Engrave Text

The Engrave Text tool creates raised (embossed) or engraved (debossed) text on surface objects. This feature enables adding labels, identification marks, or decorative text directly onto 3D surfaces for manufacturing, labeling, or artistic purposes.

Overview

Text engraving is a common requirement for 3D printed parts, manufactured components, and artistic models. The tool provides a complete workflow for:

• Entering and formatting text
• Positioning text on the surface
• Controlling text depth and style (emboss/deboss)
• Generating modified geometry with integrated text

Common applications include:

• Part identification: Serial numbers, batch codes, model names
• Labeling: Orientation markers, assembly instructions
• Branding: Logos (as text), company names
• Medical devices: Patient or device identification
• Artistic modeling: Decorative text elements

Accessing the Tool

Navigate to the Surface ribbon tab and locate Engrave Text in the Edit section. Select a surface object before activating the tool. The active surface becomes the target for the text operation.

Text Configuration

Text Input

Enter the text to engrave in the text input field. The text can include:

• Letters (uppercase and lowercase)
• Numbers
• Common punctuation marks
• Spaces

The text will be rendered as a single line using the selected font.

Text Center Position

The center position defines where the text is placed on the surface:

Parameter	Description
X	X-coordinate of text center (mm)
Y	Y-coordinate of text center (mm)
Z	Z-coordinate of text center (mm)

Tip: Hover over the target location and press the P key to pick a point on the surface. This sets the center position to the picked location and aligns the text with the surface normal at that point, making it easy to place text precisely where needed.

The center fields and the 3D view always show the same position. Dragging the gizmo updates the three fields, and typing a value moves the text preview.

Show Text Preview

Enable the Show checkbox to display a preview of the text in the 3D view before applying the operation. The preview includes:

• Text geometry preview
• Position gizmo for interactive adjustment
• Orientation indicators

Clearing the checkbox hides both the preview and the gizmo, disables the P shortcut, and disables Apply. The placement is kept, so enabling the checkbox again restores the text exactly where it was.

Adjusting the Text in the 3D View

The gizmo attached to the text preview supports three interactions:

Handle	Interaction	Result
Straight arrows	Drag along an axis	Moves the text; the center fields update while you drag
Curved arrows	Drag around an axis	Rotates the text around its own center
Spheres	Drag left or right	Scales the text along the X or Y axis

The placement you set in the 3D view is preserved when you edit the text, change the font, or change the text scale. Only the letters are rebuilt; the position, rotation, and scale stay as you left them.

Note Closing, reopening, or re-activating a surface restores that surface's position, rotation, and scale in the current application session. Each live surface has its own saved placement. A removed or reloaded surface starts with the configured center and the default orientation and scale.

Font Settings

Font Selection

The font selection widget allows you to choose from available system fonts. Consider:

• Sans-serif fonts: Clean, modern appearance; good for technical labeling
• Serif fonts: Traditional appearance; suitable for formal labeling
• Bold weights: Better visibility; recommended for small text or deep engraving

Note Not all fonts provide clean outline data suitable for mesh generation. Fonts with complex glyphs, decorative scripts, or color/bitmap layers may generate incomplete or invalid meshes.

Font Size (Points)

The font size in the font selector uses points (pt) and controls the glyph outline resolution. Choose a size that preserves detail for your font style.

Text Scale (mm)

The Text Scale value controls the final size of the text in world units (mm). Use it to fit the text to the target surface without changing the font’s point size.

Application	Typical Text Scale Range
Small labels	2-5 mm
Standard identification	5-10 mm
Large labels	10-20 mm
Decorative text	20+ mm

Consider the minimum feature size of your manufacturing process when selecting text scale.

Warning If a selected font does not expose a compatible outline, the 3D preview may not update correctly and the Boolean operation can fail.

Engraving Parameters

Direction

Choose between two text application modes:

Option	Description	Result
Deboss	Text is cut into the surface	Engraved, recessed letters
Emboss	Text protrudes from the surface	Raised, protruding letters

Deboss creates classic engraved text where letters are below the surface level. This is ideal for durable marking that won't wear off.

Emboss creates raised text that stands above the surface. This is good for tactile labels or decorative applications.

Thickness

The thickness parameter (in mm) controls how far the text extends from the surface:

• For deboss: How deep the engraving cuts into the surface
• For emboss: How high the text rises above the surface

Default value: 5.0 mm. The value must be greater than zero.

Consider structural implications. Very deep debossing may weaken thin-walled parts, while tall embossing may be fragile.

Overlap Thickness

The overlap thickness (in mm) controls how much the text geometry extends into (overlaps with) the original surface before the Boolean operation is applied.

Default value: 2.0 mm

This parameter ensures clean Boolean operations by providing sufficient geometric overlap between the text and target surface. Increase this value if you experience Boolean operation failures or gaps in the result.

Remesh

The text is projected onto the target surface before it is applied. The projected text carries a dense triangle layout that follows the target, and on curved or detailed areas it can contain overlapping triangles that make the Boolean operation fail. The Remesh option controls whether the projected text is rebuilt before it is used.

Option	Description
Basic	Keeps the projected text as it is. Fastest option.
Adaptive	Rebuilds the text with smaller triangles in curved areas and larger triangles in flat areas.
Regular	Rebuilds the text with triangles of a similar size across the whole text.

Default value: Basic

Adaptive and Regular also repair the rebuilt text. The repair merges duplicated points, resolves overlapping and intersecting triangles, closes holes, removes small disconnected fragments, and corrects inverted triangles. The text outline is preserved, so the letter shapes remain readable.

Use Basic for flat targets and simple text, where the projected mesh is already clean. Switch to Adaptive or Regular when the Boolean operation fails, or when the result shows gaps or overlapping triangles around the letters. Adaptive keeps more detail in curved letter areas for the same triangle budget, so it is the better first choice for detailed fonts. Regular gives a more uniform triangle layout, which suits later editing and analysis.

Rebuilding and repairing the text takes additional time that grows with the text length and the complexity of the target surface. The operation reports progress and can be cancelled.

Note The remesh option does not change the thickness or the overlap thickness. The text is rebuilt while it is still flat against the target surface, and the depth is applied afterwards, so a 3 mm emboss stays 3 mm with every option.

Note The Remesh option only affects the text geometry. The target surface keeps its own triangle layout in both result modes.

Result Options

Choose how the result is generated:

Option	Description
Boolean with active surface	Merge text directly with the target surface, modifying it
<New surface object>	Create the text as a separate surface object

Boolean with active surface produces a single, unified mesh with integrated text that is ready for manufacturing or export.

New surface object keeps the text separate, useful for:

• Previewing before committing
• Applying different colors or materials
• Further manipulation of text geometry
• Combining multiple text elements

Interactive Workflow

Recommended Workflow

1. Select the target: Activate the surface object that will receive the text
2. Enter text: Type the desired text in the input field
3. Position text: Press P over the target location, or enter coordinates
4. Refine placement: Drag the gizmo to move, rotate, or resize the text
5. Select font: Choose the font, point size, and text scale
6. Configure style: Select emboss or deboss and set the thickness
7. Choose the remesh option: Keep Basic, or select Adaptive or Regular to rebuild and repair the text
8. Choose result type: Boolean integration or separate object
9. Apply: Generate the final geometry

Apply stays disabled until the tool has both a valid text preview and an active surface object. If the button is greyed out, check that text is entered, the Show checkbox is enabled, and a surface object is active.

Using P-Key Point Picking

For precise placement on curved surfaces:

1. Enable the Engrave Text tool
2. Hover over the target surface location
3. Press the P key
4. The center coordinates update to the picked position and the text turns to face the surface
5. Adjust the position numerically or with the gizmo if needed

Picking only considers the active surface object, so the text preview itself never blocks a pick.

User Scenarios

The following scenarios describe how the tool is typically used.

Scenario 1: Serial number on a printed part

An application engineer needs to mark a part with a serial number before exporting it for 3D printing.

1. Activate the part surface object.
2. Open Engrave Text and type the serial number.
3. Rotate the model so the flat marking area faces the camera, hover over it, and press P. The text jumps to that point and lies flat against the surface.
4. Drag the gizmo arrows to center the text inside the marking area, and use the curved arrows to align it with the part edge.
5. Set Text Scale so the text fits the area. The text keeps the placement from step 4 while the size changes.
6. Set Direction to Deboss and Thickness to the required marking depth.
7. Leave Result on Boolean with active surface and select Apply.

Scenario 2: Correcting a typo after placement

The text is already positioned but contains a mistake.

1. Correct the text in the input field.
2. The preview rebuilds in place. The position, rotation, and scale are unchanged, so no repositioning is needed.
3. Select Apply.

The same applies when the font family, point size, or text scale is changed after positioning.

Scenario 3: Comparing emboss and deboss before committing

1. Place and size the text as usual.
2. Set Result to <New surface object> and select Apply. The text is added as its own surface object, named after the direction and the entered text, and the original surface is untouched.
3. Inspect the result, then delete the generated object if it is not what you wanted.
4. Switch Result to Boolean with active surface and select Apply when the placement is confirmed.

Scenario 4: Several labels on one part

1. Place the first label and select Apply with Boolean with active surface.
2. The tool stays open and the preview remains where it was. Type the second label.
3. Press P over its target location and select Apply again.

Each apply is a separate undo step, so any individual label can be reverted.

Scenario 5: Reviewing the surface without the preview

Clear the Show checkbox to inspect the surface without the text and gizmo in the way. Enable it again to continue from the same placement.

Scenario 6: Recovering from empty or unsupported text

1. Clear the text field, or select a font that cannot create a valid preview.
2. The preview clears and Apply is disabled, preventing an incomplete result.
3. Enter valid text or select a compatible font. The preview returns at the saved position with its previous rotation and scale.

Scenario 7: Continuing after reopening the tool

1. Close the tool after setting the text center.
2. Reopen Engrave Text with the same surface active. The preview returns at the saved center, rotation, and scale, and the P shortcut is available again.
3. If you activate another surface that was previously positioned, its own center, rotation, and scale are restored. A surface without saved placement starts with the configured center and default orientation and scale. The same behaviour applies when changing the active surface while the tool is open. Press P on that surface before applying so the text is positioned and oriented for the new target.

Practical Considerations

Font Selection for Manufacturing

For 3D printing and CNC machining:

• Avoid very thin fonts: May not print or machine properly
• Use bold variants: Better feature definition
• Consider minimum wall thickness: Font strokes should exceed manufacturing limits
• Test at intended size: Small text may lose detail

Text Orientation

Picking a point with the P key turns the text to face the surface at that point. Use the curved gizmo handles to rotate the text within that plane, for example to align it with a part edge. Consider the viewing angle and readability when positioning text on curved surfaces.

Multiple Text Elements

For multiple text strings (e.g., label and serial number):

1. Add first text element, choosing "New surface object" result
2. Add additional text elements similarly
3. Use Boolean operations to combine all elements with the target surface
4. Or merge text surfaces first, then Boolean with target

Curved Surface Considerations

Text is projected onto the surface at the specified position. On highly curved surfaces:

• Text may appear distorted from some viewing angles
• Consider using multiple smaller text elements
• Verify readability from intended viewing directions

Technical Considerations

Boolean Operation Requirements

The text geometry is combined with the target surface using Boolean operations. For successful operations:

• Target surface should be watertight (for Boolean with surface)
• Use adequate overlap thickness
• Complex surfaces may require additional processing

Mesh Quality

The generated text geometry uses tessellated curves. The mesh quality is generally suitable for most applications, but very large text or high-quality requirements may benefit from subsequent smoothing.

Set Remesh to Adaptive or Regular to rebuild and repair the text before it is applied. This produces a cleaner triangle layout for the letters and removes the defects that most often block the Boolean operation.

Font Compatibility

The tool uses outline-based text triangulation. The following cases can reduce mesh quality or prevent successful Boolean operations:

• Fonts stored as bitmap or color layers (no scalable outlines)
• Fonts from collections that do not expose a resolvable font file
• Decorative fonts with highly self-intersecting outlines

Tip: If a font fails, switch to a standard TrueType/OpenType font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, then try again.

Performance

Processing time depends on:

• Text length (more characters = more geometry)
• Font complexity
• Target surface complexity
• Boolean operation overhead
• The selected remesh option, since Adaptive and Regular add a rebuild and a repair pass

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Likely Cause	Solution
Text not visible	Position outside surface bounds	Use P-key picking to place on surface
Boolean failure	Insufficient overlap or complex surface	Increase overlap thickness; set Remesh to Adaptive or Regular
Overlapping triangles around letters	Dense projected text on a curved surface	Set Remesh to Adaptive or Regular
Operation fails only with Adaptive or Regular	The text cannot be rebuilt at this size or font	Set Remesh to Basic, or use a larger text scale or a simpler font
Text appears inverted	Wrong direction selection	Switch between Emboss/Deboss
Thin strokes missing	Font size too small	Increase font size; use bolder font
Text distorted	Curved surface projection	Reposition for better surface angle
Separate letters	Very small text	Increase size; verify font selection
Font preview not updating	Unsupported font outline	Switch to a standard TTF/OTF font; retry
Boolean fails after font change	Invalid text mesh	Increase overlap thickness; try a simpler font
Apply is disabled	No text, no active surface, or preview hidden	Enter text, activate a surface object, and enable Show
Nothing happens after cancelling	The operation was stopped on request	Select Apply again to restart it

Related Tools

• Surface Boolean: Use for manual union/difference if you create text as a separate surface object.
• Surface Clean/Repair: Run after Boolean operations if you see non-manifold or self-intersecting geometry.