One of the things we like to do for our workshops is to create custom name plaques for each attendee. We try our best to create a name plate that is related in some way to each person.
For instance, one of our students was finishing her master’s degree. For her name plaque an image of brain came to mind. We would wrap her name over it for her panel. We tested out the idea with a quick concept sketch.
Then it was on to creating the vectors we needed to build the files in EnRoute. The brain was a simple domed oval shape. We then added to this relief with the two halves of the brain. A bitmap texture file from our Texture Magic: Classic Collection called 'WORMS' formed the brain in an instant. The lettering outline was made into a relief, then modified with an oval of the same size as the brain and domed a similar amount. Using the side view of the reliefs we adjusted everything until it looked right. The base for the panel was created separately with a chamfer, then everything was merged to create one relief. The domed lettering was added to the relief as a last step.
We used a 3/8" ball nose bit for the rough pass with a 50 % overlap and 0.1" offset. The final pass was with a tapered 1/8" ball nose bit and an 80% overlap. Both tools were run at 300 inches per minute. The rough pass was accomplished in less than 10 minutes. The final pass came in at a little less than an hour to finish.
