Resolution of Imported Bitmap

[jbeer]

When I import a bitmap into an IronCAD scene, the bitmap is displayed at a very low resolution. How do I increase the resolution of the imported bitmap?

 

Computer I am using IronCAD on:

533 MHZ Pentium II

Win 98

384 Mbytes of ram

Permedia II 8 mbyte graphics card

 

Thanks a Ton!

 

Josh

[Robert Andersson]

When you say "import in to IronCAD" you mean apply as parttexture, I assume.

IronCAD does not change the image resolution.

You have to use a bitmap with more pixels in.

You can try to select the part, right click and select Smartpaint, and in the image projection dialog select Settings...and change the size of the projected image. This will scale the texture rather than adding/ removing pixels to it.

Robert Andersson

[jbeer]

I think I should explain how I am using the imported bitmap.

 

1) I create a new IronCAD scene

2) I select file-Insert-Object-Create From File. (Maybe I should have said I was inserting a bitmap into a scene. My appologies.)

3) Select the Bitmap of a scanned drawing.

4) Use the Inserted Bitmap drawing to help create IronCAD solid geometry or curves.

 

It seems that IronCAD will lower the bitmap's resolution when it displays it in the the scene. It is displayed at such a low resolution that I cannot accurately trace the drawing geometry. The particular bitmap I am using is very large and it is a very high resolution scan. The bitmap is approximately 11 megs. If I double click this large bitmap after it is imported into IronCAD, MS paint is launched and the bitmap is displayed at its proper resoultion.

 

How can I increase the displayed resoltion of this inserted bitmap?

 

I hope this helps everyone understand my question.

 

Thanks!

 

Josh

[B. Ludin]

Josh -

 

I've observed this, too, and I'm pretty sure that IC doesn't display the bitmap at all but the preview (thumbnail) in the header of the file only.

 

Beat

 

 

[Robert Andersson]

Cant you just select a face of a block and apply the bitmap on it?

I mean select a face planar to a block's crossection, rigthclick, smart paint, Decal Tab, Decal from image texture, browse to the .bmp. OK

Then, while the face still is selected, click on Move decal button. Rightclick anywhere and select Fit to model.

Robert Andersson

[don_temple]

I've made some headway with Robert's procedure above but I think I'm having trouble creating a pixel density that IC likes. I've tried source files from 72 to 600 dpi and no matter what size block I apply them to the image either looks squished down (in a messy, all balck pixels bluring into each other way) or stretched out so there are white pixels filling in the gaps between balck pixels that have been stretched too far.

 

It seems like a target pixel density would help to really lay the decal on the surface at a 1:1 ratio. Does the IC rendering engine want to see 72 pixels per inch (so a 1x2" block will accomodate a 72x144 pixel decal at a visually crisp and accurate 1:1 ratio) or should we use 150, 300, 600 pixels per inch? Or should we do something with the block to work better with the image on a 1:1 "crisp as Photoshop" basis?

 

 

 

Injection mold, jig and fixture design.

www.QuickCAD.biz

[Chris Lohman]

Squishing is a result of IronCAD changing the scaling factor of the import texture. You can goto the decal (or smart paint) tab, into the settings button, in order to change the scaling factor back to 1:1.

 

I can't make it as crisp as photoshop either. I don't see extreme blurring, but what I do see looks like it's over antialiased (fuzzy).