Computer Drawing Software For Making Leather Patterns

[JLSleather]

I usually just measure 'em up and draw 'em in. Takes a bit, though, so I don't get too concerned about the back end

TIP:  If you know PS and / or IL, guy might could create a new drawing 11" x 8 1/2", transparent background, at 80 px/inch, and makes it fairly easy to draw.  Digital graph paper with 1/8" squares.  You talented folks likely work in something more like 300 resolution 

You might recognize this Ruger.  Exact position of the safety and/or take down lever not critical, but I do like the port in the right place, and the mag release at least quite close to right.

[ABHandmade]

I'm using CorelDraw. Maybe because I've been using it for more than 10 years and not only to work with the leather, it seems to me that this is the best option.

[JLSleather]

4 hours ago, ABHandmade said:

I'm using CorelDraw. Maybe because I've been using it for more than 10 years

CorelDraw is pretty slick, appears to be efficient to use.  The guy who used to do our vinyl logo stuff uses it, sends it right to his cutter.  If I didn't already have PS and some knowledge of how to use it, I would likely get CorelDraw.  Shoot, I thought that 10 years ago -- could  have had it mastered by now!

[ABHandmade]

10 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

CorelDraw is pretty slick, appears to be efficient to use.  The guy who used to do our vinyl logo stuff uses it, sends it right to his cutter.  If I didn't already have PS and some knowledge of how to use it, I would likely get CorelDraw.  Shoot, I thought that 10 years ago -- could  have had it mastered by now!

I happened to work with many vector editors, but CorelDraw became my choice. The fact that in CorelSuite there is also PhotoPaint for working with raster graphics is also a huge plus. I use both from time to time in my main job. Therefore, when a year ago I suddenly decided to do leather work, the question of choice was simply not standing by me

[Stetson912]

in the how to section i made a little crude walk through of my inkscape adventure in making a 50/50 pancake for a 5" 1911 if you care to take a gander. 

[Rick56]

Illustrator

CoralDraw

Inkskape

[JLSleather]

On 8/18/2011 at 9:48 AM, dickf said:

I scan the gun/blue gun then use Photoshop to create the pattern. When printed, it's actual size and easy to reprint 

8 years ago.  You'd think with all the people touting their videos these days, surely SOMEBODY has a video out of how this is done ?#@!  That would be THE video I'd be willing to endure watch.

I have blue guns (and others).  And i have a flat bed scanner.  Still haven't figured out how to make those into an accurate "pattern".

[JLSleather]

Two more months gone by.  A JILLION more "holster videos".. and NOT ONE of them shows me how to scan a blue gun

 

[LatigoAmigo]

34 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

and NOT ONE of them shows me how to scan a blue gun

You might try layin' the gun on the scanner glass, then place a black cloth over the glass to block out light. Press scan, and you should have what you're lookin' for.

[MikeRock]

I just put a M66 S&W and an M9 magazine on the Canon scanner an the dimensions on the print are within a 1/32" of reality.  Barrel diameter, cylinder length, trigger guard.....the only iffy thing was the front sight, being further from the glass plate was not in focus.  A little imagination and I got that within a 1/16" for length and height.   Looks like it will work.  Beretta magazine, being more shallow came out right on the nose. I'll throw the M9 itself on in a while....dinner's ready!

God bless

[TargetRockLeather]

11 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Two more months gone by.  A JILLION more "holster videos".. and NOT ONE of them shows me how to scan a blue gun

 

I would just trace the blue gun with a pencil onto a piece of paper the old fashioned way, then scan the drawing. I've done this with knives and axes so I don't see why it wouldn't work with a blue gun. Then used Corel Draw to clean up the lines and all of the other cool tricks you can do with a digital copy of the pattern. I'm not very Corel savvy at all which makes it painful, but I'm trying to learn it.

[toxo]

On 8/14/2011 at 1:38 AM, hidepounder said:

I would really like to be able draw on the computer, however I'm not sure how practical it would really be. If I were only making items whose patterns fit on an 8-1/2" x 11" piece of paper then maybe it would be handy, however I find that an awful lot of what I do requires larger paper than what I can print on at home so I draw my patterns by hand. And when I do have a large pattern that I've drawn, It isn't very practical to try to scan it. I know it can be done, but not with the everyday home equipment that most of us live with and I can't see an advantage to running back and forth to Kinkos and paying them to print out or scan the larger patterns. So I've kind of given up on using the computer to draw with..........

Bobby

Don't know how they do it but the people that sell patterns like niteKore on Etsy for example send them on PDF and the bigger patterns come on two pages (or more) with line up/cut out marks and they're very accurate.

[chrisash]

17 hours ago, JLSleather said:

Two more months gone by.  A JILLION more "holster videos".. and NOT ONE of them shows me how to scan a blue gun

 

Don't fully understand your question but if for instance you want to copy a object as accurately as possible to say make a 3d copy in plastic and can use Fusion 360 a free program and have a scanner so you can make images of the original this youtube video from about 41,50 onwards shows how you can do it, all the info prior to this is not applicable. Once you have finished you can make the file into a STL file and have it printed on a 3D printer or alternatively I guess, a CAM setup

You can also use photo's front side and top with the major dimensions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnnNB6LEu1g&feature=em-uploademail

Edited September 21, 2019 by chrisash

[JLSleather]

On 9/21/2019 at 2:55 AM, toxo said:

niteKore

etsy search doesnt find this at all

On 9/21/2019 at 5:39 AM, chrisash said:

copy a object as accurately as possible to say make a 3d copy in plastic

I'm not getting how we got to that at all.  This is about making leather patterns.  I drive a car - but I have no desire to learn how to make tires.  IF I already have the gun, I don't need a "copy" of it.

SOMEBODY show me how you take a gun (or replica, dummy, etc), put it on a scanner, and end up with a full-scale 2'd drawing of that gun.  Or don't - either way.

 

[toxo]

8 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

etsy search doesnt find this at all

I'm not getting how we got to that at all.  This is about making leather patterns.  I drive a car - but I have no desire to learn how to make tires.  IF I already have the gun, I don't need a "copy" of it.

SOMEBODY show me how you take a gun (or replica, dummy, etc), put it on a scanner, and end up with a full-scale 2'd drawing of that gun.  Or don't - either way.

 

Sorry JLS, he's nitekore on youtube. On Etsy he's Dieselpunkro. Also on Leatherpatterns.com and he has a thriving facebook group also. His name is Tony See and he's a very helpful chap. Don't know if steampunk or dieselpunk is a thing over there. He's about punching holes and handstitching and although the f/b group kinda frown on machines, a lot of his designs will lend themselves to machining at least in part. My post Motoko3 at last is one of Tonys.

https://www.etsy.com/uk?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=etsy_e&utm_campaign=Search_UK_Brand_Google_HP_General-Brand_Core_General_Exact&utm_ag=A1&utm_custom1=b70041f0-baf3-4798-9b16-e7c309081b66&utm_content=go_1448964936_57199718635_319534134681_aud-440949173404:kwd-1818581752_c_&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo8a02K_k5AIVWIXVCh0BDA4NEAAYASAAEgLLn_D_BwE

https://www.leather-patterns.com/

[JLSleather]

That's a guy selling patterns.  This topic is about making your own patterns.

(I probably could have left this out, but I couldn't take that guy for long, likely.  The accent and apparent condescension - which admittedly could be a wrong perception - coupled with the designs, just not my thing.  And, the "copyright' misinterpretation is abrasive. I don't think you can prevent someone from making products with your design, the only thing "copyrighted" is reproduction of the PATTERN - though laws over there may be different). 

[toxo]

17 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

That's a guy selling patterns.  This topic is about making your own patterns.

(I probably could have left this out, but I couldn't take that guy for long, likely.  The accent and apparent condescension - which admittedly could be a wrong perception - coupled with the designs, just not my thing.  And, the "copyright' misinterpretation is abrasive. I don't think you can prevent someone from making products with your design, the only thing "copyrighted" is reproduction of the PATTERN - though laws over there may be different). 

My first post was in reference to making patterns bigger than one A4 page. My second post was reply to your query.

[JLSleather]

SOMEBODY show me how you take a gun (or replica, dummy, etc), put it on a scanner, and end up with a full-scale 2'd drawing of that gun.  Or don't - either way. 

Lots of talk, but I guess Andrews has the closest to rational thought.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PdKDmcmu8k&t=2s

Except, it's not digital...

Edited September 22, 2019 by JLSleather

[chrisash]

So sorry I tried to help you, the information i gave you plus the video shows how you can recreate the gun by digitising the image either scanned or photo and if you don't want to recreate the image you can automatically using the same software produce drawings with or without measurements showing the three views at whatever scale you need

You could also do this when a customer brings in a article or gun, take the three images and some basic measurements and produce your own plastic copy and let the customer take his gun home with him

Maybe you are not very good at explaining what you need, maybe explain what you are trying to achieve, and you do come across as rather abrasive to people trying to answer your query

[mikesc]

"And, the "copyright' misinterpretation is abrasive. I don't think you can prevent someone from making products with your design, the only thing "copyrighted" is reproduction of the PATTERN - though laws over there may be different). "
Try that argument on with Hérmes..the copyright law is the same in the EU as in the USA..the only "misinterpretation" of copyright there is yours Jeff..
What you "think" is fortunately not what Judges think ( even in the USA ) about copyright.

re "the video"..why don't you make one that shows what you want to see yourself ? I haven't heard anyone else saying there is a lack of one..

The "how" to do that, scan a gun, or any object and get an outline drawing from the scan is easy..Dozens of videos ( paid for and free ) about how to do that using photoshop or other software have been out there for over a decade, just not for '( AFAIK ) specifically for a gun..

I'm not going to make one, because my rifle won't fit on my scanner..and I don't need a leather holster for a handgun..Neither open, nor concealed carry is legal here without a permit ( they are hard to get, and I don't need one ) or being a member of the military and if I took the time to make such a video, no-one would pay for it, ( I don't work for free, unless it is for close friends, and then rarely, and good wishes and thanks don't buy groceries) but someone would watch it and copy it and claim it was their idea in a heartbeat..

Just search for how to use your flat scanner to scan an object and transform that into an accurate outline drawing..or some similar phrase..

But I do not understand why you keep on that you want to see a video about how to do this with a flat scanner and software, you already do this by hand the old fashioned way..To gain a few minutes ? ..In that case scan to 3D and 3D print a holster in one of the various plastics, you can probably get the plastic that is kydex on a filament roll..a 3D scanner feeding a computer that talks to a 3D printer and you can go fishing while the machines do the work.

Edited September 22, 2019 by mikesc

[JLSleather]

Must be a EU thing, eh? Repeatedly replying to topics you don't have an answer for? Seriously folks, WHAT IS the point?  If you don't know how to do what is asked, there's no crime in just NOT REPLYING in that thread.

Wasn't me that said it... but WAY back when .. Dick said he just scans a gun.  Which makes a lovely story.  And since it's so simple, you HAVE TO wonder why NOBODY actually does it.  Or they do it, but it's some "secret" HOW they do it.

I don't think somebody can make a digital representation (actual scale) of a pistol in "a few minutes".  Nope - don't believe it.  If you could, there would be copies of that, for every gun made, all over the internet.  

This is PROPORTIONED correctly, but not the right SCALE.  Go ahead, draw this up in "a few minutes".  OR better yet, tell me IF YOU KNOW how to scan an item that isn't flat, has protrusions that cause it to rock.  Unless you've built something to stabilize it at 90° to the bed of the scanner - which would be required for an accurate size AND / OR shape.  Do you HAVE parallax in the EU? Course, that seems to defeat the purpose.

 

I actually DO have some of the guns in the computer as digital files.  Scanning certainly would be FASTER... but, I suspect that is a myth.

 

[JLSleather]

On 8/18/2011 at 9:48 AM, dickf said:

I scan the gun/blue gun then use Photoshop to create the pattern.

just over 8 years ago

[LatigoAmigo]

9 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

tell me IF YOU KNOW how to scan an item that isn't flat, has protrusions that cause it to rock.  

Like I mentioned earlier, throw a black cloth over the object being scanned. Hold it in place through the cloth so the body of the gun is level with the scanner glass. Then scan it. If the image is a little off, scan it again. This is not rocket science, but a little trial and error is required. People do this all the time, and I think that is why people are surprised at your question, because you seem like such a very capable person, albeit "old school." 

Programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator allow the user to convert that scanned image into a line drawing in minutes. The big headache for many will be the cost and learning curve of the software, which is steep.

I hope I 'splained it good enough.

[mikesc]

I have an answer..it is that the solution already exists, but you want it handed to you on a plate..it isn't an EU thing..But it does seem to be a "you thing" always wanting exactly the answer to your question.. instead of looking for it yourself...And telling people what they can and cannot post..last time I looked the J in JLS was for Jeff, not Johanna.

Like LatigoAmigo said, most of us can do this easy, you can't apparently..your problem, not ours..take the time to learn how to do it..Just like we did..before you tube existed...Our answer is the answer is already out there and has been for years..You want spoon feeding an already made video..and you are impolite to anyone who doesn't give you exactly that in their answer..

You forgot how to search ?..or do you just enjoy complaining and insulting ..?

In the EU , and even in the USA.."blu tack"..or plasticine ( to keep objects stable on a horizontal surface and deal with the parallax )..and scanners that have lids big enough to lift up by 5 to 10 cms..I have 3 within arms reach right now..I also have a working brain and some imagination..to solve problems for myself..without complaining that someone else didn't solve them for me..I thought you did too..

"Nope - don't believe it. If you could, there would be copies of that, for every gun made, all over the internet. "
Not everyone's lives revolve around guns..for most of us ( in the USA, EU and elsewhere ) they are a tool amongst others , not a way of life, nor are we afraid to go outside in our societies or countries without one, even less do we need them in our own homes, nor are they a compensation for "something else" lacking in our lives / belt area.

If you don't feel safe in your society without a gun, you, or your society / country, or both have a big problem.

Question of "self confidence" or ...

I shoot, have served, ( years ago ) been shot at ( they missed, or they were a crap shot, I'm not )..lot of people who talk a lot about guns and gun stuff, have not been "there"..I don't feel unsafe where I live if I go out without a gun,I don't keep one "to hand" in my own home..I wonder.. when those who feel unsafe outside, or in their home, without a gun ,visit other countries where they are not allowed to have one, does the feeling of not being safe go with them..or does it stay home..

Btw..I've lived and worked in the USA (and many other countries) ..Miami, and then West Palm Beach, Orlando, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles..didn't have a gun ( but fired some on ranges whilst there ) didn't feel unsafe walking outside without one at all..day or night..

Edited September 22, 2019 by mikesc

[JLSleather]

56 minutes ago, mikesc said:

last time I looked the J in JLS was for Jeff, not Johanna.

I don't know WHERE you got the idea that "J" is for Jeff.  It isn't, and I have never said that it is.  But it does rather support my point about some folks' tendency to speak without knowledge.  Like you said, not my site, so also not my responsibility.

But this is going nowhere.  As I suspected, though I had [erroneously] held hope that I was wrong.  I'll just figure that either it isn't as "clear cut" as some claim, or it's some closely guarded secret that people aren't allowed to openly portray.  Or, we all share it behind the scenes, but we just don't want to tell JEFF.  Whatever. Meh

 

1 hour ago, LatigoAmigo said:

Hold it in place through the cloth so the body of the gun is level with the scanner glass. Then scan it. If the image is a little off, scan it again. This is not rocket science, but a little trial and error is required.

Oh, I get it.  I thought we were talking about actual scale, actual size (micrometer not required, but close IS).