# Text file - ADD TEXT

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864>\
**Category:** Share your creations\
**Created:** [September 4, 2018, 10:58am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864 "2018-09-04T10:58:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 19\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Rob](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Rob)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 10:58am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/1 "2018-09-04T10:58:18Z")

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[Alphabet.shapr](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/d/d9813fa235de3422e4592fbf09e693900ff9a69b.shapr) (672 KB)

Hi guys,

For anyone looking to add text to their workspace, here’s a workaround until the function is added natively.

I put the characters on separate planes in groups of 5 or 6 to reduce slowdown.

Font is Arial

Anyone can feel free to upload their own fonts, numbers and non-alphanumerics

Enjoy

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**Author:** ![tommyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tommyn/32/1714_2.png) [@tommyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/tommyn)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/2 "2018-09-04T19:36:17Z")

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Thanks for this; sounds useful… However I can’t seem to DL the Shapr file. I always end up with a file titled text.txt…

Could someone supply directions how to DL this on an iPad Pro? Please.

Thanks,

Tommy

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**Author:** ![Chayanne](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/chayanne/32/8789_2.png) [@Chayanne](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Chayanne)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/3 "2018-09-04T19:48:59Z")

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Just launch forum through safari…

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**Author:** ![tommyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tommyn/32/1714_2.png) [@tommyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/tommyn)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/4 "2018-09-04T20:03:55Z")

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Thanks, worked!

Tommy

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**Author:** ![Socalkdl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/socalkdl/32/2202_2.png) [@Socalkdl](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Socalkdl)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/5 "2018-09-04T20:29:07Z")

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Can you explain the process used to create the text files in the first place? I need to create a 3D logo for my small business. Did you create the 3D characters in another program, save in an obj. File then import, or something like that?

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**Author:** ![Rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Rob](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Rob)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/6 "2018-09-04T21:33:36Z")

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Hi,  
I wrote down A-Z and a-z in a Pages document, and took a screenshot  
Imported the screenshot into Shapr3D and traced the letters using sketches  
I used different planes and moved the image accordingly so as to keep it tidy. Using different planes, I was able to rename the sketches, and hide the groups - I find Shapr slows down significantly when a certain number of sketches/lines/points has been reached.  
Cheers  
^

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**Author:** ![Socalkdl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/socalkdl/32/2202_2.png) [@Socalkdl](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Socalkdl)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/7 "2018-09-05T04:50:57Z")

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Thanks. I may have to give that a try.

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**Author:** ![Paulr](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/paulr/32/1997_2.png) [@Paulr](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Paulr)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 6:32am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/8 "2018-09-19T06:32:25Z")

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Hi Rob  
Just found your txt work around. A lot of work on your part.  
Really well done.  
Thanks for sharing the file.  
Paul

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**Author:** ![Jfonseca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@Jfonseca](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Jfonseca)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/9 "2018-09-19T19:36:01Z")

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Look at this guys!

> [@"Import” shapes/text from .svg to avoid tracing](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/import-shapes-text-from-svg-to-avoid-tracing/2922):
>
> Hello everyone, Im creating a 3d printed letters w/led, I dont really like to trace sketches, so I use the following work-flow to do it. First, I use InkScape to create a .svg file, write a text (and convert it to path) or import a image (trace bitmap & convert it to path) [image] once I created a .svg file, the next step is to import it as geometry to create a .iges file using export command on FreeCad [image] Open the .iges file on Shapr3D, and start working on what you need [MILO] [MI…

this is my workflow to create text & other shapes

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**Author:** ![Rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Rob](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Rob)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/10 "2018-09-20T00:15:50Z")

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Thanks for the info, I don’t own a pc though it’s mobile only for me

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**Author:** ![Johnmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@Johnmartin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Johnmartin)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 2:58am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/11 "2019-11-17T02:58:45Z")

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Where does this action save the file to on an iPad?  
I go through the motions and it seems to indicate it has downloaded the file but I can’t find where it’s gone on the iPad.

Then just to preempt what’s going to be my next question.  
Once I find the file how to I import into Shapr3D?

Thanks  
John

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**Author:** ![Yepher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/yepher/32/8902_2.png) [@Yepher](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Yepher)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/14 "2021-01-11T16:35:56Z")

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I would love to see text added to shapr so it can be extruded easily. This is how I’ve been handling it:

Use OpenSCAD with this line:

```
text("Your Text For Shar3d", "Arial SANS");

```

- Save file
- Menu-\>Design-\>Render
- File-\>Export-\>DXF

Then import that into Shapr3d place, scale, extrude etc, etc.

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**Author:** ![irvshapiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/53a042/32.png) [@irvshapiro](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/irvshapiro)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/15 "2021-08-31T22:04:50Z")

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I am the Creator of a YouTube channel helping people use tech to make stuff. Over the past few years, one of the most common requests for videos, when I cover CAD, is the ability to add text to objects people want to 3d print. An easy way to customize existing STL objects and model and customize models with text would go a long way towards providing a compelling tool for 3d printer users.

To help you with a sense of impact my videos are approaching 4 million views and have covered most of the low to mid-market CAD solutions. I generally recommend parametric modeling tools for anything but the simplest requirements however after using your tool for a couple of days believe your product is innovative and unique in the market.

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**Author:** ![irvshapiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/53a042/32.png) [@irvshapiro](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/irvshapiro)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/16 "2021-08-31T22:10:23Z")

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I have tried this approach and find that the sketches imported from OpenSCAD DXF files are overly complex and very slow to project and extrude. In addition, I found a similar problem when using FreeCAD Shapestrings to generate the text.

Given the elegance of the Shapr3D user interface, I am hopeful they engineer a better approach in the future. For example, perhaps a solution using SVG files generated by many programs on the platforms Shapr3D supports.

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**Author:** ![woodbytes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/woodbytes/32/17195_2.png) [@woodbytes](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/woodbytes)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 5:49am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/17 "2021-09-01T05:49:09Z")

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> the elegance of the Shapr3D user interface

**That’s the key!** The workflow I envision for Shapr is as simple (and certainly complex to develop!) as you can imagine:

I click on a surface or layer, select the text tool on the side, then possibly a font (all fonts the system has available should be usable) and just start writing. The text is then automatically projected onto the selected layer or wrapped around the selected area (no matter what shape it has). That’s it.

From a user perspective, this would be a blessing! From a developer’s point of view, I don’t even like to think about it. 😃

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**Author:** ![Ripcord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Ripcord](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Ripcord)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/18 "2021-10-16T17:15:41Z")

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This is AWESOME! Exactly what I was looking for…anyone know where to get numbers as well? I found some on here but they were formatted differently so I couldn’t extrude them into a face.

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**Author:** ![DanielR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/danielr/32/582_2.png) [@DanielR](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DanielR)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/19 "2021-12-13T22:23:22Z")

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Hey - thanks for your patience, adding Text is finally possible. In beta at the moment, and you can try it out by downloading the beta through Testflight!  
(Beta download instructions: [https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/welcome-to-shapr3d-beta/7003](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/welcome-to-shapr3d-beta/7003))

[https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/beta-5-30-advanced-fillet-new-text-tool-and-more/16287](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/beta-5-30-advanced-fillet-new-text-tool-and-more/16287)

OR wait until our next release comes out in the App Store

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![woodbytes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/woodbytes/32/17195_2.png) [@woodbytes](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/woodbytes)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/20 "2021-12-14T23:45:42Z")

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How to do to get the 5.30 Beta for macOS?

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**Author:** ![DanielR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/danielr/32/582_2.png) [@DanielR](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/DanielR)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 9:08am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-file-add-text/2864/21 "2021-12-15T09:08:18Z")

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Description and download guide of our beta program:  
[https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/welcome-to-shapr3d-beta/7003](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/welcome-to-shapr3d-beta/7003)