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Simple 3D Text

Purpose: To create 3-dimensional appearing text to use "effectively" with Z-Merge.

Note: This tutorial was written for PhotoImpact 7 and will not work with any other version.

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To begin, open a new image (now, that's a surprise, isn't it) 500x150, background white.

	1. Select the Text tool 2. Select the font you wish to use. While any font will work, plain, bold fonts look best. 3. Set the Size to 60. 4. Set the Mode to 2D Object
	Click somewhere on your canvas. The Text Entry Box will pop up. Enter your text and click OK. Right click on the text. Select Align/Center Both. Now, the fun begins.
	1. Click on the Z-Merge tool. 2. Put a check mark in the box next to Z-Merge 3. Leave the Z-Elevation set to 0. 4. Right click on the text. Select Duplicate. 5. With the arrow keys, move the duplicated text 1 pixel to the right. 6. Increase the Z-Elevation by 20. 7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 ten more times.
	You should now have 12 objects (you can check this by going to the Layer Manager) which look like the image to the left. The last text object should have a Z-Elevation of 220. Now, we need to change this final text object some.
	Right click on your text. Select Change Object Type/From Text/Image to Path.
	1. Select the Path Drawing tool. 2. Change the Mode to 3D Round. Now, apply a color or preset of your choice. One that is markedly darker or lighter then the rest will appear best.
	To finish off our 3D Text creation: Right click your text and click on Select All Objects. Right click, again, and select Group. You can now use your grouped objects with Z-Merge as though it were a single 3D object.
	Let's dress it up a bit. 1. Select the Line and Arrow Tool from the Path Drawing Tool. 2. Set the Shape to straight lines. 3. Set the Mode to 3D Round.
	In the Path Panel, which should pop up, click on the Outline tab. 1. Set the Width to 3. 2. For Style, select the first option in the drop-down menu. 3. For Arrow, select the second option in the drop-down menu.
	Draw an arrow a little longer then the width of your text. Right click the arrow and select Align/Center Both.
	With the arrow still selected, 1. Select the Z-Merge Tool. 2. Put a check mark in the Z-Merge box. 3. Set the Z-Elevation to 160.
	There you have it. 3D Text with an arrow running through it. From this point, you can continue to dress it up by adding a background, grouping all objects and using the Transform Tool to add perspective, add shadows, or anything else you can come up with.
	The possibilities are endless. The text at the left was created by moving the first 6 text objects 1 pixel to the right and 1 pixel down. The final 6 were moved 1 pixel to the left and 1 pixel down. Nor are you limited to text. Clipart, dingbats, shapes, just about anything can be put through the same process.
	You are limited only by your imagination. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.

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December 1, 2001