Export Photoshop Paths as Polygon Meshes

Technical Artist Shane Marks takes the wraps off of a proof of concept script for Photoshop that he has been working on. One that will take Photoshop vector paths and export those directly as planar polygonal meshes.

this could offer a great way to develop sprite artwork in PS, either in pixel or path form and then have a quick method to export the content with parody to a 3D application that will use them.

The PhotoshopPathToObj script is written in java, making it platform independent within Photoshop, however only working with Photoshop CC at this point. The script will take curves or shapes in PS and create an OBJ file of the resulting 3D shape.

 The script can export paths directly or it can generate them automatically from the transparent areas of a layerShane Marks – ShaneMarks.co.za

Exporting a Path


  • Create a vector path, making sure the paths exist on the Work Path layer

  • Save your document as a PSD (required step)

  • Download the javascript file

  • Click File -> Scripts -> Browse

  • Adjust settings accordingly. Be sure to disable “Auto Generate” to export the path created

  • Sample rate determines the amount of vertices to place

  • Padding Radius expand the selection areas about the object on the layer

Photoshop Paths to 3D Object Script

The script can also conveniently create 3D polygon shapes from a transparent pixel layer in PS, auto-creating the paths before export. The cool part is that the script will match the polygon shape with its texture. This open up some possibilities for creating sprite shapes and textures directly from Photoshop.

The PhotoshopPathToObj script is simple to use, and Shane provides a little demonstration in the video above. Create a vector path in PS, save the document as a PSD file. Then load the script and adjust the settings as needed. The sample rate slider will determine the amount of vertices that will be in the final 3D shape when exporting paths. For creating paths from transparency, there is a Padding Radius slider that will expand the selection areas about the object on the layer.

Availability

You can find more information on the Photoshop Paths to 3D OBJ script over at Shane’ site here. You can also find the script for download over at the repository here: Photoshop Path To 3D Mesh (OBJ export).