[Tex/LaTex] 3D font in LaTeX

3dcolorfontsrenderingshading

This is an unusual question regarding rendering of a font with a specific 3D-esque style in LaTeX, XeLaTex, or any other TeX flavor.

I was looking at some fonts the other day and I came across one of which I am very fond:

enter image description here

There are many beautiful examples of this font, such as:

enter image description here

However, each of these examples has a 3D quality to it. The font is both shaded and colored, which make it look tolerable. In regular, two dimensions it looks like this:
enter image description here
Which is hardly anything to write home about. My question is simple: how can I get LaTeX, XeLaTeX, or any other flavor, to render a font with a 3D effect like the one in the pictures above? Is it possible or would it have to be done in an image editor?

Unfortunately, Googling has yielded poor results and I have began to think that it may be hopeless, though documents like this one make me think it may be possible.

[EDIT]

For further clarification, the 3D effect that is of interest is the shading on the characters of the font. In the first image, this effect can be observed on the letters of the word "Octant", which shades each character on the right side, as though there is a light source to the left. Another example of the effect is the words "Griffin & Quayle" in the second image.

Best Answer

works only with latex->dvips->ps2pdf:

\documentclass[landscape]{article}
\usepackage{geometry}
\usepackage{pst-light3d}
\DeclareFixedFont{\Bf}{T1}{ptm}{b}{n}{3cm}
\begin{document}
\psframebox[fillstyle=solid,fillcolor=blue!20!black!40,framesep=20pt]{%
 \PstLightThreeDText[fillstyle=solid,fillcolor=white!90]%
   {\Bf 3D font in L\kern-35pt\raisebox{0.7ex}{A}\kern-15pt\TeX}}
\end{document}

enter image description here

Update

The package described below is currently being developed and is not yet officially released. The latest version of the code can be obtained from GitHub. Comments welcome.

tikz-backgammon.sty

Put this in your local texmf folder:

% Copyright 2012 by Alan Munn
%
% This package may be distributed and/or modified under the
% conditions of the LaTeX Project Public License, either version 1.3
% of this license or any later version.
% The latest version of this license is in
%   http://www.latex-project.org/lppl.txt
% and version 1.3 or later is part of all distributions of LaTeX
% version 2005/12/01 or later.
%
% This package has the LPPL maintenance status `maintained'.
% 
% The Current Maintainer of this package is Alan Munn.
%
% This package consists of the file tikz-backgammon.sty and documentation files
% tikz-backgammon.tex and tikz-backgammon.pdf
%
% Version 0.5 2012/03/20
%
%
\ProvidesPackage{tikz-backgammon}[2012/03/20 Backgammon game display using TikZ v0.5]
\RequirePackage{etoolbox}
\RequirePackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning}

% Construct the board
%
% alternating colours for the board
\newcommand*{\BW}{\pgfmathifthenelse{mod(\x,2)==0}{1}{0}\let\fillstyle\pgfmathresult}
\newcommand*{\WB}{\pgfmathifthenelse{mod(\x,2)==0}{0}{1}\let\fillstyle\pgfmathresult}
% construct a  down point
\newcommand*{\dpoint}{%
\BW
\draw[thick,style=\fillstyle]
     (\x,0) -- (\x+3/2,15) -- (\x+3,0) -- cycle; }
% construct an up point
\newcommand{\upoint}{%
\WB
\draw[thick,style=\fillstyle]
     (\x,32) -- (\x+3/2,17) -- (\x+3,32) -- cycle; }
% set basic tikzparameters     
\tikzset{1/.style={fill=\boardblack},
                0/.style={fill=\boardwhite},
                stone/.style={scale=1.35,draw=black,circle},
                sans/.style={font=\footnotesize\sffamily},
                cube/.style={minimum size=.5cm}
                }
% initialization
\def\cubepos{above}
\pgfdeclarelayer{board}
\pgfdeclarelayer{pieces}
\pgfsetlayers{board,pieces,main}
% These should be made internal or key values
\newcommand*{\black}{black} % for the stones
\newcommand*{\white}{white}
\newcommand*{\boardblack}{brown}
\newcommand*{\boardwhite}{olive!50}
\newcommand*{\defaultscale}{.2}
\newlength{\betweengameskip}
\setlength{\betweengameskip}{2\baselineskip}
% initial state of the doubling cube
\newcommand*{\doublestate}{neutral}
\newcommand*{\doublenum}{2}
% create 24 counters for the point counts
% create 24 macros for the point state (black,white,none)
\foreach \x in {1,...,24}{
\newcounter{bk@pt\x}
\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state\x\endcsname{none}
}

% some debugging commands
\newcommand*\showpoint[1]{\the\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname}
\newcommand*\setstate[2]{\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{#2}}
\newcommand*\usestate[1]{\csname bk@state#1\endcsname}

% basic command to draw the board
% all of these numbers probably shouldn't be hard coded
%
\newcommand{\drawboard}{%
  \begin{pgfonlayer}{board}
% draw the boarder and the point numbers
    \draw[line width=4pt] (0,0) -- (0,32) -- (38,32) -- (38,0) -- cycle;
    \foreach \x in {1,...,6}{
       \node[sans] (\x) at (39.5-\x*3,-1.5)  {\x};
        \pgfmathparse{int(\x+6)}\let\nodename\pgfmathresult
        \node[sans] (\nodename) at (25.5-\x*3-6,-1.5)  {\nodename};
        \pgfmathparse{int(25-\x)}\let\nodename\pgfmathresult
        \node[sans] (\nodename) at (39.5-\x*3,33.5)  {\nodename};
        \pgfmathparse{int(\x+12)}\let\nodename\pgfmathresult
         \node[sans] (\nodename) at (25.5+\x*3-27,33.5)  {\nodename};
    }
% now draw the first half points
  \foreach \x in {0,3,...,15}
     \dpoint;
  \foreach \x in {0,3,...,15}
     \upoint;
% draw the bar and set the anchors for bar and the doubling cube
  \draw[very thick,fill=brown](18,0) -- (18,32) -- (20,32) -- (20,0) -- cycle;
  \node (barcenter) at (19,14) {};
  \node (black double) at (40, 2) {};
  \node (white double) at (40, 30) {};
  \node (neutral double) at (40,12.5) {};
% draw the other half of the points
  \foreach \x in {20,23,...,35}
     \dpoint;
  \foreach \x in {20,23,...,35}
     \upoint;
  \end{pgfonlayer}
}
% commands to place markers on a point and set its state
% these are used for setting the initial board and for users
% to make arbitrary board configurations
% placement is still a little off (some overlap)

% first for a black point
\newcommand{\blackpoint}[2]{%
  \global\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname #2\relax
  \setstate{#1}{black}
% check to see if we're on an up point or a down point
  \pgfmathparse{ifthenelse(#1>12,"below","above")}\let\pos\pgfmathresult
  \begin{pgfonlayer}{pieces}
    \foreach \x in {1,...,#2}
       \node[fill=\black,style=stone,\pos=.5*\x-.45  of #1]  {};
  \end{pgfonlayer}}
% same again for a white point
\newcommand{\whitepoint}[2]{%
  \global\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname #2\relax
  \setstate{#1}{white}
  \pgfmathparse{ifthenelse(#1>12,"below","above")}\let\pos\pgfmathresult
  \begin{pgfonlayer}{pieces}
     \foreach \x in {1,...,#2}
        \node[fill=\white,style=stone,\pos=.5*\x-.45  of #1]  {};
  \end{pgfonlayer}}
% now a generic version of the command for use in displaying the board
% this is really an internal command
\newcommand{\placepoint}[2]{%
  \let\ptname#1
  \ifnumcomp{#2}{<}{1}
     {}
     {\pgfmathparse{ifthenelse(#1>12,"below","above")}\let\pos\pgfmathresult
      \begin{pgfonlayer}{pieces}
         \foreach \x in {1,...,#2}
            \node[fill=\usestate{\ptname},style=stone,\pos=.5*\x-.45  of \ptname]  {};
       \end{pgfonlayer}
      }
}
% command to place pieces on the bar
\newcommand*{\onbar}[2]{%
  \begin{pgfonlayer}{board}
     \foreach \x in {1,...,#2}
         \node[fill=\csname#1\endcsname,style=stone,above=.5*\x-.35 of barcenter)] {};
      \end{pgfonlayer}
}
% user command to set a double
% syntax is \double{<owner>}{amount}
\newcommand*{\double}[2]{%
  \let\doublenum#2
  \ifstrequal{#1}{neutral}
     {\gdef\doublestate{neutral double}}
     {\ifstrequal{#1}{white}
        {\gdef\cubepos{below}\gdef\doublestate{white double}}
        {\gdef\cubepos{above}\gdef\doublestate{black double}}
     }
}
% internal command to place the doubling cube in the correct place
\newcommand*{\placedouble}{
   \node[draw,style=cube, \cubepos=.5cm of \doublestate %
  ,font={\bfseries\sffamily}] {\doublenum};}

% command to set a new game and display it  
\newcommand*{\newgame}[1][\defaultscale]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=#1]
     \drawboard
         \whitepoint{1}{2}
         \whitepoint{12}{5}
         \whitepoint{17}{3}
         \whitepoint{19}{5}
         \blackpoint{24}{2}
         \blackpoint{13}{5}
         \blackpoint{8}{3}
         \blackpoint{6}{5}
         \double{neutral}{2}
         \placedouble
  \end{tikzpicture}}

% commands to move first black, then white  

\newcommand\blackmove[4]{
    \advance\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname -1\relax
    \ifnumcomp{\the\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname}{=}{0}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{none}}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{black}}
    \ifnumcomp{#2}{=}{0}{}{\advance\csname c@bk@pt#2\endcsname 1\relax}
    \expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#2\endcsname{black}
    \advance\csname c@bk@pt#3\endcsname -1\relax
    \ifnumcomp{\the\csname c@bk@pt#3\endcsname}{=}{0}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{none}}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#3\endcsname{black}}
    \ifnumcomp{#4}{=}{0}{}{\advance\csname c@bk@pt#4\endcsname 1\relax}
    \expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#4\endcsname{black}
}

\newcommand\whitemove[4]{
    \advance\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname -1\relax
    \ifnumcomp{\the\csname c@bk@pt#1\endcsname}{=}{0}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{none}}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{white}}
    \ifnumcomp{#2}{=}{0}{}{\advance\csname c@bk@pt#2\endcsname 1\relax}
    \expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#2\endcsname{white}
    \advance\csname c@bk@pt#3\endcsname -1\relax
    \ifnumcomp{\the\csname c@bk@pt#3\endcsname}{=}{0}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#1\endcsname{none}}
        {\expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#3\endcsname{white}}
    \ifnumcomp{#4}{=}{0}{}{\advance\csname c@bk@pt#4\endcsname 1\relax}
    \expandafter\gdef\csname bk@state#4\endcsname{white}
}

% command to display the current state of the board
\newcommand{\displayboard}{%
  \par\vspace{\betweengameskip}
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=\defaultscale]
        \drawboard
        \foreach \x in {1,...,24}{
            \placepoint{\x}{\the\csname c@bk@pt\x\endcsname}}
        \placedouble
    \end{tikzpicture}
}
\endinput
% Still to be added:
% Displaying the dice (easy, but I can't be bothered)

Sample document

% This is a test document for the tikz-backgammon package.
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{tikz-backgammon}
\begin{document}
\newgame
\blackmove{13}{8}{8}{5}
\whitemove{1}{7}{1}{7}
\double{white}{4}
\blackmove{24}{18}{24}{18}
\blackmove{8}{2}{8}{2}
\blackmove{8}{4}{13}{10}
\whitemove{12}{16}{12}{15}
\displayboard
\end{document}

Output

output of sample document

[Tex/LaTex] Asymptote: How to create a radial shading or “elliptical” shading with intermediate color steps

How's this?

enter image description here

settings.outformat="pdf";
size(5cm);
import graph;

pen[] pens = new pen[] {white, 0.9*red + 0.1*black, 0.75*black + 0.25*red, black};
path outerpath = ellipse((0,0), 2, 1.5);
path innerpath = (1,0.8);

path midpath(path p1, path p2, real t) {
  pair f(real s) {
    return (1-t)*relpoint(p1, s) + t*relpoint(p2, s);
  }
  path p = graph(f, 0, 1, operator ..) -- cycle;
  return p;
}

int lastpath = pens.length - 1;
path[] paths = new path[lastpath + 1];
for (int i = 0; i <= lastpath; ++i) {
  paths[i] = midpath(innerpath, outerpath, i/lastpath);
}

draw(paths, pens);

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Typesetting boardgame positions using ttf font

Update

tikz-backgammon.sty

Sample document

Output

[Tex/LaTex] Asymptote: How to create a radial shading or “elliptical” shading with intermediate color steps

Related Question