Potrace and Moho

Weber · Post by **Weber** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:01 pm

Hi, Potrace http://potrace.sourceforge.net/ is a powerfull utility to raster to vector conversion. You can see it in action inside inkscape at www.inkscape.org. Potrace is opensource, is best than CorelTrace, Streamline, traceline or others raster to vectors converter aplications. I think that it can be work with moho by a script.
Workflow.
1-A twain script utility to scan from any scanner a sequence of drawings.
2-A script to raster to vector using potrace.

I don´t know if potrace have a option to detect the line not the contour of a object, if yes, potrace can be used to make a raster to vector conversion to make all lines of a object and use moho to change line width or effect. If not, maybe can use autotrace, another raster to vector converter.

I know that Moho isn´t for traditional animation, but this script can be helpful to make some animations that need some drawings by hand.

AcouSvnt · Post by **AcouSvnt** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:38 pm

Have you used it successfully with Moho, though? I posted here a little while ago about how I was having trouble importing the EPS files.

Weber · Post by **Weber** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:20 am

See what I mean at:
http://cscott.net/Projects/Mallard/

But I can´t import a EPS file created by Inkscape into Moho. Moho don´t understand the format for while.

I´m not a programmer but I think that someone can be make a powerful script to moho with these suggestions. Moho team can do?

Nichod · Post by **Nichod** » Sun May 22, 2005 8:54 am

I disagree with it being better then Streamline, but it is a nice conversion tool.

Rasheed · Post by **Rasheed** » Sun May 22, 2005 3:20 pm

Well, I could use Potrace on my Macintosh PC without a sweat, with the following workflow.

First I drew a bitmap file (see below) in black and white, "test.bmp". Then I used Protrace in Terminal:

Code: Select all

/Applications/protrace/protrace -o test.eps -e test.bmp

I read the resulting file, "test.eps" in Preview and saved as "test.pdf". This file I opened in MacGSView (OS 9 freeware program) and exported to Adobe Illustrator format, "test.ai". This file could easily be loaded into Moho.

The original file

The resulting Moho file (selected all points and created a black 1px outline and white fill, background is colored to show what has happened).

I guess this workflow (EPS file->Preview->MacGSView->Moho->vector layer) can be used for other EPS files as well.

Programs used:
- Protrace (Freeware)
- Terminal and Preview (Mac OS X system utilities)
- MacGSView (Freeware)
- Moho (Shareware)
(Macintosh OS X 10.3.9)

I don't know enough about Linux and Windows, but I guess there is a workflow possible in these systems as well, without having to buy extra software (like Adobe Illustrator).

Good luck and thanks for reading

PS Here's some artwork I created by manipulating the imported AI file in Moho:

janimatic · Post by **janimatic** » Tue May 24, 2005 2:11 am

i just posted a similar script here

http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1404

it use autotrace (ras2vec was the old project name i believe they all rob it)

PS : MAC osX autotrace ?

-> native Autotrace have been ported to os X tiger
http://autotrace.darwinports.com/

-> I don't have a Mac here,
but it seems like delineate
http://delineate.sourceforge.net/download.html
packages autotrace and potrace together in a java app...

Anyone can test it and tell us ?