Emit controls

Use the Emit controls in the Appearance pane of the Text Inspector to add a radiance effect to 3D text, as if the text were emitting its own light.

Canvas showing the effect of emit layer
  • Fill: A pop-up menu to set whether the light emitted is based on a solid color, a gradient, or a texture. For information on using gradients, see Gradient editor overview.

  • Color: A color control (available when Fill is set to Color) to select the color to be emitted.

    3D Text Inspector showing Emit controls
  • Gradient: A gradient control (available when Fill is set to Gradient) to set a preset gradient or create a custom gradient for the colors to be emitted.

  • Image: An image well (available when Fill is set to Texture) to assign a custom image to use as the texture emitted. Drag an image from the Layers list or Media list into this well.

    Texture controls in the Appearance pane of the Text Inspector
  • Wrap Mode: A pop-up menu (available when Fill is set to Texture) to set what happens if the image is smaller than the text object. Choose from one of the following options:

    • None: The image is applied once, and areas of the text object that exceed the scope of the image are not covered.

    • Repeat: The image is applied and reapplied as often as necessary, creating a pattern to fill the area beyond the scope of the original image.

    • Mirror: The image is applied to the text object, then applied again in an inverted, reversed orientation to cover the area beyond the scope of the original image.

  • Placement: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) to set how the texture is applied to the text object. For details, see Placement controls.

  • Intensity: A slider to adjust how visible the emitted light appears on the object.

  • Coverage: A slider to adjust how much the emit layer is visible based on the opacity of the layer. A value of 100% (the default) causes the emit layer to display, regardless of the opacity of the layers beneath it. A value of 0% means that the emit layer shines only where the material is opaque.