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Step 1 - Choosing A Font
The first step is to decide what font you would like to use for your text. 3D Text Maker has a library of over 300 fonts to choose from, divided into six categories. All fonts can also be downloaded in the MediaBuilder Font Library, but this is not required to use the 3D Text Maker. If your browser supports Javascript, a small sample of the typeface you choose will appear below the selection lists.
Step 2 - Selecting A Text Color
Step 2 allows you to specify the color you want for your text. There are two inter-connected ways of selecting a color. You may select a color from the color palette by clicking on it with your mouse if your browser supports this feature. If not, or if you need to choose a color by its exact value, you may specify its hexadecimal code using the R, G, and B selection lists. Also, if your browser supports it, a sample block of the color you have chosen will appear in a box adjacent to the color palette.
Step 3 - Setting Image Dimensions
3D Text Maker allows you to set fixed dimensions for your resulting image. Two of the most common banner sizes, the standard large banner size (468x60 pixels) and the LinkExchange banner (400x40 pixels), are available for quick selection. You may also enter custom height and width values. If no dimensions are selected, the size of your image will be dependent on the individual font, the specified font height, and the character length of the text you enter.
Step 4 - Setting Other Variables
The various parameters in Step Four can have a major effect on the outcome of your 3D text.
Effect:
This is the meat and potatoes of the 3D Text Maker. It controls the various ways your text is animated. Choose between revolving, flipping, zooming, sliding and many more effects. If you don't want your text animated, choose "Stationary."
Speed:
This setting determines the amount of time between frames in the resulting animation (if any).
Font Height:
This option controls the height of the selected font. Keep in mind that results will vary depending on the font used. For example, a font like Antelope will always have more height than Federation.
Depth:
The Depth setting adjusts the "thickness" of each 3D letter or character. In other words, the z-index measurement between the front and back of the character.
Tilt Forward & Tilt Right:
Adjusting the forward and right tilt of your 3D text will rotate the characters along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. These values can be specified as anything from -360 to 360.
Frames:
This value controls the number of frames used to animate your resulting 3D text. The more frames you use, the smoother the animation will appear. Using a large number of frames will also increase the size of the final GIF file. The best way to decrease the GIF's size is to use the smallest number of frames that gives you an acceptable animation.
Because of the way some browsers display animated GIFs, this value will also (unfortunately) alter the apparent speed of your animation. Increasing the number of frames will also slightly increase the time it takes for the animation to complete one full loop, and visa versa.
Looping:
This setting controls the number of times the animation of your 3D text repeats itself. For the text to be animated it must run (cycle through all frames) at least once. The default setting is for the animation to repeat forever, or "loop infinite" times, but you may also specify any number of repetitions you wish. If you do not wish your 3D text to be animated, choose "Stationary" from the menu of effects.
Step 5 - Entering Your Text
The last step is simply entering the text you want to convert to 3D text. You are given a maximum of 254 characters. The ", ¦, `, and ; characters are disallowed and will be converted to a single quote mark ( ' ).
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