How do I create/render a UIImage from a 3D transfo

Question

After applying a 3d transform to an UIImageView.layer, I need to save the resulting "view" as a new UIImage... Seemed like a simple task at first :-) but no luck so far, and searching hasn't turned up any clues :-( so I'm hoping someone will be kind enough to point me in the right direction.

A very simple iPhone project is available here.

Thanks.

- (void)transformImage {
    float degrees = 12.0;
    float zDistance = 250;
    CATransform3D transform3D = CATransform3DIdentity;
    transform3D.m34 = 1.0 / zDistance; // the m34 cell of the matrix controls perspective, and zDistance affects the "sharpness" of the transform
    transform3D = CATransform3DRotate(transform3D, DEGREES_TO_RADIANS(degrees), 1, 0, 0); // perspective transform on y-axis
    imageView.layer.transform = transform3D;
}

/* FAIL : capturing layer contents doesn't get the transformed image -- just the original

CGImageRef newImageRef = (CGImageRef)imageView.layer.contents;

UIImage *image = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:newImageRef];

*/


/* FAIL : docs for renderInContext states that it does not render 3D transforms

UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(imageView.image.size);

[imageView.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];

UIImage *image = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();

UIGraphicsEndImageContext();

*/
//
// header
//
#import <QuartzCore/QuartzCore.h>
#define DEGREES_TO_RADIANS(x) x * M_PI / 180
UIImageView *imageView;
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UIImageView *imageView;

//
// code
//
@synthesize imageView;

- (void)transformImage {
    float degrees = 12.0;
    float zDistance = 250;
    CATransform3D transform3D = CATransform3DIdentity;
    transform3D.m34 = 1.0 / zDistance; // the m34 cell of the matrix controls perspective, and zDistance affects the "sharpness" of the transform
    transform3D = CATransform3DRotate(transform3D, DEGREES_TO_RADIANS(degrees), 1, 0, 0); // perspective transform on y-axis
    imageView.layer.transform = transform3D;
}

- (UIImage *)captureView:(UIImageView *)view {
    UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(view.frame.size);
    [view.layer renderInContext:UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext()];
    UIImage *newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
    UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
    return newImage;
}

- (void)imageSavedToPhotosAlbum:(UIImage *)image didFinishSavingWithError:(NSError *)error contextInfo:(void *)contextInfo {
    NSString *title = @"Save to Photo Album";
    NSString *message = (error ? [error description] : @"Success!");
    UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:title message:message delegate:nil cancelButtonTitle:@"OK" otherButtonTitles:nil];
    [alert show];
    [alert release];
}

- (IBAction)saveButtonClicked:(id)sender {
    UIImage *newImage = [self captureView:imageView];
    UIImageWriteToSavedPhotosAlbum(newImage, self, @selector(imageSavedToPhotosAlbum: didFinishSavingWithError: contextInfo:), nil);  
}

Answer 1

Have you had a look at this? UIImage from UIView

Answer 2

I have the same problem with you and I found the solution! I want to rotate the UIImageView, because I will have the animation. And save the image, I use this method:

void CGContextConcatCTM(CGContextRef c, CGAffineTransform transform)

the transform param is the transform of your UIImageView!. So anything you have done to the imageView will be the same with image!. And I have write a category method of UIImage.

-(UIImage *)imageRotateByTransform:(CGAffineTransform)transform{
// calculate the size of the rotated view's containing box for our drawing space
UIView *rotatedViewBox = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0,0,self.size.width, self.size.height)];
rotatedViewBox.transform = transform;
CGSize rotatedSize = rotatedViewBox.frame.size;
[rotatedViewBox release];

// Create the bitmap context
UIGraphicsBeginImageContext(rotatedSize);
CGContextRef bitmap = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();

// Move the origin to the middle of the image so we will rotate and scale around the center.
CGContextTranslateCTM(bitmap, rotatedSize.width/2, rotatedSize.height/2);

//Rotate the image context using tranform
CGContextConcatCTM(bitmap, transform);
// Now, draw the rotated/scaled image into the context
CGContextScaleCTM(bitmap, 1.0, -1.0);
CGContextDrawImage(bitmap, CGRectMake(-self.size.width / 2, -self.size.height / 2, self.size.width, self.size.height), [self CGImage]);

UIImage *newImage = UIGraphicsGetImageFromCurrentImageContext();
UIGraphicsEndImageContext();
return newImage;

}

Hope this will help you.