Round Text Edges

[Geoff]

Hello Geoff, I have begun the Learning curve of Blender and it seems to be perfect as it allows an easy and quick method of adding a Bevel. Problem I'm trying to get around now is the Sizing. I have changed to Metric, and trying to work out how I can make the Text a certain size so when I export to STL it comes into ReplicatorG correctly. Any solution to this?

Thanks

The text is based on the metric scale you are using, if you google "Blender metrics' that will show you how to set it, I have a busy day otherwise I would sit here and screenshot and show you, but if you havent replied by later today i will find some time to show you.

Important, make sure after scaling an object, you CTRL-A reset Scale. THEN export. Also your export has a scale also, I would export to scale 100 if things are too small because you are probably set at a metric scale of 0.1 instead of 1.

[KenR60]

OK will give all that a Go, Thanks Geoff

[richardphat]

I believe some free trials such as coreldraw, or the new draftsight have to be confirmed. I download it but never tried it yet to be honest.
I do know they have the option to save in dxf or dwg.

[KenR60]

Thanks Richard, I have a few other programs that all work to a certain point and then I'm back to square one. Blender does everything I wanted quick and easy enough ( to a Point ) I'm just learning the best way now to size what I want correctly so I can import the text into ReplicatorG. When you are so used to CAD and working to a millimetre its so hard using programs that aren't creating things the same way :-)

[KenR60]

Oh DAMN .... I forgot something very Important, the old method I use allows me to Separate each Letter so that I can move it so that it touches the next Letter. Easiest way is to show you in photos.

Ross and Tam, the Black Font shown has to have the R moved to the right until it touches the o, then the o and the s have to be slightly widened so they all touch like shown in the next section below. I understand I can possibly get away with Kerning I think its called, the Ross would work moving all letters closer, but Not the Tam as only the T needs moving the other letters are fine. The White Font outlined in Black is what I get now, EXCEPT I Can't Fillet or Bevel the edges. If I'm making the Names from Timber or MDF its fine as I don't need to Fillet or Bevel, but if I want to sent the names to my 3D Printer I want it bevelled or Filleted to clean up the sharp edges. Another thing, sometimes the final item needs to sit on a Table with ALL Letters so not having the R and T dropping below the Bottom of the Lowercase letters. So again I can do this all with my old method. SOOoooooooo ... is there anyway of ... I think I answered my own Questions after all this! LOL .. I should be able to do a separate Text Item for each Letter, bit messy for a Long set of Names but that would allow me some movement of each letter, depends how quickly I can make each name correct.

Modify Font_1.jpg
Modify Font_2.jpg

[Geoff]

Thanks Richard, I have a few other programs that all work to a certain point and then I'm back to square one. Blender does everything I wanted quick and easy enough ( to a Point ) I'm just learning the best way now to size what I want correctly so I can import the text into ReplicatorG. When you are so used to CAD and working to a millimetre its so hard using programs that aren't creating things the same way :-)

Ok Ken, I have a couple of mins now... (have my parents visiting tonight... scramble to clean the house of kids insane mess.!!)

In Blender when you open a default scene, the scale is set to 1 by default, but this is no good.

See example pic# 2, the Dimensions of the stock cube it loads are 2 metres... yet when you import that into Replicator G it's Tiny isnt it??

Open the metrics panel

met.JPG


Now, the default scene is set at scale 1.0..

Even tho the Cube says it is 2 metres wide, Blender will still export it at a base scale (because it wants to be difficult) which is 0.001 and it will only be 2mm small..

Blender considers a scale of 1.0
1 unit = 1 metre.

(once you figure this one small thing out, everything makes alot more sense...)


Picture below shows the wrong scale..
p1.jpg

We need to set this to 0.001
fixed.jpg
The default cube dimensions will now be 2mm which is what it is when you export it as an STL and load it into replicator G..

Starting to make sense? Now when you model something, if it says for example it is 5cm wide, it will be exported at 5cm wide.


If you have pressed S and rescaled your object at all during modelling, make sure you reset the scale on it, select the model, (CTRL-A) Reset Scale, so that the scale reads

scale.JPG



Then when you export to STL, don't touch anything... just export it as normal...

export.JPG

[KenR60]

Thank You for your Time Geoff, I will try all that :-)

[KenR60]

OK, .. I have set Blender up so it opens each time with the Word TEXT and the Scale set to 0.001 - all works perfect, now is there a way I can setup the height of the font so that can show up correctly each time I click NEW? in this example I typed in 0.015 into the Extrude for 15mm Extrusion and the Text extruded like I had type 15 metres even though it says 1.5cm so I'm guessing that's because the word Text isn't scaled to the correct height yet.

Question_1.jpgQuestion_2.jpg

[KenR60]

Whatever I have done now doesn't extrude anymore? I've put the Length of the Text at 5.39 cm and even tried extruding it to 2.26 metres without seeing any change

Question_3.jpg

[KenR60]

Maybe if someone can sent me a Blender File with the Defaults corrected and then I can save the defaults here?