Looking for a way to make a precise 3D pyramid with 3D Text

Part 2.

Due to all of the variances of a font character space, about the best you can do is make sure you have a perfect triangle, well centered.

I find the best way to approach a "perfect" tetrahedron is to use a replicator.

Replicate the triangle (as a separate copy if using just as a guide).

Set the replicator Shape to Circle, Arrangement to Outline and the Points to 3.

In Cell Controls, check Align Angle and open up the Angle and set Angle X to 70.2 (which is the geometric angle of the sides to the base in a "regular" tetrahedron — you can find this info by googling it.)

Adjust the radius until the sides line up. [BTW - you can use the default Triangle shape that comes with Motion for this - just scale it to match the size of the triangle shape you use for your 3D model.]

Pulling a "Simon Ubsdell" for a minute, if you want the original shape to match with the replicator as a "base", you can adjust 1) the baseline of the character, or 2) the Anchor Point of the character to the Midpoint bottom horizontal line (relatively easy to match). This way, the bottoms of the replicated shapes will be on the same "plane" as the original and it can be used to fit as the base of the tetrahedron easily. This is not necessary - but it is more convenient.

With the replicated version all fit together, you will have a guide to use for beveling the original shape.

You can either use the bevel option to create the shape or the replicator option. Each one has its uses. The "Sides" of a 3D shape have a different texturing option from the Front/Back of the shape with the Bevel option. The Replicator option will set the texture to four sides of the same thing. [A well matched replicator to base setup will be *more accurate* but have less options texturing — not usually a problem with polyhedrons.]

Using the replicator is a good way to verify you've gotten as close as you can to a perfect shape. Eyeballing the shape is difficult in Motion due to the ever-present perspective in 3D. In order to make a good inspection, the shape not only needs to be centered in the canvas.

(this example actually uses the Motion Shapes font and is a single shape beveled.)

I wrote this a long time ago, but it might still be worth a look:

https://fcpxtemplates.com/create-a-pyramid-or-tetrahedron-in-apple-motion/

Using a replicator to create polygons is good method to use:

https://youtu.be/gepxH9U-o5U

Models are put together in pieces with multiple replicators.

(I apologize in advance for any ads YT *inflicts* on you!! Wait the 5 seconds and Skip Ads!!)

You can also use a triangle shape to create this:

Saw this shape in a commercial for a new show I forget the name of at this point...LOL. But this is cool —no special character needs to be created! It is a single triangle shape. To get the "flat corners", simply increase the Weight and set the Inside Corners to Miter (also try Round while you're at it). [Textured to resemble a "space monolith"/spaceship thingy... that's been somewhat beat up.]

If you'd like to try your hand at creating your own shape fonts, I have this general guide:

https://fcpxtemplates.com/about-fonts-made-for-3d/

HTH

Hi Rowie — be very happy to go into this with you but I've got to crash ... so - tomorrow.

Let me ask you: what font are you using?

Some of this will depend on the font and its "metrics".

Glad to help. Hope you stick with it!

Ok...

Most of the triangle shapes in fonts on a Mac are actually from the Unicode character set. Macs have an "interesting" way of handling characters, specifically, if a character is "missing" in one font (and depending if there has *never* been an allocation or edit of that character space), the Mac OS will attempt to identify the type of font (serif, sans-serif, script, etc.) and provide that missing character from a *substitute* font. This is why emojis and other types of characters are available in just about *every* font you can use. I can go into the Character viewer and apply this character: ⬛︎ to any font on the system.

The point is: you don't really know which font that character comes from except that it is one of the fonts that carry an extended support for the unicode character set. Wingdings does account for extended unicode support, but if the font you're injecting the square into is Times, then you don't know which font is used...

And that's the problem: the characters (shapes or otherwise) are created to be able to fit into a standard character set when applied (or typed). They have a character width, and *ascent* and *descent* heights. Character widths have nothing to do with the actual shapes of a character, they are a starting point and ending point for a cursor placement and the shape is put in there in some arrangement to make it look like it will fit in evenly into that visual space. Most "shapes* are *above* the baseline (the shape's center is somewhere in the "ascent" part of the character.)

My criticism of most of the shape characters in unicode is: very few of them have paid any particular attention to exactness. Square shapes throughout are all likely to be rectangles instead. Triangles will have the horizontal line shorter or longer than its sides. Shapes are not perfectly centered in their character spaces making shape centering more difficult in Motion (at least Motion provides a *perfect* bounding box around 3D text shapes.)

As a final comment on shapes in fonts: leading (the space under the character which is actually part of the "font"), and how much space was allocated at the ascent and descent sides will also be an issue. Most fonts allow just enough descent for descenders like lowercase 'g', etc... A precise font will have the shapes fully occupy the ascent and descent (which will also be equal distances from the baseline.) When a shape fully occupies the ascent/descent, in a 1080 project, a font of size 1080 will perfectly fit the canvas in Motion -- see where I'm going with that??

Some care was taken with this font:

https://fcpxtemplates.com/motion-shapes-font/

to make sure that the shapes are "pure", the sidebearings are equal, and the center points are on the character's baseline. Set the text alignment to Center and the center points of the shapes should be near perfect (I have since discovered a better way... but these shapes will do plus there a few easter eggs in the mix. [BTW, I no longer create any shapes in the A-Za-z character space as you will see with the Font name in the menu list when installed. Don't mind it too much, it doesn't hurt anything!)

All of that brings me finally to creating the tetrahedron...

Working with 3D Text for 3D modelling is not entirely like other things in Motion. The parameter values are all capable of extremes and sometimes you will need to "go there".

When working in 3D (modelling), you will want to generally make the shapes large enough to fill the canvas — at least large enough to be able to see details. 288 is way too small. Start around 750 or so.

If you're using Motion Shapes, the triangle is the number 3.

The first way to make a 3D pyramid is by eyeballing it. Set the Front Edge to bevel, the Back Edge to Square, then open up the Front Edge Size and RAMP the Depth way up to about 1000. Start increasing the Width until the shape looks equilateral.

I have some stuff I have to take care of for awhile, I'll come back with a method of being more precise afterwards...