Text
Live type in three modes, flat on the screen, flat in the scene, or solid 3D letters, from a library of about three hundred families.
Press Text in the top bar. A text appears in the middle of the scene with its placeholder already selected, so you can start typing straight away. The Text panel opens beside it.
Three modes
The switch at the top of the Text panel decides what the text is:
| Mode | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | Type pinned to the screen. The camera can orbit and the text stays put. | Headlines and labels over a scene |
| 2D | A flat object in the scene, with no thickness. You place and turn it with the gizmo like anything else. | Signs, captions on a surface |
| 3D | Real letters with depth, lit by the scene and hidden behind things like any object. | Type as the subject |
Switching to 2D or 3D places the text at the centre of the scene, facing forward.
The words and the type
- The words are edited in the panel, not on the canvas. Enter starts a new line. Double click a text on the canvas to jump to the field.
- The typeface button shows the font in itself. Press it to open the font browser: search by name, or filter by Sans, Serif, Display, Handwriting, Mono, System and Mine. Fonts marked Var are variable, and their extra axes appear as sliders under the button.
- Size takes a number, with a unit beside it: px, rem, vw to fit the width, or vh to fit the height. You can also type the unit, such as
100vw. - Colour, Bold and Italic.
- Alignment: Left, Centre or Right.
Where a flat text sits
A flat text can sit in one of three layers, chosen in the panel:
- Behind the model
- In the effects, so shader effects apply to it too
- In front
With a flat text selected, Ctrl ] and Ctrl [ move it a layer forward or back.
Depth and bevel
For 3D text, press the cog in the panel to open Depth and bevel:
| Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Depth | How thick the letters are, as a share of their size |
| Bevel | Rounds the front edges. Off by default. |
| Bevel steps | How smooth the rounded edge is |
| Smoothness | How closely the curves of the letters are followed |
Depth and bevel are measured against the size of the text, so resizing keeps the same shape.
Bevels on fine type
A bevel can only be as wide as the thinnest stroke in the font allows. On a high contrast serif or a light weight, keep it small, or leave it off for crisp edges.
Your own fonts Radiance
At the bottom of the font browser, Upload a font adds your own typeface to Mine. Facet takes TTF, OTF and WOFF files up to 1 MB each, and up to 25 fonts per account. Uploaded fonts work in all three modes, including solid 3D, and travel with your published scenes.
WOFF2 files are not accepted, because they cannot be turned into 3D letters.
Moving and resizing
Drag a flat text on the canvas to move it, and drag its corner handle to resize. 2D and 3D texts are moved and turned with the gizmo, like any other object.
Text can be repeated with a cloner, flat text included, which is the start of kinetic type.
The trash in the panel header deletes the text. The cross only closes the panel.