Wood Grain Texture

[sevans]

Hello,

I am looking for someone with 3D software capability to create a wood grain file for me. I am interested in a woodgrain that would look similar to grain frame sandblasted signage. If anyone would like to take on this task please drop me a line or respond to this thread. I am prepared to handle this in a professional manner. Thanks much! S. Evans (Appalachian Signs & Design)

[brucehiggins]

I am just getting started but you can take a look at the sign at the top of my website: http://www.brusigns.com
I can do it or show you how. That style isn't as heavily textured as sandblasted signs.
Bruce

[brucehiggins]

THEN I look at your website..... Like the kindergartner trying to teach the teacher. Are the woodgrain ones you have sandblasted?

[sleepy]

Here is a site that has many textures.
http://www.cgtextures.com/

[Brady Watson]

Sarah,
FYI - ShopBot PartWorks2D (or VCarve Pro) will create a woodgrain pattern that is much faster than a 3D relief generated pattern.

-B

[joe]

Dear Sarah,

I think we are on the same page with this quest.

I've posted the same question on several forums like ArtCam and here. From that I received lots of "How To" advice. Haven't seen any satisfactory examples. Unless you've been blasting redwood, cedar, and HDU there is little chance of knowing what to look for. It's this artists belief, you can't out-do mother nature. The Grain Frame is the closest I've found.

The only solution, for us, was to take a couple of 2'X8' panels to the blast cabinet. A small Grain Framed panel, will not enlarge up 8'or 10' and maintain the deliclate pattern and detail. It must be made to size!

Terry, my main man, just finished blasting our demo panels today. With that chore behind us, the next task is a high resolution Tiff for Photoshop.

Sarah, I know whats your looking for and believe it can be done. Haven't seen anyone with that file yet. I've seen lots of attempts though.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

J
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[sevans]

Thanks so much guys for the replies to this. I have done a little experimentation with images of woodgrain, doing a relief in corel draw and machining the vector with a V Bit. I have yet to do a shopbot experiment but the preview looks pretty amazing. However, I am still wanting a file that I can depend on, and that won't take 6 months to cut. Keep me posted! -Sarah

[sevans]

P.S

David, Very cool website!!!!Thanks for turning me on to this.

[brucehiggins]

Sarah, you might want to try a 1/4" bullnose bit instead of a v bit.

[joe]

Bruce,

Perhaps a ballnose could be used but 1/4" can't render the deliclate grain of sandblasting.


5975

The attempt to simulate sandblasted wood grain, it's desireable to have random vertical heights. Which is much easier to render in 3D. Just can't imagine that being done with only vectors.

[bleeth]

Joe: Thanks for posting the closeup of your work. It is absolutely beautiful.

[brucehiggins]

I agree Joe, but I think you can get a pretty good alternative look that doesn't take too long to cut.

5976

[joe]

Bruce,

Thanks for making such a nice panel.

This is what we are working tword.


5977

We sandblasted 4'X8' panels last week to get the natural woodgrain. The reason for the size is to keep from having to enlarge the file which distorts the detail.

I assurme you can see the variation of detail and interesting grain. The machine time for our work isn't as much a concern as the quality. The quality is what we get paid for.

[brucehiggins]

Joe,
My hope is to to approach your quality level someday. I am just getting started and have lots to learn.
Using Alien Skin Textures you can create a 4x8' panel with any size grain you want - it doesn't have to be blown up and distorted. You can have it create fake knots and control how it appears the wood was sawn to get an affect similar to the piece of wood you show. I will try and cut another example closer to what you show and post it but sandblasted is still going to look the most natural I think
Bruce

[joe]

Thanks Bruce,

I'm always open to new ideas. I'm a photoshop user from way back. Perhaps this type file could be imported into Artcam to be given depth. For me, any wood grain pattern must have the option for selective depth.

The search for a woodgrain solution is an old one. It comes up every few months. It's now called by some the "Holy Grail". I've seen a few attempts on the ArtCam Forum which are awful at best.


5978

[brucehiggins]

Okay, the knot feature sucks and this needs some work for sure but it may be worth playing with more. I spent all of 5 minutes on it (I know - it shows). There wasn't enough contrast in the rings of the knot so it came out as solid black in the jpg and I didn't fiddle with it but you can see options w/ the wood grain.

5979

[brucehiggins]

Joe,
If I can learn to make signs like yours I will be a happy botter. That is beautiful work!
Bruce

[joe]

Bruce,

I think you are making good progress with this process.

The knot looks good. A chisel could make short order of realistic detail.

There's a graining tool, most paint stores sells, which gives much the same look as we have here. A flick of the wrist renders many detail changes which, from a distance, looks very real. However it too suffers from the lack of realistic depth.

Like you, I feel there may be a solution, however I'm very close to completion of my 3D files. That's not to say your product doesn't have a market. Perhaps one larger than mine.

One very skilled craftsman, Dan Sawatski, makes lots of simulated woodgrain. Like many of us Dan's moved over to 3d router work for his signs. www.imaginationcorporation.ca (http://www.imaginationcorporation.ca) He's uses a PhotoShop, Enroute and a Multicam on Precision Board.

Thanks to Precision Board, we both are featured in their ad's and website.

Dan conducts a couple of weekend workshops each year "Router Magica". He's top drawer and I suggest attending. There's a limit of ten and the class fills up months in advance. Details are on his website.

[geoff]

What a small world. I went to school with Dan Sawatski way back. I live on Vancouver Island now and some of his murals as posted on his site are in Chemainus, a 10 minute drive for me. I am only about a 2 hour drive from his studio so I might have to go check it out this summer. Thanks for the post.

[brucehiggins]

I have received a few emails asking for details on the texturing I did so I will describe here and maybe others can offer improvements.
Software used: Photoshop w/ Alien Skin Textures (30 day trial download), Corel Draw, PartWorks.

Open a new file in Photoshop of the dimensions you need.
Select Filters/Alien Skin Eye Candy Textures/Wood
Under Settings select Redwood (works well but try others also)
Under the Basics tab set Ring Thickness to about .3 inches (twice the thickness you really want) and Contrast to 100. Set pulp color to black and bark to white (or vice versa). Play with Cut Offset, Variation Amount, Variation Roughness, Seamless Tile, and Random Seed until you get thelook you want.
The Knots tab lets you add knots.
Under the Grain Tab set Grain Opacity to 0.
Click on OK.

Now use the magnifying glass to zoom in on the texture.
Use the paint bucket to convert greys to black and/or white so the white and black areas are equal width: set tolerance to 50 and click on a grey area. This is hard to describe but easy to do - I can usually do it with one click with white in the paint bucket and one with black. Use undo if you overdo one of the colors and try again.
Save as a jpg at low or med resolution

In CorelDraw import the jpg file.
Select Bitmaps/Trace bitmap/Line Art
Set Smoothing to 25, Color Mode Black and White, Remove background, Specify Color (select white), Remove color from entire image, OK.
Now you should have the wide black grain lines.
Put your sign text over the grain.
Select all objects.
Arrange/Shaping/Trim
Export as EPS.

In Partworks select the text outlines (hold down shift key and select each letter).
Do a contour cut with a vbit to a debth of say .25 (adjust accordingly).
Select all objects and contour cut with a 1/4 inch bullnose bit to a little deeper debth (i.e. .3 inch). Anything deeper than .3 and I would pocket cut first with a flat end bit, then cut 1/8" deeper with bullnose.

There are details such as doing an exterior contour line around the letters in Corel Draw before the Trim that are worth playing with. Please offer suggestions to improve/simplify these instructions. I have only had my ShopBot a month so go easy on me if I am doing something stupid here.

[brucehiggins]

Ha, it's depth not debth. I was thinking of the debt I am in until I start selling and quit playing with the shopbot.

[bill.young]

Bruce,

That would be great info to add to the wiki...maybe with some pictures?

Bill

[brucehiggins]

Bill,
I will add it to the wiki after I see if there are some suggestions offered.
Bruce

[joe]

Perhaps you could complete a nice sized sign so those interested will know what to expect.

[brucehiggins]

I will work on a bigger sign. There are a lot of options so I can't show everything to expect. I believe this technique is good for a certain level quality sign. I don't think that it can compete with high end sandblasted signs without some serious input from experienced pros but it may be a starting point.
Something that generates a certain amount of random depth or depth pattern to the grain lines is going to have to be part of a more successful solution I think. Min/max depth, max depth diff between 2 adjacent grain lines, % depth roughness, etc. I could see how this challenge could consume a guy.

[joe]

Geoff,

What a golden opportunity. Dan, now known as Garmpa Dan, has become an Icon in the industry. He's often published in the sign trade magazines and his router techniques find a place on their covers. The major porduct line is "Theme Parks"

He's also become the avant guard woodgrain textures expert. His website shows the degree to which he's gone.

Tell him Ray Chapman and I said hello.

[brucehiggins]

Here is a pic of the texture on a little bigger piece. This is for a 4' x 2' sign done out of MDF, painted, ready to cut pockets for letters and graphic. The pic is taken at an angle to avoid glare hence the grain appears to converge. It is what it is - a type of texture but not a sand blasted look. If the sign comes out ok I will post a pic but don't hold your breath - I am just trying stuff. I will put the info on the wiki and hopefully others will add to it.

5980

[bill.young]

This site has hi-resolution scans of a bunch of wood species. I use them for materials for 3d models and they are really great for that...don't know if they would have any use for generating the kind of texturing you guys want to do but thought I would pass it on, just in case.

http://www.defcon-x.de/textures

Bill