3D Text Menu Settings

3D Text Tab

Text field

Displays the current text string. Editable.

Font field

Displays the current font. Click to open the font library to select a different font for the text.

You specify the default font in the Preferences menu. Also, you can install additional fonts for use with Smoke.

Kern field

Displays the kerning value for the text string. Editable.

Size field

Displays the font size for the text string. Editable.

Italic field

Displays the level of italics for the characters in the text string. Editable.

Depth field

Displays the level of depth (thus extruding the selection, making it three dimensional). Editable.

Rigid Text button

Enable to gang the text string characters as a single geometry. Enabling this button is particularly noticeable when attaching the 3D Text node to a 3D path.

Show Pivots button

Enable to display the pivot points for each individual text character in the 3D Text string (displayed in the image window in red). When disabled, only the master character pivot point is displayed (in green).

This setting can also be found in the Character Axis tab.

Separate button

Click to separate selected text so that each letter has its own axis. See Separating Text.

Motion Blur button

Enable to use a motion blur effect for the selected text (can only be used if the global Motion Blur is enabled in the Action Setup menu).

Bevel Curve

Applies a bevel to the depth of the geometry when you manipulate the Bevel curve. You can move and add points to the curve, as well as adjust the tangent handles to produce different effects with the text string.

Home button

Resets the Bevel curve viewer to show the whole curve.

Undo button

Undoes the last set of Bevel curve operations.

Reset button

Resets the Bevel curve.

Multi Material button

Enable to create an Object Group node for each of the front, back, and extrude of the 3D object. You can then attach a different texture map to apply to the different surfaces.

Character Axis Tab

You can change the axis properties of your 3D text string characters. This can be useful in offsetting your text from a 3D path.

Master Character field

Displays the number of the character in the text string that is considered to be the master. All other text characters follow this character in any character axis settings. Editable.

Cascade field

Displays the amount of frames to offset the animation of other characters from the master character. The animation that is offset includes all numeric fields in the Character Axis tab, as well as the Specular, Ambient, Diffuse, Transparency, and Shine fields in the Geometry tab. Editable.

For example, if Cascade is set to 0, all characters have the same animation as the master character. If Cascade is set to a positive number, all characters other than the master character have their animation offset forward in time.

Cascade Alignment box

Select the flow of the cascade offset, with respect to the master character.

X Position field

Displays the position of the offset along the X axis. Editable.

Y Position field

Displays the position of the offset along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Position field

Displays the position of the offset along the Z axis. Editable.

X Rotation field

Displays the rotation of the offset along the X axis. Editable.

Y Rotation field

Displays the rotation of the offset along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Rotation field

Displays the rotation of the offset along the Z axis. Editable.

X Scale field

Displays the scale of the offset along the X axis. Editable.

Y Scale field

Displays the scale of the offset along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Scale field

Displays the scale of the offset along the Z axis. Editable.

Proportional Scale button

Enable to scale the X, Y, and Z axes proportionally.

X Shear field

Displays the shear of the offset along the X axis. Editable.

Y Shear field

Displays the shear of the offset along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Shear field

Displays the shear of the offset along the Z axis. Editable.

X Centre field

Displays the centre of the offset along the X axis. Editable.

Y Centre field

Displays the centre of the offset along the Y axis. Editable.

Z Centre field

Displays the centre of the offset along the Z axis. Editable.

Vertical Pivot box

Select the vertical position of the pivot point for the selected text characters.

Horizontal Pivot box

Select the horizontal position of the pivot point for the selected text characters.

Show Pivots button

Enable to display the pivot point for each individual text character in the 3D text string, displayed in the image window in red. When disabled, only the master character pivot point is displayed (in green). This setting can also be found in the 3D Text tab.

Geometry and UV Map Tabs

Click the Geometry and UV Map tabs to apply any of the other geometry settings to your 3D text.

See 3D Geometry Menu Settings for definitions of the specific Geometry and UV Map controls.