Can anyone help with the mold tool please?

[wW]

I started to suggest that approch Soquili but then I realized that it won't work, at least not very accurately. You'd have to do each word individually for it to look half way close. Keep your text string down to 5-8 letters on each curve before molding.

I don't think it's gonna be easy, which ever way you try. Perhaps you could sit the watch on a scanner & scan it high rez, then trace the text manually.

[Soquili]

Martin do you own any 3D software like Cinema 4D, Truespace, Carrara, etc.?

You might try applying the text to a circle. Convert to Editable shape and ungroup. Export the text shapes to an .ai file. Import that into your 3D application and then edit the text to the correct angle. Export the shape out as an .ai file to be imported into Xtreme.

Just an idea that I have not actually put to a test.

[David O'Neil]

If you are talking about obtaining text like the following, just apply a banner mold and edit and move the points around until you get what you want.

[wW]

Yes, like that.

Gosh Dave, your my hero!

Funny, my first thought was 100% mold tool for small text strings. You have to use all four points on the square custom mold shape.

Duh. For some reason I was thinking about a long text string going completely around a circle. That's when it gets mean...

Not so difficult if break it down to bite size morcels eh?

[Soquili]

There is a problem using the banner mold in that it does not give the correct perspective to the text.

[Munchkin]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It's amazing what you end up learning/doing when you set yourself a duplication project!

I'll play around with these ideas and get back to you soon.

Cheers

Martin

[gwpriester]

What I would suggest is a bit of a bother but might work.

I placed the text above the circle in a straight line (not curved or on a path) and applied a Ceiling Perspective. I dragged the vanishing point to the center of the circle.

The text was converted to editable shapes and un-grouped several times until the characters were separate objects.

The characters were individually placed in position and individually rotated to align with the circle.

There might also be a way to do this using a Circular envelope.

Gary

[David O'Neil]

Or another bother, that I believe overcomes Soquili's objections.

[Egg Bramhill]

Here's another method. FF crashed on me earlier mid post so I'll explain how tomorrow ~I'm off to bed.

[Egg Bramhill]

It makes a good compass too ~ Now I'm off to bed!