Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: NinjaEpisode on July 20, 2004, 07:38:53 am

Title: Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: NinjaEpisode on July 20, 2004, 07:38:53 am
In the interest of space, I want to scale down the dimensions on a Pacman cab that I'm going to build from scratch.

Short of taking all the measurements and reducing them by 20-25% is there a quicker way to scale down the measurements to make sure that I'm consistent?

TIA
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: Lilwolf on July 20, 2004, 08:02:08 am
why not just go for a mini caberet?

And search here for mini and packman... someone build an AMAZING one a while ago.  Abut 3 or 4 feet high and perfect perportions
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: NinjaEpisode on July 20, 2004, 08:05:40 am
The cabaret would work, but I'm looking for more the feel and realism of just a "shrunk" down cab.

I think the Pac Cab you're talking about is:

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=21443 (http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=21443) by DLO, but he says he didn't go off of any plans.

Ultimately, I'd love to have a bunch of mini's sitting in the basement that match the design of the originals, but I want to remain true to form as much as possible instead of just a bunch of caberets.  For example, a mini Tempest, Centipede, DK etc....
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: JoyMonkey on July 20, 2004, 08:21:44 am
If you've got Illustrator, you could load Jakobud's plans in EPS format. These are scaled at 1"=8", you could work with scales, but I find scales in Illustrator to be very confusing so it's probably best to work full size.

So to blow it up full size you'd select everything and multiply it by 8 (in the Transform palette, where it says W and H, put a *8 beside each dimension).
However, if you want it scaled to 3/4 of the original size, you'd select everything and multiply by 6.
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: JoyMonkey on July 20, 2004, 09:04:53 am
Here is a PDF of JakoBud's PacMan side elevation scaled down to 3/4 size.
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: NinjaEpisode on July 20, 2004, 09:25:44 am
Very Cool JM, but how did you get the measurments down?

As should be obvious, I'm no Illustrator expert by far.  I can go through the first steps, but the measurements stay the same, I just get an enlarged diagram.
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: JoyMonkey on July 20, 2004, 09:57:33 am
I can go through the first steps, but the measurements stay the same, I just get an enlarged diagram.

The measurement numbers on the drawing are artwork, and as such will not change when you resize the drawing. So you have to delete the numbers and get true measurements and then write them in manually like I did.
Title: Re:Proper Way To Scale Cab Dimensions
Post by: danny_galaga on July 20, 2004, 10:40:04 am
wow, sounds complicated doing it the 'easy' way. for anything less complicated than a jet fighter i use:

1) ruler
2) paper
3) pencil
4) calculator

and in fact, people DID used to design jet fighters with the above items  :o and even computers!  :o  :o
these are pretty old-fashioned items i must admit, but a bit of a search should find you suppliers of these items. i even recall there is some kind of shop that sells all of them under the one roof!!
 ;)