Okay, I developed a file with a little text and a transparent background in Photoshop. I then applied that as an image / texture to a cylinder in SU. So far so good: I have the text wrapped to a transparent cylinder. I then try to export that cylinder as a GLB file using any one of several exporters, free and paid. When I import the GLB file into something like PowerPoint 365, the cylinder is opaque white with the said text. Any thoughts on the procedures or anything?
Is the face orientation on the cylinder correct?
The text is correctly aligned, so I assume that the faces are correctly oriented.
I should point out that I havenât had a need for SU for a couple of years, since Iâm now retired. Iâm using a friendâs computer with it installed. I could be doing something wrong because of the time lapse.
That isnât an indication of face orientation.
Share the SketchUp file so we can see what youâve got.
ALL faces were transparent. Here is an early SU file and a screenshot from SU.
Cylinder.skp (1.6 MB)
But still not orrectly oriented. Fix the reversed faces and try again.
DaveR, I have no idea what you want me to do: I have reversed the faces time and again, with the same outcome. Please show me an example.
Are you suggesting that the verbiage should be reverse reading, then reverse the faces?
I used SU from its first release until 2020 without issue. This is the first problem I have encountered.
No. Iâm saying you need to have the faces of the geometry correctly before you apply the texture image.
Okay, I will start from scratch, and let you know.
Hey, letâs all chill out for a second 
ok, on the early file, the faces are good, and I see why they started to mess around.
when activating the hidden geometry, I can see these two weird arcs. My guess is, you made the half cylindre, then you grouped the curved face, but somehow the top and bottom line remained there. and later while working, these invisible yet existing lines messed up the cylindre.
I checked, the invisible curve is right where the face problem starts in your later file.
after a bit of cleanup, the cylindre is fine, and I applied the material to it
(hidden geometry because I canât see an invisible cylindre)
Cylinder.skp (1,2 Mo)
have a go of your exporter now. I donât know if the faces thing was actually the issue, but at least if itâs not, weâve eliminated one possible culprit.
yeah, sometimes, burn the file, start fresh, it helps.
edit : also, it might help to have a top and bottom. transparent off course, but still. If itâs a recto/verso face problem, it would encase all the verso faces actually INSIDE the cylindre (inside an actual volume). here itâs just a tube with no thickness, and other 3D tool might not like that, I know stuff like 3d printing doesnât.
Here are my results:
Khronos exporter doesnât work at all.
SketchUp exporter works but still yields an opaque cylinder.
SimLab exports the text, but not the cylinder. Plus the text surface is glossy, even to the point of transparency.
Thanks everyone for your help. And please excuse my frustration.
The idea is to emulate the Universal Studios intro with my wording coming from behind an object and stopping directly in front. I am not even concerned about the 3D text: I just want this to work.
ok, how about thinking outside the cylindre box ?
Use the 3d text tool. make your text in 3d, give it a thickness (even if itâs quite thin), materiality.
then apply you colour on it.
then check the extension TrueBend. itâs free, itâs usually at the bottom of the extension warehouseâs homepage. Itâs pretty straightforward, itâll bend a group around its red axis (you might need to explode and regroup your text if it bends in a wrong way, youâll figure it out 
)
The result will look similar to what youâre trying to achieve, but no transparent cylindre, just a group of 3d curved letters.
that should export better, it would be a simple regular model.
(this is literally the XXeâs century fox, but with a glass of wine and a piece of cheese)
Merci! I will give TrueBend a try.
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