Library of 3D alphabets?

[Zarathustra]

You know, it's really not that hard to just make 3D text. I think it would be faster to make then to look for premades.

[Signal2Noise]

I agree with Zarathustra. Look for (some cost money while lots don't) fonts on the 'net, download them and create your 3d with splines/extrudes, using the font as a background. Voila! 3D text!

[milqman]

www.dafont.com
www.acidfonts.com

a bunch of free (2d) fonts that you could make 3d with the methods above

[JVitale]

If I understand correctly, just about any true type font could be used to make 3D letters. I've had success loading foreign language fonts and making them into 3D letters...There's a plethora of fonts out there

[policarpo]

Check out my quick and dirty Router tutorial at this link:

http://www.policarpo.us/tutorials/

note: Router is an Lscript located in the Model folder of the LScripts. Just load it like a standard PlugIn and it will always appear in the Additional Drop down. ;)

[Tom Wood]

Thanks,

I've been working with 'logo' some more and can live with the results. Still wanting to tweak the chrome a little though:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=132187

TW

Sorry for the slow reply, this post hung the board when I posted it, so I didn't get any email notifications.

[Zarathustra]

Hey Poli, that router looks cool.

Well, you've got 2 threads and I don't know where to post so I'll just stay here.

You should think 3 surfaces (I apologize for no visual, but I have 3 boxes rendering at the moment):
1) Face
2) Edge
3) Sides
(techinically 4, if you want a separate one for the back)

Face is obvious.
Sides is obvious, but you should knock down the diffuse and spec (and perhaps reflection) so it doesn't compete with Face when you rotate the type
Edge is the neat little bevel you get between Face and Sides. Crank up the spec on this baby and you'll get a hot outline for your text, further distinguishing Face from Sides.

For the chrome, you could also consider parenting an object to the text for the sake of having something to reflect, just have the object unseen for the render.

[Tom Wood]

Thanks All,

I can get the face to show the chrome (it's a reflection map) and I know how to name separate surfaces and give them different textures, that doesn't seem to be the problem. What is happening is that there is a rendering error occuring, maybe because of the way the faces are beveled out.

In this image the surface treatment of both 2004's is identical, the only difference is in the edge bevels:

http://www.cgtalk.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=1217688

If I triple the face polys, I get a new type of error where the chrome reflection follows the lines of the triples. The reflection mapping itself is working fine, I think it's in the render calcs where it's going bad.

There's a section in Dan Ablan's book Inside Lightwave 7, top of page 320 where he talks about the importance of beveling three times to prevent a render error. I tried variations of this, but to no avail.

Using either zero or a value in either the shift or offset has a big impact on how the surrounding surfaces are rendered. I suspect there's a technique to make this work, I just haven't found the right combination of actions, yet.

Thanks again!

TW

[Zarathustra]

I don't know about 3 bevels. Basic way would be:
1) Create flat text
2) Extrude Text
3) Bevel in the Face
4) Bevel Face again, but enter "0" for all values

The last one is normally what gets rid of your rendering error.

I know how to name separate surfaces and give them different textures, that doesn't seem to be the problem.

Well, I see 2 surfaces, maybe. I think you should have 3 and they should be different like what I described earlier; otherwise, the text becomes difficult to read when rotated, especially when using a chrome texture.

[Tom Wood]

And here's another try where the first bevel of the face polys is 1mm shift and 1mm offset. Notice how the -sides- of the letters correctly show the reflection map. There's two more bevels like this, then a bevel with 0mm shift and offset, which results in the flat faces. Using a value in the shift and offset in the last bevel results in the reflection map showing up on the faces, but with errors as shown in the 2004 image linked above.

Um, this is for a political talk show segment...

[Zarathustra]

(using my surface names to avoid confusion)

I don't see the reflection map on Face, only Sides. Also, Sides looks hotter then Face. Hard to tell on such a small image, but it looks like you have Edge looking ok.

Probably not what you want to hear - skinny text with serifs is difficult to read no matter what you do. Check out the opening of The Daily Show. They squash the height of the text and make it as full screen as possible to compensate. You're doing the opposite.

[Tom Wood]

Originally posted by Zarathustra
I don't see the reflection map on Face, only Sides. Also, Sides looks hotter then Face.

Yeah, that's the whole issue. ALL surfaces are identical, but the flat surface of the Face doesn't reflect the reflection map if it's beveled out with zero shift and inset. Bevel with any value in shift and inset, and the reflection map shows up, but with errors. Actually, the flat surfaces of the Sides don't show the reflection map either, I need a way to 'puff' the surfaces.

Understood on readability, it's being composited over a different background in Mirage.

Thanks!

TW

[Zarathustra]

Actually, the flat surfaces of the Sides don't show the reflection map either

uh...that looks like the only surface that IS showing a reflection map in that last image you posted.

Well, if you're only using reflection mapping and not backround, then why not just apply your reflection map as a surface tied to a null? The reflection could then "move" so it would look like a reflection but you'd have more control of the look.

Remember, knock down the diffuse and spec for Sides.

[conradi]

I do logos and such for a living. One problem is you should stay completely away from fractal images for reflections. You should use some sort of environmental image, like an outdoor photo or even indoor blurred to taste. I have a collection that I have made from photos and from watercolor paintings I have made. As has been noted, I usually name my surfaces fronts, bevels, and sides. I always make sure the fronts have no smoothing applied. I also use the old LW trick of physically separating each surface. Select all the polys with the bevel surface and just cut them out and paste them right back in. Do that with all your different surfaces and just remember not to merge points. Another thing is parent everything in your scene to a null, camera, lights, everything. Now you can rotate the null until the reflections are showing like you want. Hope this helps.

Cliff

[Tom Wood]

Not sure what you mean by 'fractal image' but here's what I'm using now in the attachment. As I understand it, the spherical map is like a skydome so it's all around. (Still working on adding an image to Layout.)

Thanks!

TW

[conradi]

Here is the jpeg version, highly compressed tho.

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