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Why Do AI need to Be Saved As Version 8 to Import into C4D
Hi,
I am new to C4D and found a tutorial that showed how vector objects can be imported into C4D but required they be saved as version 8 ai files.
After seeing this of course I had to validate it and the TUTS author was correct. If you save a Illustrator CS5 document using the default settings, C4D chokes when opening the file. But if you save it as version 8, it imports it in perfectly.
Can anyone explain this behavior?
Thanks
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4 Replies
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First of all – I don’t have an answer for you Greg, sorry. However this is something I’ve often wondered about too so I said I might as well chip in with something that is very much related and which I find extremely strange. If you draw paths in Photoshop CS5 with the pen tool or even the shape tools, choose ‘export -> paths to illustrator’ and then merge the .ai file that it outputs into the C4D scene it imports flawlessly. When you’re exporting the path from photoshop it gives you no options insofar as illustrator formats go – the only option is to export the path as .ai so this makes me wonder – does Photoshop CS5 export Illustrator 8 format .ai files? That would be strange. You’d think with both apps being part of the same family that the paths in one would be the same as the paths in the other.
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Good point. By the looks of the header of a PS “Paths to Illustrator” export file I’m guessing it’s writing Illustrator 3 files (at least in CS3 which I have), which, way back, used to be the most that everything that could import .ai files was able to use. That’s all that Adobe thinks is necessary to move some vectors from one source to another and is probably why Illustrator lets you save files as Illustrator 3 and then 8 and above in the Legacy choices.
Some wiser head described it a long time ago – To bring vectors in all you need is 8 (all you really need is 3). Illustrator is meant for 2D work and most of the effects and filters that have been added are not going to make much sense in 3D (what use is a Blend going to be in 3D?). If any 3D software company was willing to try and keep up with an updated importer every time a new version of Illustrator came out they would have to take programmers away from other features of the program.
I don’t know anything that does more (doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist) certainly Maya will import version 8 and Max’s manual says it imports Illustrator 88 (which is between Illustrator 1 and 2)… -
My understanding is that Adobe hasn’t provided the necessary tools for third party developers to support later versions.
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Re: Adobe Illustrator
Prior to version 9, Illustrator was natively working with Postscript. At version 9 they moved to PDF.
It’s probably just easier that way. Postscript has only been around 25 years or so.
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