Infini-D Tutorials - Tutorial 0001

Tutorial 1: Text on a Curved Path without Illustrator.

Topics Covered:

Extrude Tools
Parent Objects
Surfacing
Spin Animation Assistant
Sequencer
Animation

Objective: Create text objects on a circular path, with morphing surface textures while rotating around two separate axis.----SAVE OFTEN!!!!! (after each major step)

I. Creating the Objects

1. Choose the PLANE tool from the TOOLS Floater. In the top view, click to place a plane at about the center of the view.

2. Choose EDIT from the MODEL Menu. A dialog will appear asking if you really wish to edit this primitive. Click OK.

3. You are now in the Extrude workshop. Click the square outline in the top view and hit the delete key.

4. Select the TEXT tool from the TOOLS floater and click in the center of the top view. a. A dialog box will appear. Select the font you would like to use. Then, type the first letter of the word or phrase you have decided to use. Hit the OK button.

5. You should see your letter in the top view, with the points appearing as tiny open squares. Use the arrow tool or the arrow keys to center the letter in the top view window (the darker gray lines are the center lines of the vertical and horizontal axis). See the diagram below.

6. Open the front path window by choosing it from the WINDOWS menu.

7. You should see a very dark gray line representing the front path of your object. We want to change that. Choose the PEN tool from the TOOLS floater. Then click on the vertical center axis, below the horizontal axis. The click on the vertical axis above the center point to create an extrude path. Make sure the path is straight and the points are equal distance from the center, horizontal axis. Note- keep in mind the depth you would like your letters extruded.

8. When everything looks correct in the object window (depth, font, etc.) Exit the workshop by choosing EXIT from the FILE menu.

9. You should see your letter object in the Camera view. (It will not be centered, yet. We will deal with the camera later.) Open the INFO Floater by choosing it from the WINDOWS menu. The top row of boxes deals with the object's world coordinates. The second row deals with rotation. Rotate the text object 90 degrees along the X-axis.

10. Next, choose the Sphere primitive from the TOOLS floater. This will be the parent object of the letter object. Place a sphere. Move it to the center of the world by changing the top row of the OBJECT floater to zero (0). Change the universal size to 0.25 units.

11. Now, change the coordinates of the letter by changing X and Y to zero and Z to 4.0 units. What you are doing is placing the letter 4 units exactly above the sphere. The longer your phrase, the more distance needed between the parent and the letter.

12. Open the SEQUENCER by choosing it from the WINDOWS menu. You will see a list of objects: The camera, the default light, the letter object, and the sphere. Click the letter and drag its name over the sphere. This will group the two objects with the sphere as the parent. You should change the names of the letter and the parent at this time using the OBJECT floater (ex. the letter A would be A, and the parent would be A-parent).

13. Select the Parent (if you use the sequencer to select the object, click on one of the view windowÕs title bar, then proceed) and chose COPY from the EDIT menu.

14. Now, PASTE the object. PASTE as many objects as there are letters in your word or phrase. For example, in the phrase "Art VS 508" there are eight letters and three words. I would paste seven more copies.

15. Edit each letter object by choosing EDIT from the MODEL menu. In the workshop, click on the letter and delete it. Then, using the TEXT tool from the workshop TOOLS floater, place the next letter of your word or phrase. EXIT the workshop and choose the next copy to replace. Do this until all of the letters of your word or phrase have been made. DELETE any unused letter/parent groups. You can move the letter objects to line up with one another along the bottom. Be sure to change each object's name to something descriptive (simple is best).

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