The Font Tool

The 'Font' tool creates font outlines. Outlines are represented as regular NURBS curves. You can use them with all surface construction tools.

Let's experiment with the tool.

1. Activate the Font tool. It's in the NURBS tab.

You can now see a number of tool specific options in the control bar.

The Font tool activated

2. Specify the desired font properties and type in a string into the 'Text' field.

Note: use the 'Browse' button to bring up the standard font selector window and select a font, style and size.

3. Then enter two points through the view window to define a base line for the outline curves. When the second point is entered, the tool is automatically accepted and the curves are inserted to the scene.

Hello using 'Times New Roman'
 
 

Editing font curves

Let's assume we made a mistake. Instead of using the 'Times' font, we should have used the 'Courier' font.

In the select window, you can see an object whose name matches the text you specified into the 'Text' field ('Hello', in this case). Open this level and you can see a font manager object. The font manager object is named according to the font class you specified ('Truetype', for example).

4. Select the font manager object.

Font manager object selected

5. Open the property window. In the 'Spec' tab, change the font type to 'Courier New', for example.
The curves in the view window are instantly updated to reflect the new selected font.

'Courier' font Hello

Let's end this tutorial by creating a 3D logo from the curves. The Extrude tool can be used for this.

6. Select the all the level objects containing one font object (a quick way to do this, is to select the level with the 'H', press and hold the Ctrl key, and select the level with the 'o'). Activate the Extrude curves tool from the 'Tools/Nurbs Construction' pull-down menu and specify the desired extrusion options through the control bar. When done, accept the tool.

Extruded outline fonts on a semi reflective floor

Tutorial project: 'tutorprojects\modeling\nurbs\fonts\hello'