Create Stunning 3D Text – Tutorial

Posted on 24. Dec, 2009 by DAS Team in Tutorials, Typography

This is one amazing tutorial that will help you create outstanding 3D Text effects. This tutorial was created by Christopher Noble founder of ‘EraserDust’, a graphic studio powerhouse that delivers graphics that are really one of a kind. In this tutorial, Noble himself shows you guys how you can create your own 3D Text that is extremely realistic.

Tutorial:
Needed: 3D software package (I used Blender (www.blender.org) + YafaRay render plugin (www.yafaray.org)

Adobe Illustrator CS2 or higher

Adobe Photoshop CS2 or higher

Preface: Some experience in the required software packages is required for this tutorial, especially when creating layer masks in Photoshop as well as setting up a scene render in your 3D package, since there are so many options, it would overcomplicate things by listing them here. Tutorials and information can be found all over the internet.

Blender Tutorials/Resources: http://www.blender.org/education-help/

Blender WikiBook: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro

YafaRay Forum/Resources: http://www.yafaray.org/community/forum

Step 1: Start by creating your words in Illustrator. If you use an actual font you will need to convert them to outlines by clicking Type>Create Outlines. Save the file as an .SVG using the settings displayed in the screenshot.

Step 2 (A): Open Blender (or 3d software of choice), erase default object. We want to import our word outlines into Blender so we can make them 3D objects. Select File>Import>Paths>.SVG. Find your saved file and click Import, making sure to use the settings in the screenshot.

Step 2 (B): This is what you will see once the letters are loaded into the program.

Step 3: Before making them 3D, you will want to group each word separately. You do this by Shift + Right Click each letter in the word and selecting Object>Join Objects.

Step 4: Enter camera view by selecting View>Camera. Press “S” key and drag your mouse to scale your words to a larger size.

Step 5: To extrude the objects, select a word group and click on the Editing>Curve & Surface Panel>Extrude, you can also use this panel to give the edges a bevel by selecting Bevel Depth.

Step 6: If needed, use Object>Transform>Rotate on Axis tools to arrange your objects into a creative composition.

Step 7: To add a floor for the shadows to gather on, select Add>Mesh>Plane. Scale it to fit under the letters and arrange it so that it’s directly beneath them.

Step 8: Once everything is arranged to your liking, you can render the scene to see if any additional tweaking/rearranging is necessary. I’m not going to go full detail on the render settings, as there are many ways to accomplish it. There are a lot of useful resources on the web. I use YafRay to get a nice global illumination, this creates a lot of nice diffused shadows and creates an overall more realistic render.

Save the render with File>Save Rendered Image.

Step 9: Open a new photoshop file and place the rendered image by File>Place. Make any adjustments to the brightness or contrast of the render. Using the pen tool, trace around the outline of the letters, load the selection then click Select>Inverse and on a new layer fill with any color. This will allow you to mask the floor images so they don’t overlay your text.

Step 10: Trace the letter faces with the pen tool, once all the letter faces are traced, load the selection from the Paths Panel (command+click or ctrl+click). On a new layer (named FACES) fill with a light gray.

Step 11: Load the letter faces path (from the paths panel) again and copy the rendered letters and paste them on a new layer at the top. Go to Image>Adjustments>Levels, and using the white point dropper, click in the center of one of your letters, this will adjust the gray faces to a white while retaining the rendered shadows. Set Blending mode to Multiply.

Step 12: Create a new layer above the Faces layer and go to Layer>Create Clipping mask. Use File>Place on the clipping mask layer to import a texture. I used a Victorian themed paper that I had scanned in.

Step 13: Use a layer mask to creatively mask out the texture for an interesting effect.

Step 14: Do this for as many textures as you wish. Just remember to create a new Clipping Mask Layer for each texture and to edit it with a Layer Mask so you continue to non destructively edit it. You can use different blending modes, rearrange layers to create all kinds of different effects.

*TIP* You can add textures to the tops and sides of the letter forms by following the same instructions for the letter faces. Trace the tops/sides with the pen tool, load the selection, on a new layer fill with any color, then create a new Clipping Mask Layer overtop and Place your texture. You can use the Edit>Transform>Perspective tool to make it look more realistic.

Step 15: To add textures to the floor I used the Vanishing Point tool (Filter>Vanishing Point). For this image, I used some paint spatters that I scanned in. I created 2 new layers, (below the 3D Rendered Type layer) I placed the texture on one of the layers then copied it and deleted the texture layer.

Step 16: On the remaining layer open the Vanishing Point filter. Create a Vanishing Plane.

Step 17: Copy your texture and drag it onto the plane (it will automatically be transformed to match the perspective). Do this for as many floor textures as you want.

Step 18: Set the rendered letters layer Blending to Multiply, you will now notice that your floor is showing through your rendered letters. Use the layer that we created back in Step 9, load the selection and create a layer mask on your floor layers. They will be masked so that they show only on the floor, not the 3D letters.