[Sandwich]

I have an image of an outline I'd like to use as a 3D logo in animation. The image is a simple greyscale (B&W + anti-aliasing) silouhette (sp?). Does anyone know of a way to convert it into curves or polylines or whatever, in either, MAX, TS, or Rhino?

[Flipside]

Your best bet may be to just make a flat polygon and use the image as the texture and the alpha channel, to try and make it 'truly' 3D would be a bit harder, and would probably need to scan it in, use it as a backdrop in Max or TS and then 'draw' the polylines over the top of the image, that way you could bevel out the final shape.

No doubt someone will come along with a better idea now

[Thorn]

Well, if this were Lightwave I would use the image as a displacement map on a flat plane of polygons, then edit out the unused polys, remove unnecessary ones, then add a back on it so you can look at it from any angle.

[Taristin]

I was thinking that(What flipside said). Or there are supposedly plugins for TS that will use the color value of an image to make geometry. I don't know how well it'd work.
If it's not super complicated, just modell it, and see how it goes. It shouldn't be too hard.

Edit:
The tool I mentioned does what thorn says...

[DragonClaw]

[edit] I blame my connection being so laggy that I didn't get my same answer as thorn did in first [/edit]

[Flipside]

I can convert it using displacement map very easily, but the problem there is that the polygons tend to be square, and when you cut away the background, the finished article can look pixelly

[aldo_14]

Depending on the image, you could use it as a background and draw splines over it, or maybe use it as a displacement map on a nurbs plane.

[Thorn]

Originally posted by Flipside
I can convert it using displacement map very easily, but the problem there is that the polygons tend to be square, and when you cut away the background, the finished article can look pixelly

You make a flat plane, subdivide the hell out of it, triple it, then do the displacement map. You can optimise it afterwards.

[Nico]

"lloks at other suggestions"
My god, people
You have the shape in photoshop? Export it as an illustrator file ( can't remember the name ). Max can import those.
Magic!

[Thorn]

And rarely using MAX, I never would have known that....

[Nico]

Well, as I'm  rarely using Lightwave, you don't see me giving advices on how to use it, right?

[vyper]

wots that CAD format most apps support? Makes 2D/3D wireframes using such images.

[Taristin]

DXF?

[Nico]

DXF

[vyper]

Thats the bugger. That'll solve it.

[Sandwich]

Well, in-between HLP's first death and ressurection, and the second, I was trying to use the file as a displacement map, when all of a sudden my computer decided that it didn't much appreciate being told to boss around 800,000 polygons without a working CPU fan or DirectX acceleration, and quit. It is now sleeping the eternal sleep of (I hope) a dead power supply. Haven't gotten the chance yet to try putting in a new one. Ah well, my new computer is already ordered and on its way.

[vyper]

No CPU fan?

Aye... sure it's the power supply

[USS Alexander]

I would try the displacement map to on a flat subpatch and tweak the falloff settings abit, or what aldo said using curves you have tons of control over the shape then, you just need to conform to the bg image then :)in LW in max i would do what nico said.

[Thorn]

Originally posted by Nico
Well, as I'm  rarely using Lightwave, you don't see me giving advices on how to use it, right?

Your post just came across as being a bit arrogant.. thats all I was on about...

[demon442]

I saw an easy way to do this in Maya on TV.  They were making fly-through logo's, but its the same concept.

Just create a flat plane and texture it with your logo.  Draw your splines over the edges.  Extrude a bit and you've got a basic 3D logo.  

Please note, this is all just logic and reasoning.  I have no real experience with modeling programs as none of the worthwhile ones are leagally free and easy to learn.  The demo I saw used Maya's lightmap feature to create the splines according to the changes in color, and then a handy slider for the distance to extrude.  This may or may not apply to specific modeling programs, its just a guideline.