In this tutorial, you'll learn to use the Text primitive and the Bevel modifier to create a 3D logo. 3ds Max makes it easy to create 3D text for motion graphics. The Bevel modifier gives you a lot of control over the look of the 3D text. For example, it can have angled or rounded sides.

This technique can be extended to create other flat objects, such as tabletops. It's also easy to make custom 3D logos from splines created in 3ds Max, or paths imported from Adobe Illustrator.

1. Open 3ds Max, or if it is already open, select File > Reset.

2. On the Command Panel, open the Create panel. Click the icon to create Shapes. The drop-down list reads Splines.

Activate the Shapes category in the Create panel

3. Under the Object Type rollout, click the Text button. It highlights to indicate that you are in text creation mode. Several rollouts appear in the Create panel. Look at the Parameters section. At the bottom is a box labeled Text. The default text is already entered: “MAX Text.” Select this with the mouse, then type in your text. If your logo needs text on more than one line, press the Enter key to start a new line.

Change the text

4. Right-click the Front viewport to activate it. Then left-click near the world origin to create the text object. Press the Z hotkey, which is Zoom Extents All Selected. Now you can see the complete text object in all viewports.

5. With the text selected, open the Modify panel. Change the name of your text object, which is called “Text01” by default.

6. In the Parameters rollout, change the font of your text object by selecting an installed font from the drop-down list. You can also change other parameters, such as size, alignment, kerning (space between letters), and leading (vertical space between baselines). Adjust these parameters until you are happy with the appearance of the text.

Tweak the Text Parameters

7. With the text selected, add a Bevel modifier. Click the drop-down list in the Modify panel and choose Bevel. After adding the Bevel, the text is no longer just an outline. Now it's a mesh object, but it doesn't have any thickness.

8. Scroll down to the Bevel Values rollout of the Bevel modifier. Adjust the Level 1: Height parameter by typing a value. Enter a negative value, such as -20 units.

Note: Any numeric parameter in 3ds Max can be adjusted interactively. Click, hold and drag the spinner to the right of the numeric entry field.

Add a Bevel modifier and set Level 1: Height to a negative value

9. Highlight the Perspective viewport and press the F4 key. Now you can see Edged Faces, which is wireframe superimposed on shaded surfaces. This really helps when modeling, so you can see the polygon mesh structure more clearly.

10. At this stage, the object looks no different than what you'd get with a simple Extrude modifier. To get a true Bevel, we'll need to adjust the settings in the Bevel Values rollout. These settings are not really very intuitive, so follow the instructions carefully. First, activate the checkbox for Level 2. Set the Level 2: Height to a negative value, such as -20 units. Now you've essentially got two levels of extrusion, but still no bevel.

Bevel with two Levels active

11. The key to making a Bevel modifier work is adjusting the Outline parameters. When you adjust the Outline values, you make the text thicker or thinner. For a classic beveled text effect, you'll need to set several of the Outline values. Begin by reducing the Start Outline to a small negative value, such as -1.0. After adjusting the Start Outline, examine the object closely in the shaded Perspective view. If you see any holes or other problems with the object, increase the value of the Start Outline. This is a common problem, especially with serif fonts.

The Start Outline value is too negative, resulting in corrupted geometry

12. After finding the optimal negative value for the Start Outline, enter a positive value for Level 1: Outline. At this point it makes sense to simply use the same value with a positive sign. In other words, if the Start Outline is -0.6, then the Level 1: Outline should be 0.6. This way, the thickness of the 3D text will be the same as the thickness of the original 2D spline.

Each Outline value adds to the one before it. -0.6 + 0.6 = 0.

13. To produce a classic bevel with a 45 degree angle, set the Level 1: Height to be the same as the Start Outline. Examine your work. Press F4 to turn Edged Faces off and on. Orbit in the Perspective view to check the model from all angles.

Adjust the Outline and Height

14. Now that you've got a handle on how the Outline and Height parameters work, you can play with them. For example, you might wish to increase the Start Outline to produce thicker text.

Fine-tune the Bevel Values

15. If you want a rounded bevel, choose Curved Sides in the Parameters rollout. You'll also need to increase the number of Segments to about three, and activate the Smooth Across Levels checkbox.

Oddly, when you choose Curved Sides, the overall shape of the Bevel changes drastically. You'll need to experiment with the Outline and Height values in order to get the look you want. It's not at all logical or intuitive, so you just have to play with it.

To get good edge smoothing, sometimes it's necessary to add a Smooth modifier, turn on Auto Smooth, and increase the Threshold.

Many options must be adjusted to get good results with Curved Sides.
Click to see a larger image.

The Bevel modifier works with any spline shape, not just Text objects. You can use it to model any flat surface, such as a tabletop.

The spline must be a single object. If necessary, use the Attach button in the Editable Spline (Line) Modify panel to attach several splines together into one object. Each Spline sub-object should be closed, and Spline sub-objects must not intersect with each other.

Bevel doesn't have any controls to adjust the detail of the underlying shape, only for the extruded Levels. If you need smoother curves in the outlines, select the shape at the bottom of the Modifier Stack. For example, if it's a Text primitive, click Text in the Modifier Stack. Open the Interpolation rollout and increase the number of Steps. This increases the detail of the curve.

Bevel objects do not deform well at all. If you add modifiers such as Bend or Taper, you'll soon see “glitches” in your model. Changing the Bevel Cap Type to Grid sometimes helps. But if you need to perform drastic deformations on your model, it's better not to use Bevel at all, but use NURBS or Editable Poly tools instead.

Keep a backup copy of any fonts you use in 3ds Max. If you move to a different computer, or reinstall your system, then custom fonts will not be available. 3ds Max won't be able to find the fonts, and you'll lose the ability to edit Text parameters. It's easy to forget to backup the fonts, because they are in a Windows system folder, not with the rest of your project files. Copy the necessary fonts to your project folder for safekeeping, so you can reinstall them later if needed.

3ds Max can import paths from Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator, convert any type objects to outlines. When saving the .AI file, make sure to turn off .PDF compatibility. Close Illustrator, and open 3ds Max. Bring the .AI file into Max with the File > Import command.

The Text primitive does not support advanced typographic techniques such as small caps, superscript, or optical kerning. To fine-tune the size, shape, and position of letters, convert the Text primitive to an Editable Spline. You'll need to do this before adding the Bevel.

If you already have a Bevel in place, but you need to convert Text to Editable Spline, follow this procedure:

1. Use Edit > Clone (or Shift-move) to create a Copy of the existing object. Make sure you create a Copy and not an Instance or Reference.
2. Delete the Bevel modifier from the new object.
3. Convert the new object to Editable Spline.
4. Copy the Bevel modifier from the original object to the new one, using the right-click menu in the Modifier Stack.