# Text on a curved body

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748 "2020-05-21T19:23:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![n.lesny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@n.lesny](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/n.lesny)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/1 "2020-05-21T19:23:11Z")

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Hello

I’m brand new to Shapr3D - I’ve done a lot of the tutorials and I’m now trying to work out whether or not it’s the right tool for what I’m trying to achieve.

I’m wanting to apply text around a curved band (e.g. engraving the inside of a ring.)

I’ve produced the text in Illustrator and taken it into Shapr3D as a dxf. I’ve also modelled the body of the ring in the same project … now I want to project the text layer down into the inside of the ring.

Is this possible? I’ve spent hours trying to work something out. I wondered if a sweep would work but i have no idea where to start.

Any help would be SO appreciated - I’m on the pro trial so need to work this out before making up my mind.

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/2 "2020-05-21T19:40:59Z")

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Hi Naomi, interesting question. It’s doable, but not necessarily elegant. My suggested approach would be to create a plane for each letter, then place the individual letters on each plane. Then extrude them towards the ring, to a certain depth.

I’d begin with the center if the circle, and draw radial lines outward. Then create a plane, perpendicular to an edge at the end of those lines. Viewing one plane at a time, place a letter onto that plane. With the outline if the letter selected, push it back into the body of the ring. I hope this helps.

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**Author:** ![n.lesny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@n.lesny](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/n.lesny)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/3 "2020-05-21T19:50:09Z")

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Thanks for replying so quickly, McD! I’ll give that a go.

I’ll let you know how I get on!

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/4 "2020-05-21T20:42:17Z")

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Be sure to save your work by exporting it as a Shapr3D file, and give it a name. Then work on another copy of it. Just to be safe.

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/5 "2020-05-21T20:44:11Z")

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Another idea, would be to create the curved text in Illustrator, then import that curved text. Again, you’d move it along an axis, created from the center of the ring.

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**Author:** ![n.lesny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@n.lesny](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/n.lesny)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/6 "2020-05-21T20:56:10Z")

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I wondered whether that would maybe be easier … I’ve been playing with the individual characters but it’s proving a bit of a nightmare 😂 I have two characters on the band and it’s taken me an AGE!

Will try the illustrator trick instead! Thanks again!

On second thought - that wont work as you can’t produce true 3D in Illustrator, can you?

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**Author:** ![Bizzaro](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/bizzaro/32/3854_2.png) [@Bizzaro](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bizzaro)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/7 "2020-05-22T00:12:05Z")

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Isn’t this what “project” is for? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YJDyBxn0pI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YJDyBxn0pI)

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**Author:** ![Bizzaro](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/bizzaro/32/3854_2.png) [@Bizzaro](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bizzaro)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/8 "2020-05-22T01:55:16Z")

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Yup. I totally did mine the hard way. Didn’t even think about it. When I got the program, it didn’t have the triangle tool so I forget about it. Ah well. Thanks for the help. Seems to have worked and now to test print it.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/7/733f466b61b0be933cc925befcbd1a372d97b1bc.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![wangzhide](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/wangzhide/32/6129_2.png) [@wangzhide](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/wangzhide)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/9 "2020-05-22T07:42:59Z")

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我不确定谷歌翻译很好的传达了您的问题，但根据翻译结果的描述，我觉得这可能和我曾做过的一个设计很相似。这是一个中国风的口罩设计。我使用投影，拉伸、复制、求差等功能制作了弯曲文字。很抱歉我不能用你的语言和你交流，但是有时候错误的理解也许能产生新的思路。文字是中国书法!意思是“中国加油、武汉加油！”[img\_1582|375x500](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/uploads/short-url/w2ZwE7pJxtET2nNKTZqEPVftwUM.jpeg)

 ![img_1576](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/7/71c454c9130b774c78759c81833fa2beecf41d3c.jpeg) ![img\_1847|666x500] ![img_1845](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/4/40f156c3bcc5eee8233aa35774170151119788be.jpeg) (upload://q97AI5o1aqmtzknYpWDKNqOfSGn.jpeg) ![img_1843](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/e/e469f7566fdc383df48b83df469abb2f8eeb4e81.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wangzhide](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/wangzhide/32/6129_2.png) [@wangzhide](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/wangzhide)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:44am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/10 "2020-05-22T07:44:47Z")

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![img_1581](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/e/e0fd6db9918dd77f9cc478b0de5f14579b8a17f4.jpeg) ![img_1585](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/b/bdb181f631a7a0d32833955e47d11a07b99c54a9.jpeg) ![img_1847](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/b/b74082eaa655fa23968358f45490319bd21505c3.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![n.lesny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@n.lesny](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/n.lesny)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:55am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/11 "2020-05-22T07:55:08Z")

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Your work is amazing! What a great design.

This is exactly the type of thing I’m trying to achieve. However I’m unable to project the text.dxf file onto the body… am I doing something wrong? For some reason the project tool doesn’t work for my dxf.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wangzhide](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/wangzhide/32/6129_2.png) [@wangzhide](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/wangzhide)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:38am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/12 "2020-05-22T08:38:55Z")

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使用dwg和dxf文件导入通常会出错，最初我也是用导入的办法。常见的问题是：1.草图文件过于复杂导致导入失败。2.dwg文件中的草图不是闭合的线。因为总是会出现各种已知和未知的问题，所以我一般直接使用苹果笔在shapr 3d画草图，将绘制草图的步骤也放在ipad上进行。

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![n.lesny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@n.lesny](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/n.lesny)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 9:06am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-curved-body/7748/13 "2020-05-22T09:06:43Z")

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Great, thank you for the help! I’ll have a go at sketching the letters out instead. 🙂