"3D Text" is a tool to create "flying logos" and captions. The 3D Text can not only have thickness, but also a profile curve that defines the shape of the bevel.
Figure 9: The "3D Text" tool can be used to create flying logos in multiple fonts. 3D text is stored in a compact form in VRML output.
The interface has the following components:
Object Name
You can give a meaningful name to the main object using the "Object Name" text field, and pressing "Ok".
Input Text
This tool takes its input from the keyboard. Just type in whatever you wish. To start a new line, press <Enter> and type in the new line. When you are done, click on "Update".
Automatic
If you turn on "Automatic", you can see the text appear as you type. This may slow things down, but you get instantaneous feedback.
Update
If "Automatic" is off, click on "Update" to update the "3D Text" object with the text you typed in.
Font name
There are two modes of operation for choosing the 3D Text font.
Name: This will give you a list of fonts available. Select a font by choosing an item in the list. You can change the font any time while editing the text.
Family: This is a more generic style of setting the font. You can set
the Font family to one of Serif, Sans Serif or Typewriter, and optionally set "Bold" and/or "Italic".
Hint: For VRML, the "Family" style of specifying fonts is recommended, as that will ensure correct display on all VR browsers.
Complexity
The complexity value, ranging between 0 and 1, indicates the fineness of the font outline.
Hint: Using a lesser complexity value significantly reduces the number of triangles used, which is good for VR. For ray-tracing, you may want to use a higher complexity value.
Font Size
You can change the size of the font by entering a new value in the "Font Size" text field.
Line Spacing
You can change the vertical spacing between lines of text by entering a new value in the "Line Spacing" text field.
Justify
You can set the justification of the text to "Left", "Center" or "Right", with respect to the location point of the text.
Parts
The "3D Text" object has 3 parts -- "front", "sides" and "back". You can turn each of these parts on or off.
Hint: If you turn only "Front" on, the number of triangles becomes significantly lesser, and the scene becomes more efficient for VR.
Hint: Turning on "front" and "back", and turning off "side" creates a nice "shadow" effect for the lettering.
Profile Editor
On the right side of the "3D Text Editor", you will find the "Profile Editor" window. This tool is used to change the profile contours (beveling) of the "3D Text".
To use this tool start by moving the mouse cursor over the blue point marker at the left side of the profile spline. When the control point is selected, a small green box will appear around the blue control point. Now press the left mouse button and hold it, this will change the display to a yellow drag manipulator. Still holding the left mouse button down, drag the mouse up or down. You will see the profile of the 3D text object change. Move the cursor over the line till it turns green, and click the left mouse button to create a new intermediate point on the profile. Press "D" or "Backspace" or "Delete" to remove the point. When you are moving a point, its numerical location is displayed in the "Transform" tool (see "Attribute - Transform"). If you drag a box around a vertex using the left mouse, then you can type in a precise location in the X and Y boxes.
(See "Model - Potter" for a full description of spline editing, which is similar to the 3D text profile editor).
New
This is used when you want to work on a new "3D Text" object. You can use this option to create/ edit a new 3D text object without having to close the tool.
Close
This closes the 3D Text tool. If the input text is empty, no object is created.
