How to create engraved text?

I would like to create a replica of this survey marker. Shown below. It's basically just a disk about 3.5" in diameter with a slight done shape to the top. I can easily model this. My question is how can I best recreate the engraved/stamped text and markings intomy model? As you can see from the photo the text is very irregular, so I would like to capture that look if possible. If I made a bitmap of the photo that just had the text, is there a way to drape the bitmap over the model in a way that it would essentially "etch" the letters into the model? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Yep, there's a way to do that in most 3D modeling software. What software are you using?

Good point, I should have included that. My software is limited, so a recommendation of something low cost would be welcomed as this is my first attempt at creating something to 3D print. I have used TinkerCAD to create the basic domed disk shape already. I also have Autodesk 123D Design, and ViaCAD 3D (but I have never used the 3D functionality). I have Photoshop CC 2014 for tweaking the image and creating the bitmap.

My end goal is to print this in something like matt bronze.

Thanks

Before starting this project, You have to know the restrictions of the printing resolutions.
Regarding the smallest letters: " Mt. Houghton" and "1984",- the overall scale of Your model will be very large, if You want to have these letters.
engraved.

Wanna say: Choose Your scale, regarding the smallest detail You want to have.

If I would do that design, I would draw paths around every single letter by hand.
(1 hour?) to prepare for engraving / extruding after.

One thing good to know right from the start is that there are two main types of 3D modeling software, which are, solid modelers and polygonal modelers. The three that you listed are solid modelers. The difference is in how they work and you'll learn all about the difference as you go, but to know that there are two types in the beginning will help the learning process.

There are numerous ways you can do this. If this were my project I'd use Photoshop CC and Zbrush 4.7. I would use a high pass filter in Photoshop to even out the image a bit and then I'd import into Zbrush and use it as a mask to sculpt the engraving on a curved surface that I had constructed with the SweepProfile3D command.

What you could do is edit your image in Photoshop to be just the lettering in black with a white background, then you'd convert that to a mask and then convert the mask to paths and either export as an AI file or convert to layers and use the Extract Assets command under the file menu to save as a SVG. From there you can import the AI or SVG into one of your solid modelers that will allow the import as well as does projections. A projection in a solid modeling software package is where you take 2D vector lines or curves and project them to a surface. In your case, the surface would be your curved surface. As you do this, you'll want to pay attention to what Kaadesign mentioned. You'll need to go with one of the investment cast metals like brass if you want to have a chance at getting those letters to come out. Minimum width for engravings for brass is 0.3 mm by 0.3 mm deep. If you need to make detailed adjustments to the letters you can use another free one called Inkscape. It's a free 2D vector graphics software package similar to Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.

Once you get the letters projected to your curved surface you would then push / pull the letters into the surface to make the engravings. Because you'll be dealing with compound surfaces, your computing time is going to go way up since it takes a lot of processing power to do this. Alternatively you can project onto a flat disk and it'll go a lot faster. To make it curved, you would use another free one called Sculptris. Sculptris is a polygonal modeler, it also has the designation of digital sculpting software.

What you would do is export as an OBJ from your solid modeler and then import it into Sculptris. If your solid modeler doesn't export OBJ then it most certainly exports as STL and you can convert from STL to OBJ with a free one called Meshlab. Once imported into Sculptris you can bend the whole model to get the overall curve you want. To do this you would subdivide the model with the Sub Dived All command and the you would make the cursor large and then inflate the center somewhat with the Inflate brush.

Hopefully that will get you started. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask us.

after read that

i think i need more to learn about 3d modeling.

pleas be gennereous and tell more your knowledege about 3d modelling

people say u will learn more by teaching more,,,,,!

Hi Tonya!

In my case I need to do this to keep from unlearning. hehehe

My brain has the weird problem of forgetting everything if I don't keep talking about it. I can even forget how to write and even how to talk! HAHA! So I'm sort of like Sisyphus pushing that boulder up a hill only to watching roll back down and having to do it forever. Except in my case it is knowledge, I have to keep refreshing it. Funny thing is, as I get older I forget faster! HAHAHA! I'll be 51 here in a few months.

Do you have any questions you'd like to ask before I forget?

LOL! ... You´re not alone! ;-)

So you know how it is!

That is a great write up James, just the kind of advice I was hoping for. Wish I could afford Zbrush, looks like a great tool, but for now I'll stick with the tools I mentioned and try to apply your suggestions. Even if I don't print this it'll be fun to make the digital model.

Good point about the size of the smaller letters. On the real object the "1984" and "Mt Houghton" were stamped on with a letter punch set. For a real sense of authenticity I could leave them out of the model and stamp them in to the brass printed piece.

Yeah Zbrush is the king of digital sculpting software, I absolutely love it. You can start out with Sculptris and then when you make enough money get a copy of Zbrush.

Two solid modelers that you might be interested in looking into are DesignSpark Mechanical and Fusion 360. DesignSpark Mechanical is SpaceClaim, which I feel is the best direct solid modeling software package in the world. However, the free version, DesignSpark Mechanical, does not include a 3D mirror command so I always warn people about this when I recommend it. The $4700 SpaceClaim does have the command of course, they just removed it from DSM so as to keep their paying customers happy. You can still use the software to do whatever you want, but when it comes to something that you would like to mirror to save time, you can't, you have to redraw it in the reversed direction.

I slipped a word in there, direct solid modeler. Yeah, of the solid modeling packages out there, there are two distinctly different types, feature based and direct. Here's a video put out by SpaceClaim explaining the two different types.

Fusion 360 says free trial, but it's actually free forever if you're going to use it for personal use. It is also free to use for one year if your going to use it in conjunction with a startup company. By the way, not many people know that most of Autodesk's products are free to use by students for three years. Fusion 360 is also a direct solid modeler like SpaceClaim. No one ( for now ) can make software as easy to use as SpaceClaim because they have patents covering numerous aspects for the way it works, but Fusion 360 is very close in a lot of ways. Fusion 360 is similar to Photoshop CC as it is also cloud based.

Try them out and see how you like them.

Use the boolean modifier to cut out a text object.
Manually model the engraved text on your model.
Use the knife project tool to cut the shape ofthe text on the model, then just extrude inwards.
Use the sculpt tools and sculpt the text into your model.
Use a texture with the displacement modifier.

Use the boolean modifier to cut out a text object.
Manually model the engraved text on your model.
Use the knife project tool to cut the shape ofthe text on the model, then just extrude inwards.
Use the sculpt tools and sculpt the text into your model.
Use a texture with the displacement modifier.

I have finished my first attempt to create this model and it is currently in production at Shapeways now in WSF. I ended up doing the model in Autodesk Fusion 360, pulsating Photoshop CC14 to clean up the text from my photo, and then tracing it using Inkscape. Looking forward to seeing how this will turn out! The original has been exposed to the elements for almost 150 years, so if the text isn't perfect that should be ok. Thanks for the suggestions, especially James (UniverseBecoming) for his detailed suggestions. The tip on the free Fusion 360 was a great!

View attachment Vulcan2.tiff

View attachment Vulcan1.tiff

My pleasure! Glad to help out.

You did an amazing job! Great work!

I don't know what your ultimate end use is for this, but one thing to know is you can print in plastic or wax and then electroplate the surface in a metal. See Caswell Plating's Plating Non-Conductive Parts page for more about that.

Another thing you can do with plastics is do what's called a dry brush technique and paint it to look like a metal, like this.

Whenever I do something like a piece of jewelry I most of the time print in plastic first like you're doing. WSF is good for seeing the overall shape, but for detail like you have here it's not going to be great. To get a better idea of how the details will look in one of the lost wax cast metals try Shapeways' Frosted Ultra Detail Plastic. We Shapers call it FUD for short. FUD has the same resolution as the wax prints that are used for Shapeways' lost wax metals, so one can really see how it will look when cast in a metal.

If they use the same wax that they sell, FXD will, FUD is the previous level in the machine settings.

Yeah, it should be 16 micron for the FXD and also their wax prints for lost wax casting. Thing is though, I got the email that they were discontinuing FUD and replacing it with FDX, (by the way, smart move Shapeways ) but is that true now or are they going to implement that in the future at some point? If they haven't replaced it yet, then, your right, I shouldn't have said same resolution, I should have said something like close to the same resolution.

Edit: Typo

Discontinuing FD, keeping FUD as is, and adding more expensive FXD.