Convert 3D scene to 2D vector format?

Convert 3D scene to 2D vector format?

I posted this question in another thread, but the subject line was incorrect.

I have a 3D scene that I've created in Cheetah. I would like to set the perspective (camera position, angle), and then render that scene in a vector format that is appropriate for editing in a 2D drawing program such as Illustrator (hidden lines removed, etc). The application here is a technical drawing one.

Is there a way to do this in Cheetah, or with another tool that takes Cheetah output as its input?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

-- archon
 
If you use Illustrator, render your scene in Cheetah3D and import the image into Illustrator and live trace it( http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/newfeatures.html#nf1).

Ok this is a 6 six year old discussion but I am also interested in a solution to convert 3D objects into Illustrator vectors. I don't like the suggested option with Illustrator live tracing as described above though. I don't consider it as as accurate for my needs.

Can you do a hidden line render in cheetah like in 3D Studio Max??

http://designreform.net/2008/10/3ds-max-hidden-line-rendering-illustrate-plugin/
 
The answer is "no". And in fact the answer in 3dsmax is "no" unless you have the plugin which is — on its own — a $395 product. If you're going to do a lot of this kind of stuff then I'd suggest forking out $3000 for 3dsmax and $400 for the plugin. If it's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing then render and trace.

There are cheaper options than 3dsmax + Illustrate — http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=3d+render+to+vector

E.g. Strata has a plugin (the plugin, again, is more expensive than c3d on its own). There's also Swift3D, which is specialized in this kind of thing (I've used it and can't recommend it).

Judging from the prices of these plugins, and my own knowledge of 3d math, this is by no means a simple thing that you could reasonably expect to get added to c3d any time soon.
 
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I wouldn't recomend the Strata plugin at all, since all the results I got with it were less satisfying than using illustrator's live-trace.
(unless it improved a lot over the last year, which I doubt very much!)
 
In my experience, everything added to Strata 3D since Strata StudioPro Blitz 1.75 (which came out in 1996 or so) has been half-assed so it's no surprise that the plugin is crap. It's depressing since Strata was once not only a giant among 3D apps on the Mac but compared well to pretty much any mid-priced software out there. Now it's a joke — it still looks like 1995 software and has horrific textures and presets dating back to the mid-90s. (End of rant!)

The only tool that seems to get reviewed positively is Illustrate, so if it's a big deal then you're going to need to invest in 3dsmax and Illustrate (and of course Windows, Bootcamp, Parallels, and/or a new PC to run it on).
 
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