make this segment shorter. Click select=> deselect.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 for a segment connecting Points B and b.
9. Repeat steps 4-7 for segments E-e and D-d but use a stroke weight of 4 pt.
10. Once you have all the line segments drawn and sized, it is time to add arrowheads. arrowheads is a style that is built into illustrator. Remember we started all our lines on the capitol letter points, A, B, D, E.
Select your selection tool. .Click on the segment A1. Click Filter=> stylize=> Add Arrowheads. This will open the arrowheads dialogue box. Select the arrowhead # 16 from the start(top) box. Set the end box to non. Set the scale to 200 %. Click ok.

11. Use the selection tool to select the 3-a line segment. Since a was the ending  point of our drawing, we will need to put our arrowhead on the end when we stylize it. Click Filter=> Stylize Add Arrowheads. Set the start to none. Set the end to arrowhead 15 and scale to 100%.
12. Repeat steps 8 - 9 for the B-2 and b-4.segments to add arrowheads. Be sure you add the starting point to B-2 and the ending point to b-4.

13. Use the select tool to add arrowheads # 14 at 150% to the starting ends of E and D (if you started your segment on E or D.). If you goof, just click edit=> undo. Add arrowheads  to e and d on the start end so the result so far looks like on the right.

14. Open your layers palette and lock your arrows layer. Unlock your bubble layer and highlight it.

15. Select the pen tool set to black stroke. Click without releasing at point 1 to add an anchor there and drag to the right to the red handle dot. This will bend the line some. CLick in point 2 and drag down to the red handle dot. Click on point 3 and drag left to the red handle point. Click on point 3 and drag up to the red point. Mouse over point 1 until you see a o appear next to your pen tool. The circle means that by clicking there you will close the shape. Click to close the shape and drag to the right again to the red dot. You should have a nice black outline circle now. Use your selection tool to select it and change the stroke weight to 5 pt.
16. While the bubble circle is still highlighted, click on the fill color swatch on the tool box. Open your color palette and set the CMYK color of 40, 0, 50,0 so that a faint green fills your circle. Set the transparency to 45 percent.

17. While your circle is still highlighted, double click the scale tool. Set the scale to 100% and click COPY. On the new copy, set the fill to no fill and the stroke to black, weight= 5. Set the transparency on the transparency panel back to 100%.
18. With the new circle still highlighted, double click on the scale tool. Set the scale to 95% uniform and click copy. Now set the weight to 10 point with dashed line, dash 4pt, gap 10 point.

19. Now double click the scale tool again. Set the scale to 95% uniform and click copy. Now set the weight to 10 point with dashed line, dash 1 pt, gap 5 point.
20. Click directly on the green fill in the ring behind. Click object=> arrange=> bring forward.
21. Click View=> bubble to display the template for making the bubble. Choose the pen tool. Set your stroke to white  and your fill to no fill for now. Set the stroke weight to 1 on the stroke palette. The dotted lines of the template represent where we want the resulting directional lines and handles to go. Click on the number 5 point and drag up and to the right to match the dotted line. Click on the number 6 point and drag down and to the right so that the opposite handle and direction follows the dotted line above point 6. Hold your alt key down and click directly on the anchor for point 6and drag down again, but this time matching the handle below the #6. Click on point 7 and drag to the left to match the handles. mouse over the end point to see the o under the pen tool. hold your alt key down and click drag up until the direction and handle below matches the bottom dotted line. Set the transparency palette to softlight, 100%. You can rotate if need be.
22. Click inside your kidney shaped bubble and move over your green bubble centered on 10 pm.. Set the fill to white, stroke to no stroke. While your kidney shape is still highlighted, double click your scale tool. Set the scale to NON-uniform at -80% scale height and width. Click Copy. Use your selection tool to move the new kidney to center over 4pm on the compass. Set the transparency on the transparency palette to 75% and softlight.
23. move the first pointer you made over the compass and position it in the circles. while it is highlighted, click Object=> arrange=> Send to back.



Source : http://www.developingwebs.net/illustrator/compass.php Read More..

Thursday, November 12, 2009

How to Create a Golden, Vector Compass in Illustrator

Tutorial Details

  • Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours
image

Step 1

Create a circle (width 367px) with fill color and no stroke by using the Ellipse Tool (M). Make sure to press Shift while you create it so you get a perfect circle and apply a radial gradient, as shown in below.

Step 2

Let’s start with the markings. Create a rectangle (L) at a width of 0.688 and height of 13.044 – towards the upper side of the circle and replicate it towards the lower side (hold the Alt + Shift while you select and drag the upper one downwards).

Step 3

Select the rectangles using the Selection Tool (V). Group them together and align the two of them and the circle both horizontally and vertically on the center.
image

Step 4

Select the rectangles (V) and rotate them using the Rotate Tool (Right-click > Transform > Rotate) by 1 degree and click copy in the Rotate Tool Dialog Box.
image

Step 5

Now press Command + D to repeat the rotate copy, and repeat until you get to complete a circle made of small markers, as shown below.
image

Step 6

Select the middle rectangle from the top using the Selection Tool and enlarge its size downwards so this one stands out. You do this by dragging downwards with the Selection Tool (V) while you press the Shift key.
image

Step 7

While this marker is selected, copy and drag it downwards. Make sure you press both Alt + Shift while you drag it so it will be centered with the upper one. Once you’ve reached the bottom group them together (Command + G).
image

Step 8

Rotate the group by an increment of 20 degrees (Right-click > Transform > Rotate) and press copy in the Dialog Box.
image

Step 9

Duplicate the action in Step 8 until you covered all the circle by using Command + D.
image

Step 10

Now that we have the markers for the 20 increments, we’ll need the ones for the 10 increments. Select the center marker with the Selection Tool (V), copy and paste in front (Command + C and Command + F), then drag it from the bottom upwards by holding the Shift key so that the size is in between the small and big markers.
image

Step 11

Select the new marker with the Selection Tool and copy it downwards by dragging it while holding Alt + Shift.
image

Step 12

Group both of them (Command + G) and rotate by 10 degrees (Right-click > Transform > Rotate). This time in the Rotate Panel click OO.
image

Step 13

Select the rotated one group and rotate it again with 20 degrees, like in step 12 but this time press Copy in the Rotate Panel. Repeat (Command + D) until you get a full circle.
image

Step 14

Prepare for the text by drawing a circle inside using the Ellipse Tool (L) inside the big one and center align it with the rest
image

Step 15

While keeping the circle selected use the Type on a Path Tool to write the numbers on the circle that you’ve just created.
image

Step 16

Continue to create these numbers in increments of 20 until you are finished.
image

Step 17

Create a star with four corners by using the Star Tool. Play around with the arrows and Command while you draw it. The one I drew is 225,887px wide.
image

Step 18

Now that we have a start we need to color each corner in two so we’ll have to divide it on the middle:
  1. Draw an empty line using the Line Segment Tool (\) that is longer than the vertical of the star.
  2. Copy the line and Paste in Front (Command + C and Command + F) and rotate the new one by 45 degrees using Selection Tool (V), while holding the Shift key.
  3. Repeat step 1 and 2 until you have four lines.
  4. Select the lines and the star and center align them both horizontal and vertical.
  5. With the lines and the star selected In the Pathfinder Panel (Shift + Command + F9) press divide.
image

Step 19

  1. Color the sections of the star using the Direct Selection Tool and the colors of your choice.
  2. Copy and Paste in Front (Command + C and Command + F) the colored star and rotate it 45 degrees using the Selection Tool (V) while holding the Shift Key.
  3. Make the new star smaller using the Selection Key (V) and Shift + Alt.
image

Step 20

Delete three sides of the smaller star and leave just one. Select the two anchor points you see in the above image using the Direct Selection Tool (A). Then use the Selection Tool (V) to drag the upper-right while holding the Shift key until they intersect the bigger star.
image

Step 21

  1. Select the remaining part of the small star using the Selection Tool (V), press R and drag towards the middle of the big star while holding down the Alt key.
  2. Once you do that enter 90 in the Rotate Dialog Box and press Copy.
  3. Repeat (Command + D) until you get a full star again.
image

Step 22

Using the Text Tool (T) enter all the text ("N," "E," "S," "W," etc...)
image

Step 23

Now that we’ve created the direction markers we need to create the mobile part of the compass. Enter the group containing the big star, copy the horizontal segment (Command + C), and paste it (Command + V). Now Select the upper two anchor points using the Direct Selection Tool (A), then Right-click > Average > Both.
image

Step 24

Add some color to the segment to make it stand out. I’ve added the colors, as shown below.
image

Step 25

Using the Ellipse Tool (L) while you hold the Shift key you add two concentric circles to the center part of the mobile segment. In the image below you can see the colors I’ve used for the radial gradients, but you can also access the source files available for all Vector Plus Members.
image

Step 26

Group (Command + G) all the elements drawn up to now together.

Step 27

Let’s create the golden frame of the compass. Create four circles using the Ellipse Tool (L) while you hold the Shift key. Start with creating the widest and finish with the smallest. I’ve created mine with the following widths:469px, 460px, 449px, and 393px.
image

Step 28

Now let’s add some gradients and group the circles together. The swatches I’ve used are available for the Vector Plus Members in the original format.
image

Step 29

Select both the golden part and the other and arrange them using the Selection Tool (V) until you get a similar illustration to that shown below.
image

Step 30

Lets add a shadow to the compass:
  1. Create a white circle using the Ellipse Tool (L).
  2. Use the Mesh Tool (U) to add 4 mesh points.
  3. Use the Direction Selection Tool (A) to select the mesh points and then add the color: #4d4d4d to the center mesh point and #f2f2f2 to the outer mesh points.
  4. After you are satisfied with the colors, select the circle using the Selection Tool (V) and transform it into an ellipse as shown.
image
image

Conclusion

Finally add the ellipse under the compass and position it so you can emulate a light source that created a shadow. Here is the image I’ve obtained.
image
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Source : http://www.tutorialized.com/view/tutorial/How-to-Create-a-Golden-Compass-in-Illustrator/52829

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