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One of the cool new features of Ulead COOL 3D 3.0 is the Path Editor. The Path Editor takes your images, logos, etc. and converts them to vector-based images. After they are converted to vector-based images, the Path Editor "three-dimensionalizes" them.
In this tutorial, I'll use the COOL ZOO logo as an example to show you how simple COOL 3D has made this. Here's the result:
Using Ulead COOL 3D, the above can be accomplished in only four steps:
Import the image into Path Editor
Set Bevel and Color attributes
Rotate the logo
Set the frame number
Step One: Import the image into Path Editor
Right click the following image and save it into the folder of your choice. This will enable you to import it into the Path Editor.
| Click the Insert Graphics Button. The Path Editor Screen will appear. At the bottom left-hand corner of the screen is the Convert to Vector Button (see below right). When you click the Convert to Vector Button, you will then choose which image you want to convert to vector. Choose the Ulead logo from whichever folder you saved it in. |
Insert Graphics Button
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Convert to Vector Button
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After you have selected this file, you will see the following screen:
The Tolerance, Jump Point and Threshold settings are set at default settings. At this point, feel free to see what each does by clicking the Show Path Only box. As you adjust the different settings, you'll notice what happens to your image. Before you press OK however, return the settings to the defaults, except for the Tolerance setting...set that to 1.
Click OK. You should see the logo in inside the path editor.
Click OK again to import the logo into your project screen.
NOTE: The following screen will appear. Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong. Simply click Yes and you will be ready to continue.
Step Two: Set the Bevel and Color attributes
Your screen should look like this:
Click Object Style in your Easy Palette. You will see several options in this gallery. For now, we will only worry about Bevel and Light & Color.
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First, select Bevel. (You can set this manually by opening your Attribute Toolbar under the View menu if you'd like, but for this tutorial, we will use one of the presets.)
Second, select the preset (right) two over and two down from the upper left-hand corner of the gallery. |
Bevel Preset
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To apply this selection to your logo, you can either drag and drop it into your screen, or simply double-click it. Visually, you will not notice the difference yet, but as soon as we add color and rotate the logo, you will see the bevel effect.
| Select Light & Color from your Easy Palette. If your Attribute Toolbar isn't displayed, go to View ----> Attribute Toolbar to open it. Once it is opened, you will see the color box (right) at the bottom of your screen. Click on this select your color. |
Color Selector |
When the Color Palette is open, select any color you want. For this example I have chosen royal blue. Now, your screen should look like this (assuming you selected blue):
Step Three: Rotate the logo
| This process can be done manually using key frames, but Ulead COOL 3D enables you to move an object in a variety of ways using presets. The preset we will use (right) is located in the Easy Palette under Studio ----> Motion. It is the very center one. As with the the bevel preset, you can either drag and drop this effect or double-click to apply it. |
Rotation Preset |
Step Four: Set the number of frames
This couldn't be easier. On the Animation Toolbar are two fields at the right of the toolbar: Frames and fps (Frames per Second). Simply highlight the number in the Frames field, and change it to 30. This will make your animation run more smoothly. However, it will also download more slowly. Play with this and choose a number that works best for you.
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