[CLOSED] Feedback on upcoming Text on Path

[anandjoshi]

Hello Experts,

We are working on introducing brand new Text on Path in Fusion Sketch.

Few samples of Text on Path

UI details (Text & Text on Path) as follows -

Text on Path workflow is as follows -

Select a sketch curve > Enter the text string in the UI > Preview is shown on the selected curve > Set any additional styling & alignment options > Commit

Manipulators details -

Would love to hear your feedback on following points -

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?
2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?
3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?
a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?
4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?
5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?
6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?
7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

Thanks for your time !

Regards,

Anand

Experience Designer | Fusion 360

[PrilTech]

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?

Great!
2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?

Yes.
3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?

Have the outer most point of the text be tangent to a line perpendicular to the path end points. 

a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?

Depends on if it is font size driven or path length driven.
4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?

If font size is not yet entered, scale the font/spacing to fit the path. If font size is defined, extend tangent to the end of the path. (Or have the option for either.)
5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?

Yes.
6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?

It would be helpful but not critical. 
7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

Sometimes, but this may make the UI too complicated and so it would be easier to create multiple strings. 

[Anonymous]

Hi @anandjoshi ,

I agree 100% with @PrilTech 

[PrilTech]

FYI, there is a paid plug-in to do this available here that I just came across and thought it may be helpful for others: https://apps.autodesk.com/FUSION/en/Detail/Index?id=4400374975546739480. 

[anandjoshi]

Thanks folks for your feedback.

Good stuff coming your way soon. Stay tuned !

[Neil_Relph-Olivewoodturning]

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?

Potentially useful.
2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?

Yes
3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?

Using handles at either end of text
a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?

Just leave text either always left or always centre justified, positioning "sort of" overrides this anyway.
4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?

Text will cut off at path length, so a longer path or smaller text is required.
5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?

Just when you move the path, the text follows. I don't think the reverse is logical
6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?

Surely you could copy the text before deleting the path and re-paste the text on another path?
7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

I doubt it - you could duplicate the path if that was necessary.

Hope this helps

Neil

[YoavFriedlander]

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?

This is great. I am very familiar with an Adobe Illustrator version of the tool and it can become very handy for sign making and many other creative crafts!
2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?

I would separate the two - it will make the command hefty. Like splitting face and splitting body are separated - some things are better apart 🙂 
3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?

For reference Adobe Illustrator allows you to push the start position - it is not user friendly and very hard to "catch" with the mouse. But it is a good concept to have one of your arrows like for extrude that change a number input so we can be precise just like anything else in Fusion 360 🙂
a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?
4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?

Probably best to give an option to scale text to fit on path or otherwise ellipsis - there is no practical way to handle longer text in my opinion 
5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?

they should move together and update together 
6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?

present a question to choose between the two options - not always one fits the other and it is a boolean situation with two very good options 🙂
7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

If possible absolutely yes! - typefaces sometimes require massaging, Fake uppercase (bigger font) two versions of a typeface in one line (italic and regular, bold and thin etc.) - imagine how much work will you save the designer working if you can set all the styling while following a path. Otherwise it will be a crazy amount of work combining multiple text on path. It seems that typography is clearly opening door for design and art work with Fusion 360 and this will be very appealing 

Thank you for the consideration @anandjoshi 

[jaimedorman]

wrt to Yoav's observations on question #7.  I agree completely that accommodations for different fonts, point sizes, italics, bold, etc. (on a character by character basis) would eliminate hours of work otherwise.  There will always be extra work involved to fine tuning even if the path is a straight line, for example, there seems to be no standard amongst the suppliers of downloadable fonts.  When specifying lets say a 72 point size, some apply this strictly to the height of the character, others apply this to the height of the character plus the white space above the character (vertical leading - which in the old days were strips of lead inserted between the lines of text characters) so that the height of the character is usually ~ 70% of the specified point size.  I've used the third party Text on Arc which requires a "straight line sample" of the text (not in a component, must be in root) using the normal Sketch/Text commands for fonts, sizes, etc. The (what appears to be) raster sample is then converted to vectors and applied to the path. The results sketch can then be moved to the appropriate component for TextExplode, extrude cut/new body etc.  BUT once the Text on Arc AddIn finishes it is a one way street, so not parametric.  I've also used the sheetmetal trick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw2rgYm6kAk) of creating an arc/path (bend) with a small straight section (stationary) extrude then unfold (the arc/bend) to get a straight line, use the standard Sketch/Text commands then refold for the text on the arc/path.  As I recall when in sheet metal there are "red line" text bounding boxes around each character than can be constrained (Center Line to say Center Line for Centered Text on path).  This method allows all features of Sketch/Text as entry is straight line.   My specific interest is for metal signage that is laser cut with the special requirement of downloaded "stencil" fonts so that the "islands" in the letter "B" is supported with bridges to the base metal (so the "B" doesn't drop out creating just a hole of the outline).  A sign for a business always has unique requirements including the corporate Logo, vector graphics and specific fonts which typically are never on a straight line.  So........... I'm in breathless anticipation of F360 Text on Path.  

[ktorokU233T]

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A little late to the party, but here are a few of my thoughts:

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?

Awesome, very well needed and useful...

2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?

Agree with Text and Text on path should probably be two different work flow options. If combined correctly, would probably work, but could get combersome in the UI. Should absolutely be able to take an existing text and fit it to an existing path, not just create it from new.

3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?

Being able to use justify to position to path ( left edge of text to left end of path, center of text to center of path, right edge of text to right end of path as a "horizontal" alignment, as well as Top of text aligned to path, center of text height aligned to path, bottom of text aligned to path as a "vertical" alignment) as "rough" positioners. Using the drag handles is nice, but agree with it should follow other Fusion move UI by popping up a numeric input for accurate control, being an offset from the "coarse alignment" chosen from above.

a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?

See above. If accurate positioning is available with numeric input, then justify could be a "coarse" adjustment as described above.

4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?

Numerous options listed in my order of preference:

a. Continue the text along like a tangential extension in a toolpath extended out to the extent of the text, possibly with some color indicator as a warning the text did not fit to the path.

b. Stack the text on top of itself at the end of the path, with a color indicator as a warning that the "normal" spacing was changed to make it fit.

c. Change the text size to fit the path. This could possibly be combined as a last option with an Auto Fit to path UI checkbox or it defaults to a or b behavior.

5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?

Absolutely.

6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?

Return text to normal straight state, with option to go back in and fit to a new path.

7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

Would be helpful, or allow different styling within a single text entity.

[cleasonbmmartin]

Would it be possible to also include a fully constrained Font to the text command section? This font would 

be aimed at machinists (routers,mills,laser etc). This means that each character in the font would be constrained to the path of the selected tool radius, so that it can be machined with one stroke in the manufacture workspace. A plug-in would also be good enough i guess but since F360 has CAM, it would not be out of scope in the actual interface in my opinion.

[therealsamchaney]

Thank you so much @anandjoshi , this is a very exciting feature which would hopefully solve most of my issues with the very limited text functionality that we currently have. My answers to your questions are below:

1. Overall, what is your first impression of this ?

Awesome, I'm very excited about it.
2. As a novice user - is it Ok to have text on path as an option within Text command ?

I think it could be a good idea to make Text and Text On Path two separate functions. They could be nested inside a Text function group the same way the 3 different Arc functions are nested under "Arc" in the Sketch Create menu.
3. How would users like to precisely position text on the path?

I would like to be able to define the position in the following ways:

• Make the text automatically stretch out across the full path (it seems like this is already under development)
• Be able to choose the percent of the path to be covered in text (0.5 for half of it, 1.0 for all of it), the same way that the sweep function allows
• Be able to set spacing between letters (either center to center or gap), the way that the rectangular pattern function allows
• Have an option for automatically adjusting the height/size of the text based on the path length. This way, the text will be spread across the length of the path, and the height will be adjusted so the spacing of the letters (kerning) is correct based on how that font normally looks in a text document. So if the path is longer, the text becomes larger to fill it out. If the path is shorter, the text will become smaller to fit.
• The user should be able to choose how to align the text to the path with these options
  • Align to bottom (default)
  • Align to left (for vertical text)
  • Align to right (for vertical text)
  • Align to top

a. How will justification be affected by precise path positioning?

I think there should be two main ways to space letters - by spacing or extent like when using the pattern function.  I would think the spacing option should allow for center-to-center or for edge-to-edge spacing (i.e. the actual gap between the letters). When using spacing, the justification will be determined by the chosen spacing, and when using extent, it would be determined by stretching out the normal kerning for that font (or if the user selects automatic text height, the text will just have the normal spacing and the height will be adjusted to match.
4. If the text string is longer than path, what you expect to happen in such case ?

As stated above, perhaps the font height could be adjusted automatically, so if it is too long, it will be made smaller to fit. This could be an option the user could check/uncheck. If they choose to uncheck it and the text is too long, just display a warning message saying "The text is too long to fit along path. Choose automatic text size or shorten text."
5. Do you expect that when you move text or path, the other one will follow ?

I would expect the path to drive the text, not the other way around. If the path is changed, the font moves with it. The text can't be moved on its own.
6. Do you expect that when you delete the path, ability to associate the text with a new path would be helpful or prefer deleting the associated text ?

I would expect the text to be deleted as well but it could be useful to have it remain in some way so that all of the writing is not lost. Maybe it would change to a normal text box, and the user could choose to re-associate it with a different path.
7. Is there any need to define multiple texts strings on a single path with different styling ?

Yes this would be useful, the dialogue box could use a + button to add more strings, the same way the fillet, and chamfer dialogues do, with a list showing all of the currently defined strings. This seems like a nice add on though, and I would say this could wait until after the base functionality is working.

Thanks again, I really hope we see this feature soon!
-Sam