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Drawing a coil/spring

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nicholasangel

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Aug 6, 2003, 9:14:09 AM8/6/03
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I have looked feverishly for an easier way to draw a perfect continuous coil in Ill. It can't be that hard! HELP!

Doug Katz

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Aug 6, 2003, 9:45:26 AM8/6/03
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What's the not-so-easy way you've tried?

I've used the spiral tool and scaled it down vertically with the Free Transform tool (so it's "flat" on the page), increased its stroke weight, outlined it, applied a metallic gradient, option-dragged it straight down, and blended. Depending on my needs, I've also done this with "flattened" ellipses.

Gary Newman

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Aug 6, 2003, 11:15:43 AM8/6/03
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You mean like this?

Doug Katz

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Aug 6, 2003, 12:49:09 PM8/6/03
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Gary, is the first image (the simple ring) a compound path made of two ellipses? Did you make it by outlining/offsetting your first drawn ellipse or by using the subtract pathfinder on two drawn ellipses, or some other means?

I ask because, if it's a compound path, AI does something very interesting that FreeHand can't: it allows open paths to become -- and remain despite scissoring -- compound paths! In FreeHand, if I draw two ellipses (inner and outer), combine them to become a compound path, then cut them apart (as in your second image), the objects immediately lose their compound status and become 4 simple paths.

If I have all this right, then the spring is a perfect example of the practical value of AI's approach! It allows each individual coil -- BETWEEN the ellipse segments -- to be filled with color (white in this case), but it does NOT fill the inner ellipse segment which would block what's behind it!

p1kuo

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Aug 6, 2003, 1:55:38 PM8/6/03
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Nice trick Doug!

I just wanted to say that i did this just now but using multiple strokes (3 point white stroke on top of a 5 point black stroke) to create the same effect. so no compound paths required.

Gary Newman

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Aug 6, 2003, 5:00:30 PM8/6/03
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Actually, I made the example using two paths, as P1 describes. But the ideal way would be to add the inner stroke using Add New Stroke on the Appearance palette.

Wade Zimmerman

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Aug 6, 2003, 5:32:21 PM8/6/03
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My head is swimming from all of this amazing graphic magic…I need a drink.

Doug Katz

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Aug 6, 2003, 9:40:30 PM8/6/03
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I think p1's approach with Gary's amendment is SOOO much better than mine! Such a clever use of the multiple stroke capabilities.

See what happens when you've been brought up on techniques that were "the only way back then" but have been rendered obsolete by modern tools and techniques? YOU KEEP USING THEM... kind of automatically... and you fail to exploit and enjoy the newer conveniences though they're right there on your palettes!

Thank you, both.

John Kallios

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Aug 7, 2003, 7:13:25 PM8/7/03
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Just wanted to say I enjoyed this thread.

John

p1kuo

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Aug 8, 2003, 6:02:27 PM8/8/03
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I guess i didin't make myself clear. i said multiple strokes meaning multiple strokes within the appearance palette, not multiple paths.
Gary's description is how i made the coils in the first place. i guess i should have explained better.

everyone kicks ass! go team!

dave friesen

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Aug 8, 2003, 6:41:09 PM8/8/03
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Wasn't there an old demo Action from Illustrator that would draw a coil for you?

Or was that from something else?

Markjevan

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Aug 11, 2003, 12:34:04 PM8/11/03
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I afraid this goes a bit over my head.
How do you turn a whole ellipse into half of one?
I'm trying to draw a single helix and a double helix.

Gary Newman

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Aug 11, 2003, 4:24:43 PM8/11/03
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But drawing a double-helix... Whew! I’ll only try to figure this one out when I need one. Sorry.

p1kuo

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Aug 11, 2003, 4:07:33 PM8/11/03
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draw a full ellipse and then delete just one of the anchor points and you'll get half.

Illustrator 10 also has the arc tool, which lets you draw 1/4 circles. you can draw 2 and then join them together.

p1kuo

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Aug 11, 2003, 6:46:25 PM8/11/03
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Don't know if this is what the double helix they had in mind would look like...but here's what i did. it's kinda the bull-headed approach that you can't back track after you are done

1. draw zig zag
2. draw opposing siz sag (or horizontally flip a duplicate)
2a. place zig zags so parts of it over lap
3. Make lines thick (like 20 points) and make them different colors
4. expand lines.
5. select both objects, click on 'divide' in pathfinder
6. now the overlap part of the zig zag lines are their own objects
7. color the first, third, 5th, 7th...etc overlap one color, and color the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th overlap the second color, and it'll look like a coil overlapping each other...

i'd put up an image but i don' tknow how.

JET

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Aug 12, 2003, 9:22:59 PM8/12/03
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Here's an easy-to-build Pattern Brush method to do a double spiral.

Single page PDF. 170K:

<http://www.IllustrationETC.com/AIbuds/AIHelixBrush.pdf>

JET

Gary Newman

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Aug 12, 2003, 10:05:21 PM8/12/03
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Very nice, James. I knew had to be simple. I especially like the double helix of the double helix of the double helix.

Phosphor

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Aug 13, 2003, 1:04:18 PM8/13/03
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James...

This is a request, repeated from well over a year ago, but I sure wish you'd build a small page that linked to all of those tutorials you've put together. I know that you've said they're just simple one-offs, but they're quite nice, and should be readily accessable.

(sez Phosphor, who has 5 or 6 decent tutorials that aren't in any way linked to each other, nor to a cohesive site proper.)

Gary Newman

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Aug 13, 2003, 2:24:29 PM8/13/03
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Maybe you guys could get it together at www.illustratorworld.com
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