Spirals - how to??

[Ramsey]

I've been looking at this (http://resources.bloguite.com/vectorial/spiral-vectors-by-sexualtyranosaurus), assuming its been done in Illustrator and wondering how its made :confused:

I would like to make something similar but somehow my knowledge of "transform each" and "transform again" doesnt quite cut it - These seem to use more complicated transformations.

Could someone perhaps point me to a tutorial or maybe a plugin, I've been searching for ages?? :)

[eugenetyson]

Hey Ramsey,

Is this of any help to you?

http://pinkzap.com/?p=164

[Lukas Engqvist]

It is mostly inspiration and doesn't give you the "just add water" recepie, but it's fun:
http://www.deke.com/content/spirograph-steroids

[Ramsey]

Great links :)

eugenetyson - thanx but i cant even get that command to work hahaha - nothing happens when i try that in my CS2 version.....

Lukas - tht video is great! But... thats kinda what i already know.

For instance some of the examples in my link are made with one line/doodle that gets repeated and angled/rotatet.. but! it also gets transformed... the anchor points are moved around, the line is gradually folded etc. And thats what i can't get my brain wrapped around! Oh.. and the ones i refer to are also assymetrical in the final design

[GarySped]

I am wondering if some of those objects might have been created by using the tilde key?

Try the spiral tool and as you draw out (no fill, thin stroke set) hold down the tilde (~) key and you can create some wacky patterns.

Otherwise maybe Inkscape or Scriptographer (two free programs that work well with Illustrator).

[Lukas Engqvist]

It does take some playing, and I doupbt if all attempts are shown in the blogg.
Another "basic" feature that can be used is the blend, with specifiec steps and a custom spine. But everyone does not create art with a pencil. You give the same set of oilpaints and some artist will create a materpiece and some one else will just dirty the canvas.

[eugenetyson]

Take it apart - then rebuild it.

I downloaded the illustrator file and disassembled it.

If you copy one of the "shapes" out of the file and into a new file and ungroup.

Then select it all and on the Layers panel choose "Release to Layers Sequence"

You can then turn off all the layers and turn them on one by one to see exactly how they were created.

It was done compeletely with playing. They are nice though. When you see how it's done you can start formulating your own versions :)

[Ramsey]

Thanx for the answers guys - guess ill have to play around with it some more!!

Although ~ or ´ keys dont make any of the spirograph-like effects here .... in fact they do nothing :p

[GarySped]

Ramsey,

Are you MAC? I don't think Tilde key works on Macs. Also if in Europe some European Langs don't have such an animal.

Gary.

[Ramsey]

no im on a windows machine - i am however in a European country (denmark).... theres i a ~ on my keyboard... it just doesnt do anything as far as Illustrator goes ;)

[GarySped]

If I am not mistaken Lukas had a similar issue. He may have a workaround?

Gary.

[Scott Weichert]

Tilde key only works for shapes - Rectangle, Ellipse, Star, Rounded Rectangle, etc. It won't do anything for an open path.

I agree with Lukas, I think they are all simply Blends.

Sample movie (http://www.scottweichert.com/dump/blend.mp4)

[The Repro Kid]

I've been looking at this (http://resources.bloguite.com/vectorial/spiral-vectors-by-sexualtyranosaurus), assuming its been done in Illustrator and wondering how its made :confused:

I would like to make something similar but somehow my knowledge of "transform each" and "transform again" doesnt quite cut it - These seem to use more complicated transformations.

Could someone perhaps point me to a tutorial or maybe a plugin, I've been searching for ages?? :)I can tell you exactly how those were made. They were made with an Illustrator plug-in called Scriptographer. You can learn more about it and download it here (http://www.scriptographer.com/). Have fun.

Here's a screenshot of one of many of the scripts available.

[GarySped]

Repro,

I thought it might be Scriptographer. Not used it in a little while. Most of Scriptographer works well but some user added items cause a bit of instability. Save often when using it. But Scriptographer is a neat tool altogether. Takes a bit of playing with to work it all out - some videos worth watching at the download site. Do not know if it works in CS4 but it does/did in CS3.

Enjoy.

Also the Tilde key will work with open paths? Arc, Line, Rectangle/Grid, Spiral tool.

[The Repro Kid]

...Also the Tilde key will work with open paths? Arc, Line, Rectangle/Grid, Spiral tool.Yes they all do. Here's one with the Spiral Tool using tilde key and wiggling the cursor slightly while drawing. Below that is one using the Line Segment tool.

[Lukas Engqvist]

By open paths I think what was meant was free form paths. Since the tilde does replicate copies. It would in theory work on a per segment basis, but that wouldn't do much good.
I disgarded the tilde as a thought right from the start as it would require a) a basic shape, which means only the circle qualifies. b) does not allow a elipse to rotate. c) requires one steady drag, which is theoretically possible but try it ;)

As for the tilde I found it on the "<" (greater than) position. (another key which really getts me is in photoshop when they say the brackets for changing brush size, becuse it doesn't work, and neither does the RGB channels in PS CS3 unless scripted to do otherwise)

[Ramsey]

im such a noob... of course a great deal of those are blends..... hahah

But thanks for all the great suggestions!!

[GarySped]

The obvious way is always good - when it is obvious but the other methods are always worth noting. I am having fun with doing this as blends - remembering that blends are not always static. Set the basic blend (as Scott shows in his video clip) and then play to your heart's content.

As always - Neat stuff!