This lesson outlines how to create and work with basic relief shapes.

Note: All files can be found at the bottom of each lesson. Feel free to save the files to your own directory.

Step 1: Example 5-1

Step 2: Anchor Tutorial

Open Model anchor.art

Shape Editor – large top bar
- Flat Plane with Start Height of 0.5 mm (0.02”) – Add & Apply

Hide Zero Plane

Shape Editor – 2 inner top bar vectors
- Round at 45º, with Start Height of 0 – Add & Apply

Shape Editor - main anchorvector
- Square at 65º, with Limit to Height 0.75mm (0.03”) - Merge High & Apply

Shape Editor – two hookvectors
- Round at 30º, with Start Height of 0.75mm (0.03”) - Merge High & Apply

Shape Editor - two Circle vectors
- Round at 65º, with Start Height of 0.5 mm (0.02”) - Merge High, Apply & Cancel

Toggle Vector Visibility off

The Vectors are hidden, and the final result can be seen.

Step 3: Bitmap Motif Tutorial

Open BitmapMotif.art

Switch to 3D View

Toggle on Display Bitmap icon from the 3D View toolbar

Double click on the colour blue to make it the primary colour

Open the Shape Editor
- Choose a Round shape with an angle of 30 degrees
- Enter in a Start Height of 1mm (0.05”)
- Check Scale To Height and type in a Height of 3.5mm (0.15”)
- Click Apply

Double click on the colour green to make it the primary colour
- Choose a Round shape with an angle of 30 degrees
- Enter in a Start Height of 1.5mm (0.1”)
- Click Apply

Double click on the colour red to make it the primary colour
- Choose a Round shape with an angle of 40 degrees
- Enter in a Start Height of 2mm (0.1”)
- Check Limit To Height and type in a Height of 2mm (0.1”)
- Click Apply and Cancel

Select Display Material to toggle back to the Relief (material) view.

Select Smooth Relief from the Relief Editing Toolbar
- Set the Strength to 20% and click Apply

Toggle Zero plane from the 3D view Toolbar to view the results.

Step 4: Mountain Scene Tutorial

This tutorial will cover the main features of the “Free Relief Modelling” concept. The entire example will be done directly in the 3D view.Create a New Model600mm x 600mm (24”x24”), resolution 2500 x 2500.

Toggle on Vector Visibility in the 3D View.

Open the Relief Clipart Library and drag Mountains1 from the Greenery folder into the model, place this on the right hand side of the model.

Drag Mountains2 from the Greenery folder into the model, place this on the left hand side of the model.

Move each piece of clipart into a position as shown below and make sure they are blending into each other nicely.

Drag TreeLine from the Greenery folder into the model, place this on the right hand side of the model, just below the mountains as shown below.

Exit the transform tool and left mouse select the clipart of the TreeLine.

Open the Mirror Objects tool and ensure Copy the original objects ticked and then select Across model. This will make a mirrored copy of the TreeLine clipart.

Move the original TreeLine clipart to the left so it does not look symmetrical to the other tree line.

Select all of the clipart and either open the transform tool and paste or press enter on the keyboard to paste the clipart into the model.

If it created vector outlines, select and delete them.

Clipart can also be loaded in by dragging a relief file into ArtCAM.

Using Windows Explorer (My Computer) Navigate to the ArtCAM Data Files.

Find Cloud.rlf from this tutorial and manually drag into ArtCAM’s 3D view.

Using Transform, move the cloud to the top left of the model and resize the width to approximately 400mm (16”).

Unlink the Z Range and change the value to 1mm (0.05”), Apply.

Select this cloud and copy it to the right by holding down the left mouse button and Ctrl on the keyboard whilst dragging the cloud to the right side of the model.

Open the Transform tool for this new cloud (if not already open) and rotate it by approx 180°by clicking outside the model and moving the mouse to rotate. Move into position as shown below.

Select all blue clipart and paste into the model by pressing Enter.

Delete any vector boundaries.

Open the Relief Clipart Library (if it is not already open) and click on Wolf from the Animals section.

Select this wolf and copy it to the right by holding down the left mouse button and Ctrl on the keyboard whilst dragging it to the right side of the model.