Making 3D object from a SVG file

Question

I am new to Blender, I have never used it. I am searching for software that would allow me to turn my 2D SVG Text created in Inkscape to a 3D text. Something like this Linux Mint Wallpaper:

Is it possible using Blender? If yes maybe someone could point me to a resource like tutorial showing how to do this? I would appreciate all help really!

Answer 1

Blender can import SVG files: File > Import > Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)

Depending on the dimensions of the original file, the curves could be very small or big.

If you can't see the imported curves in 3D VIEW, use the Outliner to select them and scale.

Because the origin is set at the point (0,0) of the original file, you could have to set its position.

Apply the scale (Ctrl + A > Scale)

Set material and other stuffs.

Open the Properties Panel and set the Extrusion Value.

If the extrusion is excessive regarding the input value (see the example below), you have to select all the Control Points and reduce the Mean Radius in the Properties (N).

That's it! Now you can adjust every value as well as for any curve: bevel, resolution, fill type...

I suggest you to read the online manual:

http://www.blender.org/manual/modeling/curves/editing/introduction.html?highlight=curves

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Manual/Modeling/Curves

http://www.blender.org/manual/modeling/curves/editing/advanced.html?highlight=curve%20extrusion#curve-extrusion

Answer 2

Yes it is possible, and not complicated. The main issue you might face is if you are using Font Objects in your SVG editor, they need to be converted to a Path first before exporting for usage in Blender.

Beyond this, there are a few posts already describing in more detail how to deal with the SVG inside Blender. The SVG gets converted to Blender Curve types. A lot of the SVG data is discarded by Blender's SVG importer because information like 'Stroke-Width' fills and gradients don't translate easily to Blender Objects.

Useful links:
- How do I extrude an imported svg along the z axis without clipping the original shapes?
- Why won't Blender let me import .svg files?
- Why can't I import a SVG file from Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape?