Creating 3d text after a font? adding FX ? any one able to help ?

# 1 30-10-2006 , 02:23 PM

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Creating 3d text after a font? adding FX ? any one able to help ?

Hey guys ...
I just had this crazy idea where I'd like to make some light come out of some font ...
A friend of mine did smth like that once in MAX ... the light was just passing in the back of the font and the font was hollow acting like a window, letting the light pass through it ... (it's called volumetric light right ?)

I'd love some ideas on the light effect and how to make it of course ...what I should research 1st and etc ...
I'm kind of new to maya and all that I do in maya is model ... don't use dynamics or animation ... and I'd really like to give it a shot ...

SO if U have any ideas or any starting points or have a feeling u might help please give it a shot ! thanks !

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# 2 30-10-2006 , 07:33 PM

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Well the text part is easy if you have adobe photoshop. Export the text paths as adobe illustrator files and import those into maya. Then extrude the curves it creates to make your text.

...and that is how I saved the world.

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# 3 30-10-2006 , 09:09 PM

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grrrr can't figure how to do it ?

I fire up photoshop, I type smth, then save path to ilustrator (.ai) import in maya but nothing happens ! why ? what am I doing wrong ?

tried both text tool and mask text tool !

thanks thouh for trying to help ! any further help will pe greatly apreciated

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# 4 30-10-2006 , 11:35 PM

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Here I made a little instructional video for ya on you tube. Feel free to share it.

Adobe Illustrator to Maya

Sorry forgot to mention another easier method. If you go to the Create menu there is also a Text... menu. That is much easier. I just like to create my own fonts in Photoshop sometimes so I often forget that you can use system fonts in Maya directly. Hehe. Just click the option box to create different text and select other fonts.

...and that is how I saved the world.

Last edited by dockode; 31-10-2006 at 05:08 AM.

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# 5 31-10-2006 , 10:02 AM

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heeeey thanks so much man ! for doing that tutorial for me ! it's great ! really ! thanks for making it video tut too !!!

one more thing though ... sry ... but how do you exactly extrude curves ? I used the create > text option in maya, eneterted text and font and got curves ... how do I extrude them or how do I make that workpath look 3d ?
sry man but I'm sort of like a real rookie !

thanks again and best wishes !

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# 6 31-10-2006 , 01:55 PM

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if you use option box next to the create-> text tool, you can choose how it will be extruded (and beveled if you so wish) and it'll do all the work for you. play around with the options til you get what you want.

Accept no substitutions.

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# 7 31-10-2006 , 09:45 PM

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Once you have your .ai files or your curves created from the Maya > Create > Text menu in the scene, you will need to create a curve to extrude along. This is easily done with the curve tools. I suggest viewing the grid from the 'top' view and drawing a short curve between two points. After you have this curve drawn, you deselect it.

At this point you select the .ai workpath curves or the Maya Text curves and then the new curve you just created. Under the surfaces menu you go to Surfaces > Extrude.

Awe, what the hey... here is another tut. Extrude Tutorial

...and that is how I saved the world.

Last edited by dockode; 31-10-2006 at 10:48 PM.

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# 8 01-11-2006 , 12:21 AM

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mine's easier so user added image

or something. user added image

(i'm so going to hell...)

Accept no substitutions.

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# 9 01-11-2006 , 03:52 AM

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thanks so so so so soooo so so much !

greeeaaaat !!! you've been of fantastic help !
I've lerned both methods for safety ! user added image

thanks again for taking the time to reply to my moronci thread and hope that you will be able to help in future ... because more moronic threads created by DjSneeze will appear here and there !

Best wishes for both of you and thanks again for taking time to do those vid tutorials ! user added image

(first time we meet allow me to buy you a few beers !)

p.s. any idea which dvd should I buy first from simply maya !? beeing a rookie and all ?

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# 10 01-11-2006 , 10:56 AM

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Go with any of the modelling DVDs. Pick one that interests you because there are quite a few about modelling (polygons or nurbs). You should also pick up a good book on your version of Maya, you can never go wrong with a good book.

...and that is how I saved the world.

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# 11 01-11-2006 , 02:43 PM

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I guess I'll go with the yety ! because I will also learn to create fur and texture a bit, aswell as modeling a biped and some scenery !

just have to finish some video editing for my client, getting my money and buying them !

do you have any ideas on what should I do with the text I created ? How can I make it an animation !?
I keyselected 0 Y rotation and at frame 600 I key selected 360 y rotation si a character trurn 360 degrees in 600 frames

how do I save that as an avi ? I tried batch render as an avi but smth is not working ...

any ideas ?

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# 12 01-11-2006 , 07:56 PM

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You can download this free tutorial from SimplyMaya that talks about rendering movies. Rendering A Video. It's by MtMckinley.

The way I actually make my movies is rendering a sequence of images and then adding them together in a compositing program. I don't really like using Maya's render to avi.

...and that is how I saved the world.

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# 13 01-11-2006 , 11:40 PM

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Lol I'm such a moron sometimes ! It was just under my nose !
Well thanks once again for taking time to answer my imbecile questions !

I'll post the final rpoject here a.s.a.p ! Thanks so much once again !

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# 14 02-11-2006 , 02:44 AM

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ahahhaa it's done ! it's not much ! It's kind of lame actually but it's a good start for someone totally new to maya !

Feel free to criticise ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFV2AseiKfc

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