tracing pen?

[redline graphics]

Hey, I am looking for a tracing pen pen/mouse to trace a large design. I need to reproduce a sign that needs the graphics repaired. Is there such a thing?
And one thats not using a tablet. The sign is over 10' long. I guess what i am looking for is a fine tip pen style mouse that is accurate.
Is there such a thing?

 

[mim]

Wow you can just trace stuff with a pen? Cool tech. I have no idea, following though.

 

[weyandsign]

No those digitizer pens require a tablet to determine pen location. Your best option may be to photograph the sign and trace on screen.

 

[Pauly]

Take a photo of it
Post process it by squaring up the geometry so it's all square.
and there you go.

I would use a DSLR or Mirrorless camera that you can apply lens profiles so there's no distortion. Also easier to post process RAW photos in Lightroom or photoshop.

 

[Bobby H]

Depending on the type of sign involved a photograph will not capture flat, accurate results due to the effects of perspective.

A photo is no big deal if you're just taking a reference photo of some flat panel sign whose graphics can be easily reproduced. If it's a more complicated repair job then a photo won't do much good. For instance if you have a channel letter sign with some complicated joined script and the trim-capped face is broken it will take one of two sources to make a new face. One source is the original art files. The other is making a pattern and then using that to manually cut a new face. A photograph of the damaged face won't yield anything that registers correctly with the rest of the sign. The replacement face won't fit properly.

Post processing a sign photo to remove effects of barrel distortion and perspective will work only so well. You can get really close by using a good DSLR mounted on a tripod (and using the right combo of lens and shooting distance). But nothing will yield a perfect fit thanks to the foreshortening effects of perspective.

It would be really cool if there was a kind of device that could draw/digitize large real world graphical objects and capture them into the digital realm without using a tablet surface. As far as I know nothing like that exists. I think a tablet-free pen would at least need to be connected to some home base device that accurately tracked the pen's location in 2D/3D space as well as record input data when one or more buttons are pressed.

 

[unclebun]

They make 3D digital pens. But all the 2D pens require a tablet it seems.

 

[Johnny Best]

Let me understand this better. You have a 10' sign that needs graphics repaired and your looking for a pen to trace where the graphic is bad to show up on your screen so you can reproduce the damaged graphic? Need pics to help you on this.

 

[Pauly]

Depending on the type of sign involved a photograph will not capture flat, accurate results due to the effects of perspective.

A photo is no big deal if you're just taking a reference photo of some flat panel sign whose graphics can be easily reproduced. If it's a more complicated repair job then a photo won't do much good. For instance if you have a channel letter sign with some complicated joined script and the trim-capped face is broken it will take one of two sources to make a new face. One source is the original art files. The other is making a pattern and then using that to manually cut a new face. A photograph of the damaged face won't yield anything that registers correctly with the rest of the sign. The replacement face won't fit properly.

Post processing a sign photo to remove effects of barrel distortion and perspective will work only so well. You can get really close by using a good DSLR mounted on a tripod (and using the right combo of lens and shooting distance). But nothing will yield a perfect fit thanks to the foreshortening effects of perspective.

It would be really cool if there was a kind of device that could draw/digitize large real world graphical objects and capture them into the digital realm without using a tablet surface. As far as I know nothing like that exists. I think a tablet-free pen would at least need to be connected to some home base device that accurately tracked the pen's location in 2D/3D space as well as record input data when one or more buttons are pressed.

Disagree. I've done this so many times with excellent results.

Perspective is no issue for flat images.
All you need is the size of the original sign.
Get a good DSLR / Mirrorless. a minimum of a 50mm lens.
Square up your shot - I.e direct centre of the sign, even if it's over head. Do your best to fill most of the frame.
Photoshop & lightroom have excellent tools to fix the geometry (you can draw lines on each size of the sign so the software knows exactly what to square up.)
Crop the image to suite the sign and save.
Open a new artboard with the exact size of the sign.
load up the photo of the sign
resize to fit the artboard.
Do this properly and it'll be near perfect.

 

[Bobby H]

"Near perfect" is good for some tasks. Not so good for others -like my example of a broken long channel letter face. I already have an excellent DSLR, Gitzo tripod, etc. I have plenty of experience with this stuff.

 

[redline graphics]

ok. It is layered vinyl. I would like to just trace around. the colors are all faded so a pic doesnt work. So there is no way to trace with a mouse/pen?

 

[Pauly]

"Near perfect" is good for some tasks. Not so good for others -like my example of a broken long channel letter face. I already have an excellent DSLR, Gitzo tripod, etc. I have plenty of experience with this stuff.

We're talking about a flat sign. huge difference vs a channel letters / 3D signs.

 

[Pauly]

ok. It is layered vinyl. I would like to just trace around. the colors are all faded so a pic doesnt work. So there is no way to trace with a mouse/pen?

sure it'll work.
you trace around the letters on the image after processing.

But, no, digital pens need a tablet to work.

 

[redline graphics]

Yes, a flat sign. I have seen a product called PRODIM i belive. It uses a pen to trace an outline to then go to a cutter for marine carpet. But im sure it would would with any plotter.

 

[weyandsign]

I've done quite a few, up to 10' channel letter faces tracing a photo with a $20 camera. And they fit perfectly fine.

 

[redline graphics]

Camera wont work, been there, tried that.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Make a gravestone scratching, hang it on the wall, take a square pic, scale it and trace it with your mouse

 

[Gino]

If you need a $16k tool, I'd forget about it. If you cannot produce this the same way almost everyone is saying, turn the job down and move on.

 

[bob]

A simple camera will work just fine. If the sign is square and you know the exact dimensions just take a picture face on. If the sign is not square then place a 16"x20" framing square in the picture. Either way, draw a rectangle exactly containing either the sign or the framing square. Then map the photo into that square. Now make the rectangle with the photo mapped into it the exact size it's supposed to be, the size of either the sign or the framing square depending. Now extract the photo from the rectangle and you have an actual size image of the sign that is accurate to maybe 1/8" if you did it right.

I've done this countless times over the years and find it both simpler and more accurate than measuring, tracing, whatever.

 

[GB2]

I have a Prodim and yes, it will trace the way you are describing.

 

[Gino]

I have a Prodim and yes, it will trace the way you are describing.

I googled it. It says it's a $16,500 tool. Are there variations of it or do you just use it a lot ??