Vector Tracing - Convert a Bitmap to a Mesh

I need to convert a bitmap texture to a mesh, then use it in Blender.

This is possible, because I have done it way back in the early stages of Blender.

I don’t have the software (or plug-in) to do it anymore.

The process is called Vector Tracing.

Does anyone know how to do this? Or can guide me in the correct direction?

you mean to not have to trace it by hand?
You can try a bitmap trace with Inkscape inkscape.org, save the svg, then import the svg path file.
Just tried it from a previous svg file (not a traced one) and it worked as expected.

Hi Spin! You might be interested to look at another open source project http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/ Haven’t used it myself but if it’s anything like Flashes Trace bitmap - it’s only going to do half the job. Worth a peek though :wink:

Edit/ Another interesting projet http://potrace.sourceforge.net/.

You can also create Meshes from Textures in Blender by using the Noise button - but you Mesh must be sub-divided enough to have an effect. Most extrusions from this feature look like 3D pixels… /Edit

For example:
I could use a NOR map of a brick wall to make it look 3D

BUT

With vector tracing, it converts the brick wall image into a real mesh with the brick wall vertices.

I wrote a displacement script in Maya to create a very basic cave. I used the grayscale values to determin the height of each vertex in the mesh, the whiter the pixel, the higher the vertex.

hope it helps.

Thanks. I was hoping that Blender could do that.

What I want, is a surface that has real 3D texture, so that it can have SSS applied.