need help making 3D txt

[cobra1964]

I have seen 3D text in a drawing before, but I cant do it. I have tried mtext then xplode but that just makes it text and you cant extrude it. i have spent a lot of time on this and cant figure it out. can anyone help?

[dzatto]

I have seen 3D text in a drawing before, but I cant do it. I have tried mtext then xplode but that just makes it text and you cant extrude it. i have spent a lot of time on this and cant figure it out. can anyone help?
Yep, I do it on all my renderings. Here's how I do it.

1. Explode your text using the express tools explode text tool. You can't do it with the regular explode tool.

2. Select all the text and explode it using the regular explode tool. When you use the express tool text explode, it turns it into closed polylines, but you will notice there will be, for example, 3 different sections for a "K". You need to make each letter one polyline.

3. After you explode the polylines, erase all of the lines that are on the interior of the letter. You'll see what I mean. Leave only the outline of the letter.

4. Turn each letter into a polyline. It's way faster if you set PEDITACCEPT to 1. That way, it doesn't ask you if you want to turn it into a polyline every time. Make sure to do both parts of letter like O, A, and R, etc. etc. that have holes in them. Oh, one more trick is to set your double click for a line to PEDIT instead of the properties palette. That way, just double click on a line and it turns into a polyline and starts the PEDIT command. Then just type J for join and select the other lines and your done!

5. Extrude the letters to whatever height you want.

6. Subtract the parts that need to be subtracted like in the letters O,A, and R etc etc.

As an added step, you can then group your letters so it's one entity instead of a bunch of letters. This works great for exterior signs on a building.

If you have any problems, jUSt let me know. Hope that helps. :beer:

[cobra1964]

that was just what I needed. Thank you very much

[jaberwok]

Another thing you may wish to consider depending on what the want the text for is to use an ordinary single-stroke font (like romans.shx), manipulate the text like Dan said but then extrude a circle along each of the lines from the text. It looks a bit like engraving when you set the text half-way into a solid then subtract it.

[dzatto]

Another thing you may wish to consider depending on what the want the text for is to use an ordinary single-stroke font (like romans.shx), manipulate the text like Dan said but then extrude a circle along each of the lines from the text. It looks a bit like engraving when you set the text half-way into a solid then subtract it.
Ahhh, never thought of that. :beer: I guess you could even extrude a square to make it block like.

[CStigler]

I find that the "explode text" Express Tool sometimes leaves things a bit trashy. I use this approach:

3dsout the text
3dsin that result
explode all of that
use the "region" command on those results

You can now extrude the region into a solid.

I say I use this approach, but more accurately, I used to. I actually use AutoSolids' "soltext" command, which extrudes TrueType text directly into solids.

Cal

[scj.schulz]

Really 3D-text you can do with ELEFONT - try to Google for it, - it is free.
Good luck
Jochen