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3di shields: Bubble vs. standard (non-CalTrans)

Started by Bickendan, January 17, 2010, 03:16:56 AM

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jjakucyk

Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 08:30:50 PM
...I should start a thread about offensive non-cutouts and leave the merely annoying bubbles in here, I guess :/

You mean we'd have to look at more of them? 


shoptb1

Quote from: jjakucyk on January 20, 2010, 08:32:16 PM
Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 08:30:50 PM
...I should start a thread about offensive non-cutouts and leave the merely annoying bubbles in here, I guess :/

You mean we'd have to look at more of them? 

Yeah, let's stop the bleeding!  It's only crying from here on out.   :-D

agentsteel53

Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 05:09:40 PM
The non-cutout interstate shields, the CalTrans interstate shields, and the Rand McNally interstate shields? Yeah, those are worth of a double facepalm.

only if you dislike them.  I for one don't mind the white square interstate shields, if they otherwise are up to spec (i.e. have the state name - as the older Washington and Rhode Island examples do)

bubble shields are just the result of an extremely lazy worker playing "stretch horizontal" in their vector graphics program.  I have no idea how the Caltrans triangle shields came into being.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

agentsteel53

also, to make a fair comparison, can anyone please just find a state-named I-82 already?  I found an I-90 in a white square a few weeks ago, but 82 has been kicking my ass and spitting directly on my spine ... I could find one in neither Washington nor Oregon.  FAIL.  :ded:
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

joseph1723

I'm also not a fan of the bubble shield there's just something about it that makes it look super ugly. I don't mind the wide shields though they look a lto better than the bubble shield. I hope Ontario dosen't decide to use "bubble crowns" that be even worse than a bubble shield :-D .

Here's a now removed 3di shield up here in Ontario:

(from vintagekingshighways.com)

xonhulu

Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 20, 2010, 10:03:48 PM
also, to make a fair comparison, can anyone please just find a state-named I-82 already?  I found an I-90 in a white square a few weeks ago, but 82 has been kicking my ass and spitting directly on my spine ... I could find one in neither Washington nor Oregon.  FAIL.  :ded:

You won't find any from Oregon; its section of I-82 is too recent for that.  But it's possible some were up in the older sections in the Yakima Valley.


corco

I've been off almost every exit on I-82 and have yet to see a state named shield.

There might be one or two floating around random stretches of Yakima or Ellensburg though, I don't get off state-highway in those areas very often.

What city was the square white I-90 in? I feel like I've seen it, but can't pinpoint where

myosh_tino

#57
Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 05:09:40 PM
The non-cutout interstate shields, the CalTrans interstate shields, and the Rand McNally interstate shields? Yeah, those are worth of a double facepalm.
If you're saying that the standard California Interstate shields with the state name and smaller numerals deserve a "double facepalm", I will disagree with you most strongly. :no:  However, if you're referencing the hideous "angular" interstate shields that popped up a number of years ago, then I'm 100% with you. :clap:  What's worse are the neutered *and* angular I-80 shields in the Sierra Nevada Mountains... ugh! :banghead:

AFAIK, the bubble shields only appeared on guide signs but that era seems to be over (see my earlier post for examples).  The "angular" interstate shields, IMO, are also on the way out as I've seen what looks like newer 2-digit interstate shields on I-5 and I-15 that follow the Caltrans 1971 spec which is based on the FHWA 1958 spec for Interstate shields.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 20, 2010, 09:56:37 PM
bubble shields are just the result of an extremely lazy worker playing "stretch horizontal" in their vector graphics program.  I have no idea how the Caltrans triangle shields came into being.
I was messing around with Photoshop and I think I found out how the triangle/angular shields came to be.  If you take a standard 3-digit interstate shields and squeeze it horizontally to the width of a 2-digit shield you'll get...

Voila!  A hideous angular interstate shield.

Seeing if I could make a "bubble" shield, I took a standard 2-digit interstate shield and stretch it horizontally to the width of a 3-digit shield you'll get...

Voila #2!  A hideous bubble interstate shield.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

Bickendan

Quote from: myosh_tino on January 20, 2010, 11:48:21 PM
Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 05:09:40 PM
The non-cutout interstate shields, the CalTrans interstate shields, and the Rand McNally interstate shields? Yeah, those are worth of a double facepalm.
If you're saying that the standard California Interstate shields with the state name and smaller numerals deserve a "double facepalm", I will disagree with you most strongly. :no:
Not these.
QuoteHowever, if you're referencing the hideous "angular" interstate shields that popped up a number of years ago, then I'm 100% with you. :clap:
These.  
QuoteWhat's worse are the neutered *and* angular I-80 shields in the Sierra Nevada Mountains... ugh! :banghead:
What.

QuoteI was messing around with Photoshop and I think I found out how the triangle/angular shields came to be.  If you take a standard 3-digit interstate shields and squeeze it horizontally to the width of a 2-digit shield you'll get...

Voila!  A hideous angular interstate shield.

Seeing if I could make a "bubble" shield, I took a standard 2-digit interstate shield and stretch it horizontally to the width of a 3-digit shield you'll get...

Voila #2!  A hideous bubble interstate shield.

Hmm. Would it be as bad if the 2di weren't stretched out so far and a smaller font series used instead? I suspect not, but I'm curious.

Bickendan

Quote from: shoptb1 on January 20, 2010, 08:35:01 PM
Quote from: jjakucyk on January 20, 2010, 08:32:16 PM
Quote from: Bickendan on January 20, 2010, 08:30:50 PM
...I should start a thread about offensive non-cutouts and leave the merely annoying bubbles in here, I guess :/

You mean we'd have to look at more of them? 

Yeah, let's stop the bleeding!  It's only crying from here on out.   :-D
LOL, no. I just had a good excuse to use the threadjack smiley.

myosh_tino

Quote from: Bickendan on January 21, 2010, 01:08:09 AM
Quote from: myosh_tino on January 20, 2010, 11:48:21 PM
What's worse are the neutered *and* angular I-80 shields in the Sierra Nevada Mountains... ugh! :banghead:
What.
I was able to find this picture from the AARoads gallery...


I suspect that these shields won't be around very long due to the harsh winter conditions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Also, it looks like a number of I-80 shields are getting replaced with more standard looking ones...
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

agentsteel53

Quote from: Bickendan on January 21, 2010, 01:08:09 AM

Hmm. Would it be as bad if the 2di weren't stretched out so far and a smaller font series used instead? I suspect not, but I'm curious.

I think any deviation away from circular arcs is bound to look somewhat goofy.  A 1 or 2% deviation is unnoticeable but a bit more than that and there's something subtly off-kilter about the shield, and at the 15% error of the standard bubble shield, the problem is obvious.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

hbelkins

Quote from: myosh_tino on January 20, 2010, 11:48:21 PM
I was messing around with Photoshop and I think I found out how the triangle/angular shields came to be.  If you take a standard 3-digit interstate shields and squeeze it horizontally to the width of a 2-digit shield you'll get...

Voila!  A hideous angular interstate shield.

Seeing if I could make a "bubble" shield, I took a standard 2-digit interstate shield and stretch it horizontally to the width of a 3-digit shield you'll get...

Voila #2!  A hideous bubble interstate shield.
[/quote]

That, then, would explain the looks of some of the 2di shields on overheads in the OKC area.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Bickendan


realjd

I'm probably the only person here who feels this way, but I personally like the bubble shields better. I've always thought the standard 3di shield is too "pointy". The bubble shields are sleeker IMO.

Now I do respect the fact that the bubble shields are non-standard, and I'm not advocating that anyone intentionally break the standards (they're there for a reason), but that doesn't mean I can't like them!

agentsteel53

the 3di shield is a tad pointy compared to the 2di shield, but the bubble shield overcompensates for that by maybe a factor of five.  Keeping circular arcs, and moving the top outer points in by about a quarter to a half inch (on a 30x25 inch blank) should be sufficient.  
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

mightyace

Quote from: agentsteel53 on January 22, 2010, 09:13:13 AM
the 3di shield is a tad pointy compared to the 2di shield, but the bubble shield overcompensates for that by maybe a factor of five.  Keeping circular arcs, and moving the top outer points in by about a quarter to a half inch (on a 30x25 inch blank) should be sufficient.  

Would you mind sketching an example so that we can see the difference?
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

agentsteel53

if I haven't done so in a couple days, ping me again - busy doing some back-end work with the SQL database of the shield gallery.  Oh sweet painful Jesus...
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

Bickendan

Someone's eyes are gonna bleed, but that's price that's gotta be paid to ping Jake for the request reminder...

TheStranger

Quote from: realjd on January 22, 2010, 09:10:37 AM
I'm probably the only person here who feels this way, but I personally like the bubble shields better. I've always thought the standard 3di shield is too "pointy". The bubble shields are sleeker IMO.

IMO, the late-1950s 3di shield shape (slightly taller 2di shield, but not wider) which CalTrans uses is a great solution to avoiding the pointy edge at bottom, without creating a bloated bubble.
Chris Sampang

agentsteel53

Quote from: Bickendan on August 07, 2010, 04:33:13 PM
Someone's eyes are gonna bleed, but that's price that's gotta be paid to ping Jake for the request reminder...

remind me what I was trying to do?  especially given what I have learned about interstate shields in the last few months (which can be summed up as 'there are far too many standards') - I may just be able to pull a standard shield from some state or another for you.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

ctsignguy

Quote from: PennDOTFan on January 17, 2010, 08:16:20 PM
Hey I gotta ask this, what do we call a 3di shield with a 2di number inside like this one?

(though, this shield covers I-495, so this one can't help it)

We call it a "cute shield"...a former GF saw my 18x21 VT I-91 years ago and called it 'cute'....
http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u102/ctsignguy/<br /><br />Maintaining an interest in Fine Highway Signs since 1958....

TheStranger

Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 08, 2010, 12:25:43 AM
Quote from: Bickendan on August 07, 2010, 04:33:13 PM
Someone's eyes are gonna bleed, but that's price that's gotta be paid to ping Jake for the request reminder...

remind me what I was trying to do?  especially given what I have learned about interstate shields in the last few months (which can be summed up as 'there are far too many standards') - I may just be able to pull a standard shield from some state or another for you.

I think it's this:

Quote from: mightyaceQuote from: agentsteel53 on January 22, 2010, 09:13:13 AM
the 3di shield is a tad pointy compared to the 2di shield, but the bubble shield overcompensates for that by maybe a factor of five.  Keeping circular arcs, and moving the top outer points in by about a quarter to a half inch (on a 30x25 inch blank) should be sufficient. 

Would you mind sketching an example so that we can see the difference?

Chris Sampang

SSOWorld

Quote from: ctsignguy on August 09, 2010, 08:08:19 PM
Quote from: PennDOTFan on January 17, 2010, 08:16:20 PM
Hey I gotta ask this, what do we call a 3di shield with a 2di number inside like this one?

(though, this shield covers I-495, so this one can't help it)

We call it a "cute shield"...a former GF saw my 18x21 VT I-91 years ago and called it 'cute'....
I call it ugly - Mass has em for I-95 all over - and they're friggin HUGE!!!!
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

agentsteel53

Quote from: Master son on August 09, 2010, 10:38:49 PM
I call it ugly - Mass has em for I-95 all over - and they're friggin HUGE!!!!

that is because Mass lacks the state name and uses the oversize numbers.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com



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