# Text emboss effect in SketchUp **URL:** \ **Category:** SketchUp\ **Tags:** embossing, 3dtext, emboss\ **Created:** [May 6, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729 "2016-05-06T12:25:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pricoky80](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/pricoky80/32/18365_2.png) [@pricoky80](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/pricoky80)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/1 "2016-05-06T12:25:44Z")
Hi there Sketch-up community! This is my question for you: I would like to create an emboss effect for a 3d letter in Sketch-up and I just can’t figure it up. I’ve tried with Round-corners plugin from Fredo, which I found it to be most appropriate, but still it doesn’t look like what I wanted to be. I’m actually trying to reproduce a 3d version of letter “S” as it appears on my avatar picture. What’s your advice on this? ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/2 "2016-05-06T12:31:09Z")
My advice is to provide a skp file showing what you have attempted and to tell us more clearly what you “wanted to be”. ---
**Author:** ![pricoky80](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/pricoky80/32/18365_2.png) [@pricoky80](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/pricoky80)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/3 "2016-05-06T12:44:44Z")
[S.skp](https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/7eWg4SaItAUZPTjbNJk7JtPjrHO.skp) (936.5 KB) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/b/1/b175046285a11ce821ec43902c5f6b5731cb2913.jpg) Ok! I’ve ulpoaded the .skp file and the “how I want it to look like” file. But as one can see the emboss or bevel effect(don’t know how to call it exactly) doesn’t look like the “S” effect I’ve managed to obtain in Photoshop. ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlyAaron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/theonlyaaron/32/9436_2.png) [@TheOnlyAaron](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/TheOnlyAaron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/4 "2016-05-06T15:04:09Z")
One option would be to extrude a shape along the exterior edges of the letter, then intersect and delete the extra geometry: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/2/5/2552296cefed5c2b3cd960b2d7dc64ceb9487884.gif) Soften and smooth and you get something like this: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/1/0/1061f815a0c194e2aaa8071d52f9611d0d6a629a.png) ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlyAaron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/theonlyaaron/32/9436_2.png) [@TheOnlyAaron](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/TheOnlyAaron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/5 "2016-05-06T15:16:14Z")
OR… you can use [Soap Skin and Bubble](https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/soap-skin-bubble)… ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/1/7/17d9e1435694ae98deed3b54f9051260805ad573.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/6 "2016-05-06T15:19:19Z")
It would make a nice SUbD. ---
**Author:** ![Shep](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/shep/32/41669_2.png) [@Shep](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Shep)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/7 "2016-05-06T15:25:36Z")
We’re waiting… ---
**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/8 "2016-05-06T15:33:37Z")
…Sorry, only got my phone and off to bed soon. ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlyAaron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/theonlyaaron/32/9436_2.png) [@TheOnlyAaron](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/TheOnlyAaron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/9 "2016-05-06T15:35:03Z")
Fine… give me a minute… 5 minute SubD: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/7/4/74e9e4c8416f366213cf079ad5010acde8c9ac1c.png) So… yeah… @pricoky80, there are options… EDIT: Ok, here it is with a little SubD love and tweaking: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/8/a/8a40e10cd1d31df92fec7dc6aace41e0df80cd9c.png) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/c/1/c1a3160efc6b55aacc92815ac027ab594178a810.png) ---
**Author:** ![gadget2020](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/gadget2020/32/5495_2.png) [@gadget2020](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/gadget2020)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/10 "2016-05-06T16:18:59Z")
With native tools you could also just use the off-set tool and lift the internal shape: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/9/0/90736bc7983729d147533807b1ae58007036cea5.png) (but it does need a bit more cleaning up than those plugins) ---
**Author:** ![pricoky80](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/pricoky80/32/18365_2.png) [@pricoky80](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/pricoky80)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/11 "2016-05-06T17:35:51Z")
Thanks a million guys. You just gave me a whole bunch of great ideas of how to aproach this. Sorry for the late response I’ve just got back from work! Can’t wait wait to continue working on this! THANKS again, I’ll get back with the result ASAP! Pe 6 mai 2016 7:29 PM, “Gadget2020” [no-reply@sketchup.com](mailto:no-reply@sketchup.com) a scris: ---
**Author:** ![Cotty](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/cotty/32/251290_2.png) [@Cotty](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Cotty)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/12 "2016-05-06T17:40:59Z")
> [@Box](#): > > …and off to bed soon. Typical daydreamer 😋 ---
**Author:** ![runrabbitgilding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b487fb/32.png) [@runrabbitgilding](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/runrabbitgilding)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/13 "2017-12-08T18:28:09Z")
Hey TheOnlyAaron - How did you create the S on the left in your SubD examples? I keep trying this technique and only end up with some crazy wonky lines and faces. I’ve tried using 3d text, and also importing a file from AI, and I keep getting the same results. Did you draw the S and extrude the center spline first? thanks - RR ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlyAaron](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/theonlyaaron/32/9436_2.png) [@TheOnlyAaron](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/TheOnlyAaron)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/14 "2017-12-08T19:18:30Z")
Man… You are asking how I modeled an example from a year and a half ago? Umm… Looking at the picture, I would guess that I created the S with 3D Text (with a 0 depth), then manually subdivided it, then used Move to pull the center line upward. That’s a guess… Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact steps, but that SHOUDL work… ---
**Author:** ![runrabbitgilding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b487fb/32.png) [@runrabbitgilding](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/runrabbitgilding)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/text-emboss-effect-in-sketchup/24729/15 "2017-12-09T22:40:40Z")
Ha-ha! I didn’t even realize how old this was!! Gotcha. I’m looking for something that eliminates the “manually subdivided it” part. 🙂 How you described it does actually work, but it can be a bit intensive if there’s a sentence, or the letter is complex. What I’m trying to accomplish is what CNC routing software does automatically. Give it a letter, tell it the angle of bit you’re using, and it creates the bevel with math (tell it the depth, and it works out all of the funky corners). I just wish that software would output the 3d model it came up with! thanks for the quick reply, and all your advice -