Have you ever seen 3D-printed letters or words that seem to change with perspective? This is something I have always wanted to do, and luckily the makerHub logo lends itself perfectly to this kind of project.
So, today we will be creating an isometric version of the MakerHub. Our goal is to create the image below. It will be really easy and a lot of fun, so let’s get to it.
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Step 1: Create a file
The first step is to go to your tinker cad dashboard and creates a new 3D design file. You will see a blank canvas like the one below. This will be our workplane.
Since our final image will be isometric, let’s stay in a flat (isometric) view. On the bottom of the left side menu, you will find a button that says “witch to perspective” or “switch to flat view” (depending on what view you are currently on. Select flat view.
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Step 2: Select text
Next, select the text tool from the right side of the screen and drag it onto your workplane. The default text will read “TEXT,” but we can change this to whatever we want. But for now, let’s just keep the text as it is.
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Step 3: Orient text
Let’s properly orient the text to make it easier to work with. Tilt the text upright by selecting the text block, grabbing onto the curved anchors and the right or left side, and dragging to (90 degrees), as seen in the image below.
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Next, level out the block onto the workplane. Select the up arrow n the middle of the text block and pull it upwards until the horizontal metrics read 0.00. as in the image below. Now your the is sitting properly on the workplane.
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Step 4: Duplicate text
To get the final image, we need to rotate individual letters to be perpendicular to each other. We won’t be able to do this with one solid text block, so we need to create two separate letters and manipulate them individually.
Select the text block, hold down Command and click the letter C on your keyboard. This will copy the block to your clipboard. To paste the copy, hold down Command and click V. Your workplane should now look something like this.
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We can now manipulate the text. Navigate to the locks options panel and select one of the text blocks and change the text from “TEXT” to “M” and the other one from “TEXT” to H.
Make sure to select the proper font. For this project, we used a sans-serif font to match our brand. I’ll also increase the bevel, make the letters a bit wider, and reposition the letters on the workplane, so they are aligned with the base of the workplace.
Step 5: Rearrange the letters
Next, select the H and rotate it so it’s perpendicular to the M. Don’t be afraid to adjust the letter’s height or width, and consider using the grids as a guide to snap your shape into place. For example, I used the guides to make both letters 40mm wide and 40mm tall to get that perfectly even, isometric look.
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After moving the letters around a bit, you should get something similar to the image below. If now, just keep at it and let the snap guides help you.
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Below are some images of this shape from every angle. Notice how perfectly even and neat this looks. you might struggle to get the same results depending on what letters you’re working with, but don’t be afraid to make adjustments. Even if it does not result in the cleanest look on the computers, so long as it looks good when you print it, that’s all that matters.
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Conclusion
And there you have it! Now you know how to create a beautiful 3D isometric logo for your business or yourself. If you enjoyed this 3D Design tutorial, look at our entire 3D module here on the MakerHub!