3 Dimensional text

**salaam** · 27 June 2007, 11:16 AM

I don't know if this method has been tried before but I couldn't find anything on how to create 3D images using XX with light shading.

Later I will submit my method if one doesn't already exist.

The Xara on the right was made in X3D while everything else was made in XXPro3.0
The blue 'Pull' is a bit jagged but this could have been avoided by me by saving it as a high resolution bitmap first, before exporting it as 96dpi.

**remi** · 27 June 2007, 01:23 PM

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I would recommend to create 3D text with a real 3D software package.

Remi

**salaam** · 28 June 2007, 04:23 AM

I don't think that I will have time to create a tutorial so briefly:
3D text with correct contour lighting can be modelled in XX quite simply by applying a very small bevel to 2 vector shapes and then blending them together. The lighting direction as well as angle can be adjusted before or after the blend is created. Due to the versatillity of the blend tool, XX is able to create images which can not be created on X3D 6.

**salaam** · 28 June 2007, 06:36 PM

I was so impressed with what can be done in XX rather than X3D I had to show you.

**Know1** · 28 June 2007, 06:55 PM

I just have to ask why.... why in the world would anyone want to use that weird 3d text effect??

Has that ever been used successfully?

**amoore** · 28 June 2007, 08:32 PM

Don't know about using it for text, but it worked very nicely for the star-shaped crayon holder (or whatever that is on the right

).

**Xhris** · 28 June 2007, 09:40 PM

This is quite a nice effect actually when used with bevels. I should probably update my extrude tutorial below sometime.

Wouldn't it be great if you could do proper 3D things directly in Xara like you can in Xara3D?

**remi** · 28 June 2007, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by Xhris

Wouldn't it be great if you could do proper 3D things directly in Xara like you can in Xara3D?

No, because Xara 3D is a play tool and nothing more and I would like to see progress with new professional tools within Xara Xtreme and not such old wine in new bottles.

Remi

**Xhris** · 28 June 2007, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by remi

No, because Xara 3D is a play tool and nothing more and I would like to see progress with new professional tools within Xara Xtreme and not such old wine in new bottles.

Remi

Well, I certainly wouldn't call the most slick 3D tool available: 'nothing more than a play tool'. It's much more than a play tool; it's essentially a 3D extrude tool which has valid applications in vector art. Illustrator has the equivalent tool. Anyway, I was sufficiently intrigued by what was meant by 'professional' tools, that I started a thread about it.

**remi** · 28 June 2007, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by Xhris

it's essentially a 3D extrude tool which has valid applications in vector art. Illustrator has the equivalent tool.

Yes, Illustrator has a 3D vector extrude tool, but Xara 3D is a play tool which lacks of a support of Xara's own vector file format (

) and supports only bitmap export or Flash export. And simple extruding of vector shapes is not professional 3D - certainly not in the year 2007.

Remi