We have already published several tutorials on the use of the "3D Text" plugin:
"Tip-3 Modify "Texthere" for HFX 169" to learn how to edit the text of an HFX effect;
"Tuto-7 Warps, Filters and 3D Text" to discover many possibilities of setting the plugin "3D Text";
"Tip-6 Alter the text and position of text in the transition 191-france" to edit text and move it;
"Customizing the 064-news Transition" to modify text or replace it with an image;
"Tutorial HFX Cinema" to customize a 3D extruded text;
"HFX object convert to text" to replace an image by the plugin "3D Text"
and recently "Cloning in Hollywood FX" to clone a plugin "3D Text"

You now know almost everything about using the "3D Text" plugin. I say almost everything because today, I am going to make you aware of a capability that isn't covered anywhere else. It is about changing the color attribute (Face, Back, Side and Bevel) of a letter and replacing it not by another color - that you already know how - but by a texture.

Step 1 : Creating a new effect

Here's a brief reminder on how to create a new object in Hollywood FX. If you've followed our previous tutorials on the subject, you should have no trouble with this tutorial. Just take a look at the screenshot to the right.

Then, find the "3D Text" plugin in the item panel of the Hollywood FX album and drag it to the end of tree.

And the FX tree panel begins to build itself...
By clicking "Face" in the FX tree, the properties panel will open for "Face". By default, the face is dark green (0, 63,63). To apply a texture, it is necessary to change the media. But as you can see, you have no available media.

Your only option is to apply a color that is close to some kind of wood, I chose a chestnut (128, 64, 64). That doesn't look too terrible....
So here's the trick that allows you to load a texture. Find a "simple object", such as Back 2 for example, in the HFX Album Item Panel and drag it to the end of the FX tree.
Find "Textures" in FX Tree panel and drag the "Wood-Light" texture onto the "Backdrop 2". Drag a second "Back 2" object to the end and this time drag onto "Backdrop 2" of "Back 2 1" the "Wood-Plain" texture.

These objects serve no purpose except to load the textures. So, in order to hide them from view, set their positions to Z = -10 (ie beyond the horizon of Hollywood FX).
By clicking "Face" in the tree panel it will open the panel settings for "Face". As you can now see, the textures are loaded and accessible. I'll just select "Vertical Wood Grain" for "Face" and "Back" and "Wood" for "Side" and "Bevel" to replace the existing colors chosen by the texture.
Your last action is to change the text ("Text" by default) in "Wood" or "Bois" according to your language... Finally, I suggest that you always set the text quality to 2. In terms of quality, I never found significant differences between 2 and 3. On the other hand Studio behaves better when the text quality is set to 2. This allows it to accelerate rendering time and avoids roadblocks if more than 3 or 4 "3D Text" objects are inserted in the same effect.

Even if the letters are not cut with a knife, you must admit that it looks a lot like it was...

Step 2 : Bonus

The number of textures is limited in the Hollywood FX album and maybe you will not find the textures that you are looking for. On your hard drive, there are many textures files in the ".PNG" format. Besides, most design or photo software contain many textures and can even create new ones. You can not add those textures to the Hollywood FX album. But you can still use them by inserting a simple object such as the "Back 2" example in the item panel, replacing the "Host Video 2" media with the texture file in the ".PNG" format and setting the position of Z "Back 2" to -10. Your texture will become available in the "3D Text" object. Then you can have steel, brushed aluminum, glass, mirror, marble, peach skin, grass, citrus ... but your imagination does it have limitations?

Easy no?

{Thanks to Malobar who translated this tutorial from french to english, Loosecannon who cross-checked it}