Create mesh (Geometry) from texture (black and white)

Question

It is here way to make 3D mesh (geometry) from black/white texture?

Source texture is black and white map. Background is black and there is white arrow inside of texture. Now I need create 3d mesh from white color. Any kind of 3D program, 3Ds max, ...

Answer 1

Well it really depends on what you need the mesh to do. (a jpeg is not a good source for this data) What i would do is use the original vector image but you can vectorize it later in for example illustrator or Photoshop:

in photoshop:

1. make color a selection by copying it to a extra channel
2. and convert to work path
3. export as illustrator

In your 3d app:

1. read the vector image in and extrude
2. (optional) triangulate

img 1: raw n-gnon mesh and its triangulated counterpart. Done with maya and photoshop (using python)

img 2: Same technique different picture just to show that the technique does scale

If you don't want to use a 3d app then use a vector tracing code to make a vector trace extruding that is pretty easy just duplicate the vector at a different elevation then connect vertices and fill the holes.

Code for tracing can be found at for example http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/index.html