Linux Graphics Users

InkScape => InkScape Talk => : Jaws March 08, 2008, 11:25:37 PM



: Inkscape Tutorial - Fast and Easy 3D Text
: Jaws March 08, 2008, 11:25:37 PM
I'm not looking for complicated ways to do things but it seems that's the road you have to take sometimes. But I'm always looking for an easy way to get things done. So I was farting around with the Klikit text, hoping I'd get lucky and find a nice 3D look...

... and stumbled upon an incredibly easy way of doing 3D looking text in Inkscape. It was so easy that I was taken aback when the objects I was working with seemingly popped together on the monitor. It's far from the holy grail of 3D but it has an overall feel of 3D. You know, like when you squint your eyes so you can't focus on a particular detail and must take in the overall object. Or you catch a glance with your peripheral vision. Hopefully you won't have to squint to see the effect.

I think it looks amazingly 3D like **for such a simple process**, and besides, my wife, the final arbitrator, said she likes it, when she seen it as our desktop wallpaper.

-- Bottom Layer

OK, the best part of this tutorial is that you only have to work with two objects - the text and a copy of the text. In this case the text is...

--> Klikit --- font = Hobo BT, italic.

... and we'll make a duplicate later.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit01.jpg)

The base text will get a radial gradient for the fill and it will be set to reflected.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit02.jpg)

On this layer I didn't use a stroke, but you could if you wanted to. I used a candy cane, multi-stop, multi-color gradient for the fill...

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit03.jpg)

 with these Gradient Editor dialog settings:

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit04.jpg)

No matter what colors you choose for the base layer, probably the most important part is the type, position and length of handles of the gradient, for both this layer and the one we're going to put on top of this one. Here I moved the gradient up and slightly to the left (purposely smack dab on the dot of the first "i") and lengthened the horizontal gradient handle to the right a bit to give the center green gradient a nice curvy feel to help enhance the 3D effect...

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit05.jpg)

... and that's it for the bottom text.

-- Top Layer

Now I'll select the text and make a duplicate...

--> ctrl + d

... and make it a solid white. With the duplicate still selected click on...

--> Path

--> Object to Path

Select the node tool, you should see a bunch of node on the text. Click on...

--> Path

--> Dynamic Offset

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit06.jpg)

With the node tool still selected, click, hold and drag the dynamic offset marker down slightly.

Changing to the selector tool, move this top layer of text to the right to line up with the right edge of the bottom text . We're pretty much finished with this layer except for the fill and stroke settings.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit07.jpg)

I gave both the fill and stroke a radial gradient and set both gradients to reflected. Fill got a simple two-stop gradient but I dialed down the opacity of the upper stop to 230 to soften the whiteness just a little. I moved the gradient down and left.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit08.jpg)

 The stroke has a width of 1.5px and has the regular two-stop gradient.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit09.jpg)

I say let your personal preference dictate how you use the gradient handles and where you position the gradient centers on this layer. There's some neat effects you can get by altering the gradient controls.

All that's left is to make a mirror image to your liking, you know:

Group the two objects, make a duplicate, flip it, drag it down, draw a rectangle around text, give it a linear gradient - full white to full black, adjust the gradient horizontally, lasso both objects, Object-Mask-Set.

I haven't used blur on either object nor have I used blur on the mirror image.

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit10.jpg)

More examples using the same technique with one color:

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit12.jpg)

(http://Jaws.fileave.com/graphics/Klikit/Klikit_tut/web_klikit13.jpg)

1680x1050 wallpapers:

http://www.divshare.com/download/3981276-5af
http://www.divshare.com/download/3983493-706

Cheers


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