User`s guide

Chapter 7 Working with Shapes
322
You can manipulate 3D Extrusions on several levels:
• When you extrude text, the controls in the Text window affect text on a per character
basis, allowing you to assign fonts, sizes, and styles to individual characters. These
controls are only available in the Text window and are not animated.
• Once you set the characteristics of individual characters, you can animate the text. This
lets you move and rotate the text in 3D space and apply motion blur, lights, and drop
shadows. You can also create text effects on a motion path, type on, jitter, and
randomization. These features are animated by setting keyframes in the timeline.
To create 3D text, use Text media with a 3D Extrusion shape track. However, sometimes
it is faster to create the effect using the 3D Plane shape and convert the shape to 3D
Extrusion when you finish animating.
• 3D Extrusion has shape control tabs similar to the other shapes. Use these controls to
position, rotate, and scale the object in 3D space, adjust the camera perspective, apply
lights, and adjust bevels and extrusions. Shape controls affect the entire track and are
animated by setting keyframes in the timeline.
To use the shape controls to adjust or animate individual text characters, put each
character on a separate track. Select the track and choose Track > Convert to Container
or manually create the necessary tracks.
• Avid FX assigns the default Plastic material to all four faces of a 3D Extrusion track.
You can use the Materials tab to assign different materials to the front, back, extrusions,
and bevels, and to customize the materials. These controls affect the entire effect and are
animatable. For more information, see “Applying Materials in 3D Space” on page 327.
• When you choose 3D Extrusion as a shape type, Avid FX maintains the Front Face color
that you set.
You can create a Text track using the 3D Plane shape and set the Fill to a color, and then,
change the Shape type to 3D Extrusion. The four faces are assigned the default Plastic
material.
Front Face
Extrusion