Symbols | Mapping stroke to 3D-Model will distort stroke

[Laubender]

Hi together,

recently I came accross a mapping bug with a stroke ( width 0.2 Pt ) applied to a waving flag shape used in a symbol that was mapped to a 3D model.

Original shape. Orderly stroke applied to a shape:

Some details, shapes with stroke selected:

Mapped result of the symbol using the flag symbol. The stroke is distorted:

Here more details:

What I tried:

1. Using dynamic symbol: Stroke was distorted.

2. Using static symbol: Stroke was distorted.

Not visible in the screenshots:

3. Rendered the flag to pixels > No issue

Is there anything else I can try to map the stroke not distorted?

I do not want to use an image with this if not necessary. It's bloating my file size and I want to keep all artwork in vector.

Even if I save the artboard with the 3D object as PDF/X-4 in CMYK.

All tests done with Illustrator CC 2019 version 23.0.2 on Windows 10.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Another thing I tried:

4. Recreated the artwork in Illustrator CS6 using symbol for mapping:

Stroke was distorted as well.

Seems to be an older bug.

Regards,
Uwe

[Monika Gause]

Can you try the following:

1. Expand the stroke

2. Delete the inner path

3. Move the remaining path to the background

4. Make symbol and apply to the object

[Laubender]

Hi Monika,

good idea! But unfortunately I see distortions as well. A bit different than the ones before, but they are still there.

I'll experiment a bit with this and post some detailed screenshots later.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Here some results that are not satisfactory:

Two different approaches for the original artwork:

1. A filled shape stacked below the path with the flag.

No strokes applied to all the elements.

2. A composite filled path stacked above the path with the flag.

No strokes applied to all the elements.

Result of mapping the dynamic symbol:

Next thing I'll try is to get rid of the compound path element in my first approach for a workaround where a filled shape is stacked behind the path with the flag. And I'll ungroup the groups. All groups that are involved. Here all elements of the center flag selected:

I made sure that there is no stroke applied to the shape stacked below the center flag that should give the illussion that there is a stroke applied to the flag:

The mapped result unfortunately is still the same distorted one:

Next thing I'll do is a bug report at Illustrator Uservoice…

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Bug report is done.

Voting to fix this issue can be done here:

Symbols | Mapping stroke to 3D-Model will distort stroke – Adobe Illustrator Feedback

Note: I attached a zip file with all test documents and screenshots above.

I had renamed that file with suffix *.txt. I think, zip files cannot be uploaded when reporting a bug to Uservoice.

One could download the 26 MB text file, remove the suffix and then unzip it.

Just tested this on my Windows machine

Regards,
Uwe

[Ton Frederiks]

Can you share the problem file so we can have a look how it is constructed?

You can use CC file sharing, Dropbox or something like that.

Edit:

I see that you already did that

[Laubender]

Ton,

thank you for looking into the files.

Leave a note here if you need something else.

FWIW: The shape was created entirely with Illustrator.

With a previous version you have no access to I saw the issue with the wavy paths I copied from InDesign to Illustrator.

But this one you are seeing with my files is created in Illustrator.

For now I gave up testing.

Perhaps later I'll try some things with different miter limit values.

Regards,
Uwe

[Ton Frederiks]

I am not sure what is causing the distortion, when starting from scratch I see no distortion, but using your files I get the distortion.

Have to try some more.

[Laubender]

Hi Ton,

The solution for this specifc issue could be to go along with the centered flag, but using a rectangle with a fill inside of the path stacked below the element holding the flag stripes. Instead of the fill to the path I currently did.

Next workaround:

At least I thought so. The wavy path stacked below the flag is now a clipping mask containing a rectangle with a fill.

The clipping mask has no color fill or stroke:

The result of the mapping is close to what I like to see, but still not perfect:

A very strange case indeed.

Regards,
Uwe

[Ton Frederiks]

Hi Uwe,

I played some more with your file and my attempt, but it seems that as long as the symbols are mapped to the center of the revolved object, they do not look distorted. If they are positioned more to the right or left the distortion becomes visible.

Looks like a bug,

[Laubender]

Ah. Thanks for this observation.

So if I just place the symbol and leave it alone in the 3D module: No distortion.

Moving the symbol e.g. to the right, like I did, we are seeing a distortion.

Interesting.

Thanks for testing,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Still I see issues where there should be no issues.

Now I believe that stacking of elements also influence the result.

Stacking grouped or ungrouped seems to make no difference.

Here the original artwork still not done as symbol with a new path element I duplicated two times in a row and is selected:

From left to right:

1. Path element stacked behind the flag element. Filled with a color that should resemble the stroke color.

2. Duplicated path element left to the flag filled with a color.

3. Duplicated path element with no fill color, but this time with a stroke of 0.2 Pt.

Here the astonishing result when this arrangement ( together with two other flags left and not visible in the screenshot below ) are saved as dynamic symbol and are mapped to the 3D model's surface no 5:

How strange.

Why is this mapping algorithm doing different things to the same path ( first and second from left ) ?

Regards,
Uwe