FONTË 2.0 - USER DOCUMENTATION (New Update+)

Introduction

Fontë 2.0 is a professional Blender addon that transforms 3D text creation from a multi-step process into instant, production-ready results. With 28 animation presets, surface wrapping capabilities, 405 cached fonts, and a complete preset system, Fontë 2.0 eliminates repetitive setup and unlocks creative possibilities for motion graphics, titles, and typography work.

System Requirements

• Blender 4.0 or later
• Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Any text or mesh objects

Installation

1. Download the Fontë 2.0 addon file (.zip)
2. Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences
3. Navigate to Add-ons tab
4. Click "Install..." and select the Fontë 2.0 .zip file
5. Enable "Fontë 2.0" in the addon list
6. Find the Fontë 2.0 panel in the 3D Viewport sidebar (N-panel) under the "Fontë" tab

Getting Started

Basic Workflow

1. Open the Fontë panel in the sidebar
2. Enter your text in the text field
3. Click "Create Text" to generate a 3D text object
4. Adjust properties using real-time sliders
5. Apply materials, animations, or effects as needed

Your First Text Object

1. Open Fontë 2.0 panel in the sidebar (press N if not visible)
2. Type "Hello World" in the text input field or any text.
3. Click "Create Text"
4. Watch as your text appears at the origin with automatic rotation applied
5. Adjust the Size slider to scale your text
6. Browse and select an animation preset from the library in UI.
7. Click "Apply Animation" to see it in motion and set your duration (Default is 60)

Core Features

Instant Text Creation

Create 3D text objects with a single click. Fontë automatically applies the correct rotation, eliminating the manual "rotate 90 degrees on X-axis" step that Blender requires.

How to use:

1. Enter text in the input field
2. Click "Create Text"
3. Text appears at origin (0,0,0) with proper rotation applied

Real-Time Text Properties

All text adjustments update instantly in the viewport as you modify settings.

Available properties:

• Size - Overall scale of your text
• Letter Spacing - Distance between characters (tracking)
• Line Spacing - Distance between lines (leading)
• Extrude Depth - 3D thickness of text
• Bevel Depth - Rounded edge depth
• Bevel Resolution - Smoothness of beveled edges
• Alignment - Horizontal (Left, Center, Right) and Vertical (Top, Center, Bottom)

How to use:

1. Select your text object
2. Adjust any slider in the Text Properties section
3. Changes appear instantly in the viewport

Font System

Browse, search, and apply fonts with zero lag. Fontë pre-caches 405 system fonts for instant loading.

Font browsing:

1. Click the Font dropdown
2. Scroll through 405 pre-loaded fonts
3. Use the search field to filter fonts by name
4. Click any font to apply it instantly

Animation System

25+ Animation Presets

Apply professional animations with a single click. All animations are JSON-based, non-destructive, and work on any mesh object.

Animation categories:

Classic Effects:

• Large Scale
• Scale Up
• Scale Down Word
• Scale By Word
• Typewriter
• Zoom Away

Motion Graphics:

• Let's Dance
• Wiggly Scale Wipe
• Spring Bounce
• Elastic Extreme
• Rotate Scale
• Pulse
• Liquid Bounce
• Orbit In
• Stagger Wave

Sci-Fi and Digital:

• Matrix Rain
• Teleport In
• Hologram Scan
• Digital Assemble
• Glitch In
• Hologram Flicker
• Camera Shake In
• Time Freeze

Cinematic:

• Lens Flare Reveal
• Shockwave
• Whip Pan
• Anticipation Pop
• Spiral In

How to use:

1. Select your text or mesh object
2. Choose an animation from the Animation Preset dropdown
3. Adjust Duration slider (default varies by animation)
4. Click "Apply Animation"
5. Play timeline to see animation

Important notes:

• Animations automatically clear previous keyframes to prevent stacking
• Duration can be adjusted before applying
• All animations work on mesh objects, not just text
• To change animations, simply select a new preset and click Apply again

Manual Animation Tools

For custom animation workflows, Fontë includes manual animation tools.

Letter Reveal:

• Reveals text letter by letter using material alpha
• Creates fade-in effect for each character
• Adjustable timing and duration

Build Modifier:

• Classic typewriter effect
• Converts text to mesh automatically
• Reveals geometry progressively

Fade In:

• Simple opacity fade animation
• Uses material alpha channel
• Smooth transition from transparent to solid

Scale Animation:

• Animates scale from 0 to 1
• Clean entrance effect
• Customizable timing

Rotate Animation:

• Spins text on any axis
• Multiple rotation options
• Smooth interpolation

Clear Animation:

• Removes all keyframes from selected object
• Clears animation data completely
• Resets object to static state

How to use:

1. Select your text object
2. Click the manual animation tool button
3. Adjust settings in the panel
4. Animation applies automatically

Material System

Starter Material Presets

Apply professional materials with proper Principled BSDF setup. Materials work without converting text to mesh and also work on any mesh.

Available starter materials:

• Gold - Metallic gold with realistic reflection
• Chrome - Mirror-finish metallic chrome
• Silver - Brushed silver appearance
• Copper - Warm metallic copper
• Bronze - Aged bronze metal
• Neon (Cyan) - Glowing cyan emission
• Glass - Transparent glass with refraction
• Carbon Fiber - Textured carbon fiber pattern
• Rubber - Matte rubber surface

How to use:

1. Select your text object
2. Choose a material from the Material Preset dropdown
3. Click "Apply Material"
4. Material applies instantly without mesh conversion

Material notes:

• All materials use Principled BSDF for proper rendering
• Materials work in both Eevee and Cycles
• No mesh conversion required
• Can be customized further in Shader Editor

Effects System

Outline Effect

Add outline to text using the Solidify modifier with real-time thickness control.

How to use:

1. Select your text object
2. Adjust "Outline Thickness" slider
3. Outline updates in real-time as you drag
4. Click "Remove Effects" to clear outline

Outline notes:

• Uses Solidify modifier for clean results
• Thickness adjustable from 0.001 to 1.0
• Works on text objects and meshes
• No popup windows - always visible control

Curve Tools

Text on Path

Make text follow Bezier curves, circular paths, or custom curve shapes.

Create curve:

1. Click "Create Curve" button
2. Choose curve type (Bezier, Path, or Circle)
3. Curve appears at origin

Follow curve path:

1. Select your text object
2. Click the eyedropper icon next to "Target Curve"
3. Click the curve you want text to follow
4. Click "Follow Curve"
5. Text wraps to curve path

Position controls:

• Position Along Path - Slide text along the curve (0.0 to 1.0)
• X Offset - Move text perpendicular to curve
• Y Offset - Move text up/down from curve
• Z Offset - Move text forward/back from curve

Circular text layout:

1. Create a Circle curve
2. Select your text
3. Target the circle curve
4. Click "Follow Curve"
5. Adjust Position Along Path to rotate text around circle

How to use:

1. Create or select a curve in your scene
2. Select your text object
3. Use eyedropper to target the curve
4. Click "Follow Curve"
5. Adjust position and offset sliders in real-time
6. All changes update instantly in viewport

Surface Wrapping

Project Text on Any Surface

Wrap text onto spheres, characters, complex geometry - any mesh surface.

Surface wrapping workflow:

1. Create your text object
2. Create or select a target surface mesh (sphere, character, etc.)
3. Select your text object
4. Click the eyedropper icon next to "Target Surface"
5. Click the surface mesh you want to wrap text onto
6. Choose wrapping method:
   • Wrap to Surface - Shrinkwrap modifier (conforms to surface)
   • Project to Surface - Z-axis projection (projects downward)
7. Text wraps to surface instantly

Surface controls:

• Surface Offset - Distance from surface (0.0 to 2.0)
• Adjust in real-time with slider
• See changes immediately in viewport

Shrinkwrap modes:

• Multiple wrapping algorithms available
• Choose based on surface complexity
• Experiment for best results on your geometry

Remove wrapping:

• Click "Remove Wrap" to clear all surface modifiers
• Text returns to original state

Surface wrapping notes:

• Works on any mesh surface - spheres, characters, terrain, complex objects
• Real-time offset control with no popups
• Multiple projection modes for different use cases
• Text can be animated while wrapped to surface

Preset System

Save and Share Text Setups

Save complete text configurations including all properties, materials, and settings.

Save preset:

1. Set up your text exactly how you want it
2. Click "Save Preset"
3. Enter a name for your preset
4. Preset saves all current settings

Load preset:

1. Click the Preset dropdown
2. Select any saved preset
3. Click "Load Preset"
4. New text object appears with all settings applied

Export preset:

1. Select preset from dropdown
2. Click "Export Preset"
3. Choose save location
4. Preset exports as .json file

Import preset:

1. Click "Import Preset"
2. Navigate to preset .json file
3. Select file
4. Preset imports and appears in dropdown

Delete preset:

1. Select preset from dropdown
2. Click "Delete Preset"
3. Preset removes from list

Built-in presets:

• Default - Standard text settings
• Title - Large, bold title text
• Subtitle - Smaller subtitle text
• Logo - Logo-optimized settings

Additional Tools

Text Management

Convert to Mesh:

1. Select text object
2. Click "Convert to Mesh"
3. Text becomes editable mesh geometry
4. Required for some operations (Build modifier, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No Object Selected" Error:

• Ensure you have a text or mesh object selected
• Panel only works with text and mesh objects
• Curves, cameras, and other objects are not supported

Text Not Appearing:

• Check that text field is not empty
• Verify text object created at origin (0,0,0)
• Try zooming out in viewport
• Check object is not hidden in Outliner

Font Not Loading:

• Verify font file format (.ttf or .otf)
• Check font file is not corrupted
• Try different font from system list first
• Restart Blender if font caching issues occur

Animation Not Playing:

• Check Timeline is not at frame 1
• Verify animation keyframes exist (Timeline editor)
• Ensure Duration slider is above 0
• Try scrubbing timeline manually

Material Not Visible:

• Switch viewport shading to Material Preview or Rendered
• Verify material actually applied (check Shader Editor)
• Some materials require proper lighting (Glass, Chrome)
• Check object has not been converted to mesh with old material

Surface Wrapping Not Working:

• Ensure target surface is a mesh object
• Verify text object is selected, not surface
• Check Surface Offset is not set too high
• Try different wrapping mode

Curve Path Issues:

• Ensure curve object exists in scene
• Verify curve is selected with eyedropper tool
• Check text object is selected when applying
• Try recreating curve with "Create Curve" button

Performance Issues

Slow Viewport Updates:

• Reduce text extrude depth for faster preview
• Lower bevel resolution during editing
• Disable animations during text adjustment
• Convert to mesh for final optimization

Animation Lag:

• Reduce animation duration for testing
• Simplify text geometry (lower bevel resolution)
• Use Standard mode instead of Enhanced Detailing (if applicable)
• Close unnecessary Blender windows

Font Browser Slow:

• Fonts are pre-cached - first load may take moment
• Subsequent loads are instant
• Use search field to filter fonts quickly
• Restart Blender if caching fails

Error Messages

"Cannot convert to mesh":

• Text object may already be a mesh
• Check object type in Outliner
• Try creating fresh text object

"Target curve not found":

• Curve object may have been deleted
• Reselect curve with eyedropper
• Create new curve if needed

"Animation preset not found":

• Preset file may be missing or corrupted
• Reinstall addon if presets missing
• Check presets.json file in addon data folder

Keyboard Shortcuts

• N - Toggle sidebar (access Fontë panel)
• G/R/S - Transform text object (Grab, Rotate, Scale)
• Tab - Toggle Edit Mode (for converted mesh text)
• Spacebar - Play/pause animation
• Shift + A - Add new object menu

Performance Optimization

For Large Scenes

• Convert finished text to mesh to reduce overhead
• Use lower bevel resolution during editing phase
• Apply animations only to final text versions
• Disable surface wrapping when not actively editing

For Real-Time Preview

• Reduce extrude depth while adjusting properties
• Use simpler fonts during setup phase
• Lower animation duration for faster scrubbing
• Switch to Solid viewport shading during editing

For Final Rendering

• Convert text to mesh before final render
• Increase bevel resolution for smooth edges
• Apply all modifiers for cleaner geometry
• Use appropriate material settings for render engine (Eevee vs Cycles)

Support

For technical support, feature requests, or bug reports, please contact: [email protected]

Fontë 2.0 v2.0.0 - Create. Animate. Inspire.