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# Text layer

Choose Layer > Add Layer > Add Text Layer... to create a new Text layer.

After choosing this menu item, the new Text layer is visible in the Layers listbox. You can use this listbox to switch between layers.

Use the text layer to add a 3D text to your animation.

### Fonts

Use the menu item Media > Change Font... to select a font.
This example uses the Jokerman font.

### Textures

Choose Media > Change Texture... to paint a picture onto the text.
This example uses Zebra.jpg.

### Effects

With the menu item Effect / Change Effect... you can can select another effect.
This example uses ReflectionMap.fx.

### Compositions

With the first layer listbox you set the text composition.
This example uses the String composition.

### Font Styles

With the second layer listbox you can set the font style.
This example use the Hairy style

### Attached Borders

Choose Layer > Attach Border to active Layer... to attach a border. The size of the border can be adjusted with the Bevel property.
This example uses the Golden Straight Border preset.

### Attached Plasma

Choose Layer > Attach Plasma to active Layer... to attach a plasma effect.
This example uses the Plasma Blobs preset

### Attached Particles

Choose Layer > Attach Particle to active Layer... to attach a particle effect.
This example uses the Melting Gold preset.

### Light Beams

You can create beams of light with the Beam Length property of the light layer.
Notice that Beam length is a property of the light layer and not of the text layer.

### Shadows

With the Shadow property of the light layer you can make the Text cast shadows.
Notice that Shadow is a property of the light layer and not of the text layer.

# Compositions

### Left

Every line starts at the same horizontal position.

### Left, Pivot Point in Centre

Every line starts at the same horizontal position. All lines are centred.

### Right

Every line ends at the same horizontal position.

### Right, Pivot Point in Centre

Every line ends at the same horizontal position. All lines are centred.

### Centre

Every line is centred. This is the default effect.

### Justify

All lines are scaled to the same width.

### Fixed Space

All characters use the same space.

### Circle

The first line is drawn in a circle. In combination with the text rotation this creates a nice merry-go-round effect.

### Wave

The characters follow the path of a sinus wave. The third slider of the Spacing property controls the phase.

### Spiral

The first line is drawn as a spiral.

### Roll

The lines are placed on a roll.

### String

The characters of the first line are walking a tight rope. The third slider of the Spacing property controls the elasticity of the string.

# Vertical Alignment

### Vertical Align Top

### Vertical Align Centre

### Vertical Align Bottom

# Bevel Styles

### Flat

Fonts look depressingly 2D in this style.

### Solid

Fonts are extruded along the edges to create solid 3D objects.

### Straight Bevel

Use the bevel effect to create fonts with eased edges.

### Round Bevel

The round bevel gives the font a very smooth round shape.

### Inverted

This effect looks like the font has been cut out of a solid block.

### Tubular

The outline is drawn as a tube. Use the Bevel property to adjust the radius of the tube.

### Wireframe

The text is rendered as a wireframe model.

### Sphered

The text is blown up. Use the third slider of the Scale property to make the effect more subtle.

### Revolved

The text is rotated around the vertical axis. You can use the Revolved Angle property to set the amount of rotation.

### Convex Hull

### Filled Holes

### Spikes

Add spikes to the text.

### Hairy

Add hairs to the text.

### Combs

Add combs to the text.

### Sequinned

Decorates the text with sequins.

### Diamonds

Decorates the text with small diamonds.

### Pixels, Cornered Pixels, Rounded Pixels

Use the Pixel Size property to control the size of the pixels.

### Floating Cubes, Floating Cylinders, Floating Spheres

Use the second slider of the Pixel Size property to control the size of the individual cubes/cylinders/spheres.

### Inside Flat

This style can be used in combination with the Outline Flat style to create a flat text with a border.

### Inside

This style can be used in combination with one of the outline effects to create a text with a border.

### Inside Sphered

This style can be used in combination with the Outline Sphered style to create a sphered text with a border.

### Outline Flat

Only the outline is drawn in this mode. Use the Bevel property to set the size of the outline

### Outline No Bevel, Outline Straight Bevel Outline with Round Bevel

Only the outline is drawn. Use the Bevel property to set the size of the outline. These styles are commonly used in combination with the Inside style to create texts with borders.

### Outline Sphered

Only the outline is drawn in this mode. Use the Bevel property to set the size of the outline

# Properties

### Text Position

The horizontal, vertical and depth position of the text.

### Text Rotation

The text can be rotated in all three dimensions: heading, pitch and roll.

### Character Rotation

The individual characters can also be rotated.

### Font Size

The font size. Notice that the All Keys checkbox is automatically marked when selecting this property. This has the effect that you edit not only the font size of the current keyframe, but of all keyframes. You have to unmark this checkbox if you want to animate the fontsize

### Text Size

With this property you can stretch the text in all three dimensions. This way you can create very thick, thin, deep or wide characters.

### Character Size

Use this property to scale the characters without affecting the composition.

### Colour

Animate the red, green and blue components of the text colour. Note that the light colours also affect the appearance of the Text: for example a red text illuminated with a green light will appear black. For most textures you want to use a white colour. Press <F3> for a standard colour dialog.

### Transparency

This determines the transparency level of the text. 0 is completely opaque, 1 is completely transparent.

### Specularity

This determines the size of the glancing highlights. Real artists use this effect very subtle, but the real BluffTitler animator happily highlights everything to the max!

### Spacing

The distance between the individual characters. The second slider controls the line distance. The third slider is only used by the Wave and String compositions.

### Space Width

The width of the space character.

### Kerning

Some character pairs like AV, AT and // can be put closer to each other than their rectangular bounding boxes would allow them.

### Shearing

In BluffTitler fonts can be sheared (made italic) in all 3 dimensions.

### Twist

Each succeeding character is rotated a little bit further.

### Bevel

The first slider controls the thickness of the bevel. The second slider controls the outer height, the third slider controls the inner height. Creating bevels is an expensive operation, so you'd better keep the bevel values fixed to keep the animation smooth. Also notice that some fonts have small details that could intersect extreme bevels.

### Writer

With this property you can simulate a type writer. A value of 0 means that no characters are being drawn, 0.5 means only the first half will be drawn and a value of 1 draws everything. The second slider controls the start position.

### Flexibility

With this property you can make the individual characters of the text behave as if they are attached to each other by springs. The first slider controls the delay in seconds of the most flexible character. This is also the time you have to extend the duration of the show in order to give all the characters enough time to reach their destination.
The second slider controls the pickup point, 0 means the first character and 1 the last character.
If the third slider is greater than 0, every character has its own random delay. If the third slider is -1, the text is split into words instead of characters. If the third slider is less than -1, the order of the words is random.

### Encrypt

If this property is set to 1, every A is turned into a B. If this property is set to 2, every A is turned into a C.

### Texture Position and Texture Size

By default, the upper left corner of the texture coincides the upper left corner of the font.

### Pixel Size

This property is only used by the Pixel font styles and controls the size of the pixels.

### Decoration Size

This property is used by the Hairy, Comb, Spikes, Diamonds and Sequinned font styles and controls the size of the decoration.

### Decoration Density

This property is used by the same font styles as the Decoration Size property and controls the density of the decoration. A higher density means more decorations.

### Jumble

Use this property to create some chaos. The first slider adjusts the positions of the individual characters, the second the rotation and the third the random seed.

### Explosion

With this property you can explode the text! The first slider controls the translation, the second the rotation. Notice that you can use the editboxes next to the sliders to enter values out of range for the sliders. You can use this to make the text explode completely out of the screen.

### Bounds

With this property you can define the maximum size of the text. If the text is bigger it will be scaled to fit. This is very useful when using the show as a template or for dynamic content.