Pixel by pixel instead of CAD

[LouCoatney]

I'm doing a series of 1:1200 - simple - World War 2 warship models, and I used to do the drawings on the ModelCAD drafting program and then convert them to the (JPG and then wised up to) PNG graphics program, but sorting out the kinks from the conversion takes a lot of time.

But for the Japanese Mogami and Tone heavy cruiser classes - their hulls were basically same - I'm bypassing CAD and trying to do them directly pixel by pixel. The square dimensions are easy to figure, but guesstimating circular lengths is ballpark, so we shall see how this works out.

At 96 pixels per inch - I should have done them 100 per inch for the 1:1200 scale - maybe next time - they're small enough to enable curves but large enough to make indeed a pixel by pixel design.

(Is there any pixel-graphics program that does/calculates regular shapes, does anyone know?)

Anyway, wish me luck.

[db-sa]

Perhaps a dumb question but why go from Cad to pixel in the first place?
Why not publish in vector format and solve your conversion/scaling problems?

[LouCoatney]

Not a dumb question. What is vector format? How does it differ from CAD, db?
Can it be colorized?

Thanks for responding.

[db-sa]

Hi

CAD works in vectors, hence my mixing terms, and yes areas of colour can be placed into CAD drawings.
Haven't been able to identify the ModelCAD programme you use but suspect it simply is not clever enough to do that. If that is so, I suggest a free top end programme such as, but not limited to -
FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler
Doubtless a bit of a learning curve but, using a different programme and working solely in 2D, I've sketched out a sort of ship and included a bit of colour, as below. Adding a bounding box of whaterever size to the drawing and stating the size of that box when printed to give an appropriate scale should be enough.

Cheers
DB

[georgerutherford1861]

Lou, here is an article that talks a bit about the difference between pixel (raster) and vector graphics.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/vector...ster-graphics/

Vector graphics can be scaled up and down with no loss of resolution, while raster is better for graphics that will have weathering effects, those are the two things that stick out most in my mind when it comes to paper models. I like vector myself for recoloring models, as selecting objects and changing the fill color is easy, and of course the rescaling always comes out looking great as well.

I have even taken a few models done in raster and "drawn over them" in a vector program in order recolor/rescale them. Models can even mix them, as in a ship done in vector format, but there is a jpg or something like that imported in to it for wood decking, etc.

Doug