Methods of Madness: Text in Cinema 4D Part 2

Using Sweep NURBS and Text Profiles



by Pinhead a.k.a Paul Pappathan
3DCommune.com
Part 2 of my 'can I drive you more insane with text only' experiments.

For all C4D users ...Version 6.x up


A Sweep NURBS needs at bare minimum a Spline and a Profile.
With Spline Primitive Text being used as a profile this method should lead you to many discoveries.
You can use any text face installed on your system.
The exercise here shows text but remember you can sweep just about anything along a spline
Let's get right to this sweeping along a spleen stuff..heheheh

1. Draw a B-Spline Curve on XY (Front View - Key F4)
The point where you start will be important - the 'front' face of the spline text will appear at the first point where the spline is yellow.
The 'back' face will be the last point where the spline is red.




Manipulate the Spline in Point mode - as shown above (Tools > Point) until it sweeps smoothly in the manner you need.
Hit the Enter Key.



2. Drop in an Object > Spline Primitive > Text.
Under Attributes > Object > type in whatever text you want (be nice now ; )
This text is your Sweep Profile so it might be best to reduce the size.
Try a Value of 100 for Height and a value of 20 for Horizontal Spacing. This will help keep the sweep cleaner and make a more detailed result without adding a lot of polys.
b-Spleen



Using the Move function (Key T or Tools > Move) adjust the Text so its near the start point of the Spline.
You don't have to be overly precise. Your views (Hit F5) should appear sometin lika dis belowz:




3. Select [Shift + Click] both the Spline and Text object and Make Editable (Key C)




4.a Add a Sweep NURBS [Objects > NURBS > Sweep NURBS] Here are the default settings:

Default Attributes of a Sweep NURBS



Prepare yourself for a suprise - this won't turn out as you expect it would ; )
Or as you would expect if you've read the manual either....hahahahaa
Left click and drag the Spline onto the Sweep NURBS first, then drag the Text onto it second.

Hey! What the?!?!?


Looks like a design for the Death Rollercoaster at Canobie lake Park - Try digging the letters outta this!



4.b Easily fixed, Don't Panic or call the Spline Police yet!
Click on the Sweep NURBs in the Object palette.
In Attributes Deselect Banking and Select Parallel Movement.




Note: Feel free to putz with the Scaling, Rotation and Growth parameters while you're there as well as Caps.
I used a Fillet Cap on the Start profile. It should now be a controlled sweep looking something like this screen capture:
(I added a light to see the sweep path more clearly)




5. Once you have your view set as you wish Select the Sweep NURBS and Make Editable.
This will give you seperate surfaces for the text.


Key C = Make Editable

Make some nifty materials.
Rounding.1 is the text facing you.
Rounding.2 is the text on the backside.
The Sweep is the uhh, sweep.
I used a Start Fillet Cap (Convex) of 1 Step with Hull Inwards.



For an effect like the one I show you need to make a semi-transparent material with edge glow for the Sweep.
I used 3 standard radial lights. One gold color over the extrusion and 2 blue on left and right front.
All had shadows down to about 30 percent.

Once you get NURB sweeps down you will find them useful for all types of models.
Zooming comets, bullet effects, curved roads, walls, waves, jet contrails and just about anything else you can imagine.
Experiment!

Simple Sequence:




Pinhead Aug - 2004