Curve Artwork Capability in Illustrator CS?

[leomclaughlin]

I would like to know if the new "CS" version of Illustrator gives you the ability to curve vector shapes and outlined type. Currently we use a plug-in made by PCC Artwork Systems called Curve-It to accomplish this, but it is no longer sold or supported, and only works up to Illustrator 8. If Illustrator 11 cannot do this do you know of any plug-in or utility/stand-alone app that will? Thanks for any help/advice you can offer.

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

You could this in AI CS in several ways. As well as creating it as 3D objects,

[leomclaughlin]

Could you be more specific? I was wondering how this is accomplished in AI CS. Also, does Illus 10 offer this feature?...

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

Yes AI 10 does.

It has the warp has a feature called Envelope Distort in which you can create and take various approaches to warping objects or type you don't necessarily have to outline text in order to accomplish this and you can also do it such a fashion that the effect can be discarded even after you save and closed and reopened the file.

The warp gives you many ways a bending the objects or text that are predefined and the making it with a mesh allows you customized the the bending and making it with
the top object lets you sort of wrap it around say a cylinder.

Then in AI CS you can make a symbol out of the art and map it to a 3D object which you also create in AI CS.

[Scott_Weichert@adobeforums.com]

AI10 and AICS have the best envelope distort feature I've seen. Even better than most of the plug ins out there for earlier Illustrator versions.

[Gary_Newman@adobeforums.com]

You don’t have to convert the type to outlines, either. It reamins lice and editable.

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

But nowadays there are cures for the lice.

[Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com]

And it is very fortunate!

Oh yes as Gary indicated you don't have to outline the type for an envelope distort and you can edit the content especially if you have smart guides turned on.

[Dee Holmes]

Stop! You're making me itch.