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Thread: Can I make text follow a path?

  1. #1
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    Default Can I make text follow a path?

    I know conforming vectors allows centerline text in a carve region. When I first saw it, I assumed it was something else entirely, though. And that something else is a feature I would like - and which may already exist. I don't know.

    I would like to make a path, say a simple circle or rectangle (or a spline path, possibly), and then have text conform to that path. So say I want to have text all around the border of a picture frame, it would follow the rectangular, ovular, hexagonal, or any other path of the frame, wrapping as needed.

    Is this possible, aside from manually positioning every word (or even every letter) as needed?
    - Ken
    Later model "B" Machine with CarveTight and Rubber belt upgrades
    RNB Model "A" Dust Collection, Scanning Probe, Rotary Jig
    Designer 3, Conforming Vectors, STL Importer, DXF Importer, Rotary, Basic, Pattern Editor (Probe), Advanced 3D, Centerline

  2. #2
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    Default

    Text along a vector path is a feature introduced in Designer 2.0. What version of Designer do you have?

  3. #3
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    Default

    I am on 1.187. Assuming I can get my CW up and running, and use it to make a few extra bucks, I was going to buy the 3.0 upgrade in a week or three... I guess for now I will manually position. :/
    - Ken
    Later model "B" Machine with CarveTight and Rubber belt upgrades
    RNB Model "A" Dust Collection, Scanning Probe, Rotary Jig
    Designer 3, Conforming Vectors, STL Importer, DXF Importer, Rotary, Basic, Pattern Editor (Probe), Advanced 3D, Centerline

  4. #4
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    Default

    With 1.187, you can still do text on an arc.

  5. #5
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    Default

    Yes, I have done that. I was hoping to do something a bit more complex; but it is too difficult to do by hand, or at least for my current levels of patience; so I came here hoping I could get some cheaper than $300 upgrade to allow me to do it. I have centerline and the 3D suite, never got the 2D suite or anything else, though. So I am extremely limited in what I can do...
    - Ken
    Later model "B" Machine with CarveTight and Rubber belt upgrades
    RNB Model "A" Dust Collection, Scanning Probe, Rotary Jig
    Designer 3, Conforming Vectors, STL Importer, DXF Importer, Rotary, Basic, Pattern Editor (Probe), Advanced 3D, Centerline

  6. #6
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    Default

    If you dont really care about the typeface you use, and you have access to some program that can save to Adobe Illustrator v 8.0 or lower files (Corel Draw, Inkscape (free), Illustrator (trial)), you can use any single stroke font and lay everything out in on of those programs and then use ai2mpc (search forum) to bring the vectors in to designer. You will still need to assign bits to the vectors once is designer (or you can assign them before ai2mpc processes it (explained in documentation for ai2mpc).
    Doug Fletcher

  7. #7
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    Thinking outside the box... You could type one letter at a time and move and place the letter along a path...
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  8. #8
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    Default Square frame with text around it

    karossii I was reading your request and since I just picked up 3.0, this is one of the good features that you can do.
    I created a picture frame with text all around the sq. and then I just played with the spacing to make it fit.
    This gives me some great ideas for some new projects for the craft shows, I will make a couple of samples and then take orders.
    Thank you for your idea. I know it does not solve your problem, sorry.
    Perry B.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails sq frame with text around.png  
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  9. #9
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    Default

    Doug, I may try that. I do have the CS6 suite, including illustrator; I had never heard of ai2mpc (or if I had, have forgotten about it).

    Al, I actually tried that, and was frustrated by two things. First, the letters were not coming out sized evenly, or it doesn't seem they were, meaning manually resizing each letter in addition to manually positioning them. And second, it was taking very long, and looking not so great. Adjusting angles, and trying to get appropriate kerning, was not only difficult manually, but far too tedious for me. (That's why I said above that it was too difficult for my current level of patience, lol!)

    Perry, glad I could help. Maybe I can help a bit more... my idea was to have the text more centered on the line, carved as centerline, the use a cutout on an offset path to have the frame (inside and out) follow the text, about an inch out from it. A lot like what Michael Tyler did in his tutorial video, but around a square, hexagon, or irregular shape (I was personally thinking of a rectangle with one corner cut off at an angle, and with the bottom a bezier curve).

    Of course, I knew I would have to buy the 2D drawing tools to do that; but I had planned on that anyway... and had HOPED that maybe with those tools I could have gotten the text to follow a path.
    - Ken
    Later model "B" Machine with CarveTight and Rubber belt upgrades
    RNB Model "A" Dust Collection, Scanning Probe, Rotary Jig
    Designer 3, Conforming Vectors, STL Importer, DXF Importer, Rotary, Basic, Pattern Editor (Probe), Advanced 3D, Centerline

  10. #10
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    Default

    Ken, when you upgrade to version 3, you will have access to a feature called "Decorate with Text" (as Dan already mentioned). This feature is built-in both version 2 and 3 of Designer and not a part of the 2D Drawing add-on. I am assuming this is what Perry used in his example above. The feature allows text to follow a drawn vector line or curve.

    Wrapping text around a shape can be done, but it's a bit more challenging for say, a triangle or octagon. Sometimes it will be easier to do your text in portions (one or a few words at a time) and rotate/align manually to get the effect you want around certain shapes. The automatic wrapping may put some text upside down when you want it right side up, or it might wrap a part of a word on a corner, when you really wanted it to wrap on a straight part of a shape. So, there are times when you want to 'parcel' sections of the text no matter what program you are using.
    Michael T
    Happy Carving!


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