Emboss Texture From Image

Introduction

Emboss Texture From Image creates an embossed texture using an image file. This feature is used to add machineable textures to an emboss model.

Navigation

To create an Emboss Texture From Image feature:

In the BobART tab, right-click Emboss Model. Point to Emboss Texture, and click From Image.

The Texture From Image dialog box displays.

The Dialog Box Parameters

View the Texture From Image dialog box

Emboss Attributes

Name - indicates the feature name that is displayed in the BobART tree. Note that you cannot use the hyphen (-) character with spaces around it, as this is reserved for the automatic naming and will be removed. You can however use it without spaces, for example, Emboss-Body).
Color - opens the Color dialog box. Select the desired color for the feature, and click OK. (The default color is set using the Solids color of the Settings Part/Settings Default dialog box.)

Parameters

Image Size Control

Scale to Stock Size - automatically scales the texture surface to fit the defined stock.
The following two options scale the texture surface by a percentage of the original surface file size in the corresponding axis:

Scale X (%)
Scale Y (%)
Z Depth - sets the depth of the texture in the Z-axis direction. Note that this does not define the exact height of the feature, but rather the depth applied to the information in the assigned image.

Pattern Location Control

The following two options control the distance of the embossed textures by a percentage of the original surface file in the corresponding axis direction:

Spacing X (%)
Spacing Y (%)

NOTE: It is important to know that the spacing works using the bottom left corner of the art surface as a reference position. Typing 100.0 means that the spacing between the reference positions are the width of the original surface. Typing 50.0 indicates that only half of the original width is used for spacing, meaning that only half of the embossed texture is visible due to an overlap of the textures. Typing 150.0 indicates that the distance between the reference positions is one and one-half times the original width of the art surface.

Rotation Angle - allows you to change the angle of the texture surface. The value is applied to all instances of the embossed texture generated by the operation.
Progressive Shift (% Between Rows) - allows you to increase the spacing between embossed textures incrementally through the model. This percentage is added to each additional row.

Current Attributes

The following two options display the dimension of the selected art surface file in the corresponding axis direction. If no surface file has been selected, these boxes display a 0:

Art Surface Size X
Art Surface Size Y

The following two options displays the length of the current emboss model in the corresponding axis direction.

Emboss Model Size X
Emboss Model Size Y

Application Type

Application Type - indicates what kind of embossing is performed: Add, Subtract, Merge High, or Merge Low. For more information, view the Application Types help topic.

OK - accepts any changes and closes the dialog box. (The first time you click OK, the feature is created and added to the BobART tree.)

Cancel - cancels the creation of the feature (the first time that the dialog box is displayed). When editing the feature, this cancels any changes and closes the dialog box.

After defining the parameters, you use the Emboss Features in the BobART Tree to finish creating, or edit, the feature.

The Emboss Feature in the BobART Tree

When you finish defining the feature parameters and click OK, the feature is added to the BobART tree. You right-click each feature item in the tree to access a shortcut menu.

The Feature Shortcut Menus

Texture from Image

Right-click this item to access the following commands.

Edit - opens the Feature dialog box for you to modify the feature parameters.
Delete - removes the feature from the tree. Regenerate to view the change in the model.
Suppress/Unsuppress - is used to remove the feature from the model or to restore a suppressed feature. To update the model, Regenerate.
Save As Component/STL - is used to save the feature as a component or .stl file. This saves the individual feature and not the entire model. The STL Save Option dialog box displays for you to set the tolerance. Next, the Save As dialog box displays for you to select a location, name the file, and save it. The component can be used to create an Emboss from Component feature.

Boundary Geometry

Right-click this item to access the following commands for assigning a boundary. If no boundary is assigned, the texture is applied to the entire model (stock area).

Re/Select - enables selection mode for you to select closed chains in which to confine the feature. You can select multiple closed chains. To confirm your selections, click OK.
Remove - removes any geometry assigned to the feature boundary.

Image

Re/Load Image - displays the Open dialog box for you to select a file type, select an image file, and click Open. The image is used to create the feature. Regenerate to view the change in the model.
Edit Image Using Paint - select this option to open the image for editing in the Paint program. When you are done editing, save the changes and exit the program. Regenerate to view the change in the model.

Generating the Model

After all necessary selections are made, you must regenerate to create the model.

To Regenerate the Model:

Right-click Emboss Model, and click Regenerate.