I’m starting this thread 'cause Howard Trickey (the master of Blenders Bevel-Tool) and me like to have input from you about needed blenders text (curve) conversion features and current problems with it. I discussed all problems that I am facing while working at Plasmasolutions with Campbel on IRC already so it’s clear that we need a “remove doubles” after the actual conversion and maybe a limited dissolve also.
But more generally speaking: What do you need from a text / curve conversion tool in Blender. How should the resulting geometry look like? What features do you like to see included? Howard needs your help to improve the tools here - so this is the time to raise your voice!
Apart from the text conversion I really like to see Blender improving is in the motion graphics field more, therefore this would be very useful: The possiblity to add boolean modifiers on curves and texts so the (often error prone) conversion between curves and meshes is not needed.
So please add your wishes and problems related to conversion / mograph workflow here, Howard and me will read all your ideas.
Hi, this is very interesting to me as I do a lot of work with text objects in Blender. Currently, my biggest feature request would be the ability to add all the regular modifiers to the text object, particle systems and explode modifiers in particular.
I thought about this a bit and thought that maybe just being able to have the remesh modifier work on a text object would be enough; add a remesh modifier and the text becomes a quad based mesh and so then all other mesh based modifiers could be added? Remesh would be great in conjunction with a particle system and an explode modifier, perhaps the in-development voronoi explode and rigid body modifiers would allow shattering of text objects while keeping them editable?! (Maybe I’m getting a bit to carried away with this part of the topic so apologies if I am)
Remesh can currently be applied to a text object but I’m not sure what it currently does as the text seems to just disappear.
Obviously the greatest possibility would be that you could add all these modifiers without having to convert the mesh, so I’m slightly less interested in the conversion aspect, but remove doubles and quad based (and maybe ngon) conversion rather than scan fill (I think it’s called) would be great (or at least the option to do this).
Have to admit that I would love to be able to keep the text editable as this means I could sell template effects!
I’m in a slightly different train here, because I am an architect and I frequently like using curve objects (they end up being the same as curve text objects) over meshes as they simply some parts of the workflow, but god knows I have dreamed of seeing curves treated as first class citizens in blender instead of being the “second choice” that is rarely useful by itself.
I am with Madog09 on this, I would prefer to see curve objects improved by themselves, as in allowing more modifiers/editing options without having to convert to mesh, over the conversion part itself.
I would say
*Allow more modifiers types/particles
*Allow applying constructive modifiers without converting to mesh
*Better automatic UV generation (constant and even coordinates without stretching on larger segments)
*Maintain Generated UVs when converting to mesh
*Allow per segment material IDs
*Propagate curve material IDs over extrusions/bevels/spins etc
And since I’m dreaming outloud:
*Curve vertex snaping
*Improved curve editing tools like a view based trim extend
The obvious upgrade would be the ability to animate the body of the text. All other 3D packages support this and Blender does not, leaving us behind. This is one of the things that Blender can not do. The API needs to be updated to allow for animated strings.
When I use the Font object I end up converting it to a mesh then remeshing it to get decent output. If that workflow could be encapsulated and hidden behind the scenes and still allow us to edit the copy, that would be ideal. (Once again we need the equivalent of the Edit Mesh modifier that 3DSMax has).
Also the ability to have better cap control for the font with the output supporting multiple materials for the caps, body would be nice as well.
a better surface triangulation for ‘surface’ 2D curve (assuming text are mades of 2D curves)
( why triangulation happen on X axis? It make already existing modifier work strangely on it (and sometimes, really tricky))
‘Real’ Uvs support for surface/text curve
Atom : +1 for the 3DsMax edit modifier. It allow a really smooth worflow (kind of procedural workflow), not only for text/curve editing, but for modeling in general.
Thank god this has come up, I’m a motion graphics artist, have been for over 13 years and text in blender is really lacking. It’s something as a motion graphics artist I use all the time. The fact to get any really goo effects I have to create text, convert it to a mesh, then rebuild most faces be the geometry is so horrid is a huge time suck. Love @Atom input. Individual letter animation controls would be nice to, C4d text tool has some nice features I think we could look into, like default cap profiles.
Not sure this applies to this post but the font system in Blender is atrocious to me. Maybe I’m not using it right but getting the fonts I want is such a pain.
Anyways, eager to see any improvements to the text tool that are made.
Cheers,
matthew
Whoua ! Great project and I’m sure a lot of people will be delighted to know that.
Even if I agree with all the comments above, just one change that would be already a big improvement is a better conversion to mesh, with quads. The remesh modifier gave a new way to work with text objects but is it really necessary to have so many faces on a letter to look nice ?
And yep of course, the possibility to edit the text after the conversion.
Thanks guys for asking anyway and I’m keeping an eye on this thread !
Cheers.
Hi there!
Absolutely great that you’re showing such big activity here. That fortifies my opinion that we are really lacking a lot here (or better said: have a lot of potential for improvements here ) I appreciate every comment and am really with you on most if not all you’ve said!
Esp. the modifier ideas / uv ideas and better (quad) conversion if needed. What Matthew said is also true for me: The repeating conversion from text to meshes, removing doubles, limited dissolve and remeshing is a big time sink … and you loose the ability to create templates.
The only thing I see no problem in is the text animation. There are some scripts that are really handy and do all that with ease (although it would be handy to have it inbuilt for sure) : Bassams script for example
So anyone who has got other proposals or ideas about the topic please let them come… I’m happy to collect all of them here for further implementation attempts.
Totally agree - some kind of unwrapping UV control modifier for curve objects would be very welcome. And being able to apply all the modifiers to curve based objects would open up a whole new world of possibilities. Snapping for curve objects should also be improved.
maybe a spell-checker? Agree on most of the points on wishlist, was about to suggest vertex groups creation for caps / sides / bevel but that could be not viable with remove doubles…? Alt+F already works a lot better than the standard conversion filler btw
Hi Liero, how did you mean the beauty fill sentence? When you convert text it is alway filled, right? Do you delete all faces and beauty fill them with alt+f?
Don’t want to clutter this thread, but maybe you could enlighten me in one sentence
yes: convert to mesh, deselect, in edge mode select non manifold, invert selection, delete and beautify fill… algo is nicer
other silly trick I sometimes use is solidify modifier instead of extrusion on text curves, you can use 2 materials that way
The title of the thread is about better text conversion.
I agree with yakk. Remesh is a great addition.
It does the remove doubles job. It allows the uses of Deform modifiers.
But if it would be improved to respect shapes, materials and bevel generating less faces;
it would be terrific.
I have to say that Bmesh Ngons + knife is also a huge help to correct a mesh after conversion.
I don’t understand why conversion still creates mesh islands with triangles instead of replacing letters by Ngons.
Plasmasolutions if you are interested in ideas to improve text objects, I have some.
Before taking account of simulate modifiers, I would prefer to see already available modifiers reviewed to be more consistent with object type.
We can add an armature modifier to a text. But we have to rig it with enveloppes.
It does not make sense when character spacing is low.
It would be better to have not just a typing mode but a real edit mode in 3D space for text object.
Something that could handle subtypes (character/word/line/paragraph).
Then, modifiers could use these subtypes groups or a spline name/index for curves to replace their “vertex group” option.
I agree with Atom. It is a pity to depend of non official scripts to animate body of text.
Typewriter Effect shoud be bundled.
But we need more animation tools for text.
For example: the ability to change only some letters to change the meaning of a word. Test->Text
And probably, subtypes for text could open possibilities to create specific modifiers, constraints, rig add-ons for text.
Text Boxes are just Boxes.
It could be interesting to be able to use a Curve object as shape of a Text Box.
Of course segment material ID sounds like an improvement for Curves but it does not make sense for Text.
Actually, we can assgin a different material to each letter or spline.
I already proposed during 2.5 dev, to have the ability to have a different material on front and back caps.
It was not kept because it was done as a general index in Shape panel of Curve tab.
I think that it should be done as front/back/side options to assign button in material panel.
So can the text to mesh tool behave like a modifier so that you can continue to animate the curve version. That is animate aspects of the curve text like, the character space or word space etc which wold be reflected dynamically in the mesh proxy.
Additional to other suggestions: real-time update in the viewport when the font changes in the properties panel. Look at After Effects, and (I think) 3ds Max and how the text changes right in front of me as I change fonts. Currently, unless I know the font I’m going for, it’s a royal pain to dig through and apply it each and every time.
I know it´s not the subject of this thread but talking about text, it would be great to have a text node in the compositor to add titles over an image, with some smart functions like typewriting the text from a text file.
And the look of this node/layer could be modified with all the great tools of the compositor.
I’m sure it’s already possible with some work but since it´s a common task, a node would be helpful.
It’s not that hard to make a scene with text in it. But pasting a block of text into the text object IS a pain in the a**! There is no simple way to do it. You have to place text in the scripting window first then send that to the text object… groan.
) I appreciate every comment and am really with you on most if not all you’ve said!
Agree on most of the points on wishlist, was about to suggest vertex groups creation for caps / sides / bevel but that could be not viable with remove doubles…? Alt+F already works a lot better than the standard conversion filler btw