A

Anonymous

Question

Mobius Strip Design in Illustrator?

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
October 23, 2009
5 replies
29931 views

Does anyone know how to design a mobius strip in illustrator? Here is a link to see what the shape looks like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip. I am trying to design a logo for our company but, I am not sure how to get started with this design. I would like to design something resembling a figure 8 or close to it if possible. I would like to use Black as the main color with a Yellow line in the center resembling a road. I would even like to fade the black to green to give the shape some sort of environmentally appearance. If anyone has suggestions as to what tools to use to make this 3d look, I would greatly appreciate the help.

This topic has been closed for replies.

JETalmage

Inspiring

MöbiusEnvelopeMovie.swf

JET

A

Anonymous

If I do one thing today it's going to be figuring out how to make that sweet animation. Also, does anyone else fail to see the first three or four images JET posted?

The first image I see in this post is the MobiusSequence_02.png..

JETalmage

Inspiring

Try hitting the refresh button.

I don't know why that happens in this cumbersome forum. It didn't happen in the previous forum.

JET

JETalmage

Inspiring

More explicit instructions for the Möbius distortion:

JET

tromboniator

Community Expert

James,

I've attempted to replicate your Möbius strip results, and get stalled at step 3 when the reflected end points over(or under)lap the adjacent portion of the path and make it invisible. I have spent many hours searching the help files, combing the forum, Googling blogs and tutorials, and digging through menus, palettes, and flyouts, but cannot manage to find how to make that portion visible. I thought it must be related to non-zero winding/even-odd fill rules, but applying envelope distort locks it to default (non-zero?), and reverse path direction is denied, whether I select one or more anchor points or the whole object. This problem seems familiar, as if I'd dealt with it back in the Paleolithic, but I can't get a handle on it nor, seemingly, to frame the question properly to get an answer. So: how can I make the invisible overlap visible?

Thanks,
Peter

Edit: Sorry, got interrupted.CS3, Mac 10.6.2

Message was edited by: tromboniator

tromboniator

Community Expert

Now that I look again, I see several posts above my previous one that I didn't see before. Either there was a technical glitch, or...Nah, the alternative is just too embarrassing to contemplate.

Peter

JETalmage

Inspiring

Note that the text in such a construct is still editable:

JET

JETalmage

Inspiring

The step-by-step images, although created to answer a question in an earlier thread about constructing an ordinary figure-eight graphic, show how you can manipulate pairs of Mesh Envelope meshPoints to advantage. The bottom graphic (the Mobius) just flops (Reflect Tool) a direct-selected pair of meshPoints 180 degrees to basically build a Mobius strip much as you would with a strip of paper.

JET

S

shunithD

Inspiring

JETalmage wrote:
The step-by-step images, although created to answer a question in an earlier thread about constructing an ordinary figure-eight graphic, show how you can manipulate pairs of Mesh Envelope meshPoints to advantage. The bottom graphic (the Mobius) just flops (Reflect Tool) a direct-selected pair of meshPoints 180 degrees to basically build a Mobius strip much as you would with a strip of paper.

JET...

Was trying out this tutorial... as luck would have it, had been working on a concept using film strips

Ok..., here are my problems...

1/ Film strip original is six frames... transform to 18 (6 x3). Expand and group... Cannot now justchoose the outline / background. (attaching the original film strip using the solid one).

2/ Text: Has to be entered character by character and then aligned to each frame

3/ How do you enter the text and line it up?

4/ Change the frame background colour etc...

Basically it works fine up to the time you want to make changes... to text or background colours of frames... Wonder if you are getting my scenario?

film_strip_master_03.zip

JETalmage

Inspiring

You are being very cryptic, so I don't really understand your questions. You seem to be asking basic questions about using Illusrrator that really have nothing to do with the subject of this thread or my post. I'll give it my best shot:

1/ Film strip original is six frames...

Your file contains nothing but a single Symbol Instance, which in turn contains a single Symbol Instance. The Symbol contains just some white filled rectangles and a black filled rectangle, arranged to look like six frames of a film strip.

transform to 18 (6 x3). Expand and group...

You use Transform Effect to create two copies? You then expand the Effect and Group the results? (The results would already be grouped.)

(Please speak in complete sentences, so I don't have to guess what you are talking about.)

Cannot now justchoose the outline / background. (attaching the original film strip using the solid one).

The problem is that you now want to select the black rectangles and merge them into one? If so, you can't select the black rectangles because they are still elements contained inside a Symbol Instance. You either have to Break Link To Symbol, or Edit Symbol. See online Help for Symbols.

2/ Text: Has to be entered character by character and then aligned to each frame

Now you want to add some text so that its characters appear to be in the frames, as in my earlier example? Just create a text object, type, and position it as desired. You can either include it in your Symbol, or you can create it as a separate object and include it when you apply the Envelope. See online Help for editing Symbols and applying Envelopes.

3/ How do you enter the text and line it up?

How do you line up the text object with the filmstrip artwork? Just position it as desired. You can either create individual text objects for each frame, or, if there's a monospaced font that suits you, use that and increase the Tracking. See online Help for text range Tracking.

4/ Change the frame background colour etc...

Again, your artwork is contained in a Symbol. You can colorize the Symbol Instance with the Symbol Stainer; or you can edit the Symbol. See online help for editing Symbols and Symbolism Tools.

Basically it works fine up to the time you want to make changes... to text or background colours of frames...

What works fine? The Envelope Distortion? To edit the content of an Envelope without releasing the Envelope, use Object>EnvelopeDistort>EditContents. See online Help for Envelopes.

Wonder if you are getting my scenario?

Not really, no.

I will folow this post with more explicit instructions for the Möbius strip distortion.

JET

Larry G. Schneider

Community Expert

Maybe something like this?

A

Anonymous

Yes, but without the small red line around the edges.

Nick Rodgers

Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:12:38 -0600
From: forums@adobe.com
To: nicholas_diecast@hotmail.com
Subject: Mobius Strip Design in Illustrator?
Maybe something like this?http://forums.adobe.com/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/13979/Picture+1.png

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