Convert to Geometry

Reference

Mode: All Modes
Panel: Tool Shelf ‣ Grease Pencil ‣ Grease Pencil ‣ Tools: Convert to Geometry...
Menu: GPencil ‣ Convert to Geometry...
Hotkey: Alt-C
../../_images/interface_grease-pencil_convert.png

The Convert to Curve options.

In the 3D View, sketches on the active layer can be converted to geometry, based on the current view settings, by transforming the points recorded when drawing (which make up the strokes) into 3D-space. Currently, all points will be used, so it may be necessary to simplify or subdivide parts of the created geometry for standard use.

Sketches can currently be converted into curves, as proposed by the Convert Grease Pencil menu popped-up by the Convert button in the grease pencil properties.

Options

Type

The type of object to convert to.

Path
Create NURBS 3D curves of order 2 (i.e. behaving like polylines).
Bézier Curve
Create Bézier curves, with free “aligned” handles (i.e. also behaving like polylines).
Polygon Curve
Bézier Curve with strait line segments (auto handles).

Note

Converting to Mesh

If you want to convert your sketch to a mesh, simply choose first NURBS, and then convert the created curve to a mesh.

Normalize Weight

Will scale weights value so that they tightly fit into the (0.0 to 1.0) range. (enabled by default)

All this means that with a pressure tablet, you can directly control the radius and weight of the created curve, which can affect e.g. the width of an extrusion, or the size of an object through a Follow Path Constraint or Curve Modifier!

Link Strokes
Will create a single spline, i.e. curve element. (enabled by default) from all strokes in active grease pencil layer. This especially useful if you want to use the curve as a path. All the strokes are linked in the curve by “zero weights/radii” sections.

Timing

Grease pencil stores “dynamic” data, i.e. how fast strokes are drawn. When converting to curve, this data can be used to create an Evaluate Time F-Curve (in other words, a path animation), that can be used e.g. to control another object’s position along that curve (Follow Path constraint, or, trough a driver, Curve modifier). So this allows you to reproduce your drawing movements.

Important

All those “timing” options need Link Stroke to be enabled, else they would not make much sense!

Timing Mode

This control let you choose how timing data are used.

No Timing
Just create the curve, without any animation data (hence all following options will be hidden).
Linear
The path animation will be a linear one.
Original
The path animation will reflect to original timing, including for the “gaps” (i.e. time between strokes drawing).
Custom Gaps
The path animation will reflect to original timing, but the “gaps” will get custom values. This is especially useful if you have very large pauses between some of your strokes, and would rather like to have “reasonable” ones!
Frame Range
The “length” of the created path animation, in frames. In other words, the highest value of Evaluation Time.
Start Frame
The starting frame of the path animation.
Realtime
When enabled, the path animation will last exactly the same duration it took you do draw the strokes.
End Frame
When Realtime is disabled, this defines the end frame of the path animation. This means that the drawing timing will be scaled up or down to fit into the specified range.
Gap Duration
Custom Gaps only. The average duration (in frames) of each gap between actual strokes. Please note that the value entered here will only be exact if Realtime is enabled, else it will be scaled, exactly as the actual strokes’ timing is!

Example

Here is a simple “hand writing” video created with curves converted from sketch data:

The blend-file from the above example can be found here.