Question Creating a 3D text object in world in C#

Hello,

I want to create a 3D text object entirely in C# having a full transform just like any old GameObject. I want it to behave like a regular 3D object. Nothing fancy. I understand I should use TextMesh Pro but I can't find a simple straightforward code example.

I'm using Unity version 2022.3.5f1. Is there an example in C# with all the required lines of code?

Thanks!
-j

 

Do you actually want 3D text or you want 2D text (ie, flat object like a text bubble) in a 3D world?

 

That's not really a thing... you need to understand all the parts of your problem to engineer a solution.

That's why Brathnann is asking you stuff because your definition and declaration of problem space is impossibly vague.

Try asking yourself "Can I ... ?" again and again.

Imphenzia: How Did I Learn To Make Games:

 

Hi Brathnann! Thank you for asking me for clarification. Yes, I do need flat 2D text, like text characters printed on an invisible plane that can be oriented in 3D space, not fat, extruded text characters.

FYI I have since loaded TextMesh Pro and so I am able to create a Text (TMP) in the Unity editor. I just need to do it in code Once I have the basics, I can figure out the config details. Thanks!
-j

 

I think you just need a GameObject and call AddComponent<T>() on it and add whatever TMPro type of thing you want to add.

Warning: the one that lives on a canvas is VERY hard to make in code because it is beholden to the RectTransform. The basic worldspace one is a lot easier to make but I think you still need to connect up the font asset.

I like this pattern for all my in-code fabrications:

Factory Pattern in lieu of AddComponent (for timing and dependency correctness):

https://gist.github.com/kurtdekker/5dbd1d30890c3905adddf4e7ba2b8580

EDIT: yeah, it's pretty straightforward: check it:

Code (csharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. using TMPro;
3.  
4. public class MakeTMP : MonoBehaviour
5. {
6.    void Start()
7.    {
8.        var tmp = gameObject.AddComponent<TextMeshPro>();
9.        tmp.text = "Yabo!";
10.        tmp.transform.position = new Vector3( 2, -2, 10);
11.        tmp.transform.rotation = Quaternion.Euler( 0, 45, 0);
12.    }
13. }

 

Kurt-Dekker,
Thanks for the code snippet. It works. That's all I needed to get started.
-j

 

Hello!

I'm still having the same problems.

I have a few questions. Polite answers greatly appreciated.

Below is code derived from an example someone gave me. I tried to whittle it down to the bare essentials so I could get a handle on it. It displays my text, but there are issues:

1. The position as set with rect is not consistent with world coordinates. The text appears close to the origin but the x value is 10, and the y value appears to have no effect (perhaps these are meant as "text" coordinates?) I understand this is an issue others have had, but I couldn't find an answer. I would (LOVE) it if a change could be added to the code below so that I can set the position, rotation, and scale in a way that is consistent with other world objects. I don't know how to state that any clearer.

2. There are several layers here. Maybe that's necessary for displaying texts in the world, but it seems like a lot. Are all of these components really necessary?

As I said, this is derived from code that someone else gave me. I would like to make it as clear as possible and then share it as a solution because I think it might help other people who just want to display texts in world coordinates using only code.

Also, note that I do not need any other UI capabilities. I just need to be able to make a bunch of labels and to transform them using world coordinates.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Here's the code:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. using System;
3. using System.Collections;
4. using System.Collections.Generic;
5. using TMPro;
6. using Unity.VisualScripting;
7. using UnityEngine;
8. using UnityEngine.UI;
9.  
10. public class UIManager : MonoBehaviour
11. {
12.     private RectTransform rect;
13.     private float x;
14.    
15.     void Start()
16.     {
17.         x = 10.0f;
18.        
19.         GameObject canvasObject = new GameObject("UICanvas");
20.         Canvas canvas = canvasObject.AddComponent<Canvas>();
21.         canvas.renderMode = RenderMode.WorldSpace;
22.         canvas.worldCamera = Camera.main;
23.         canvasObject.AddComponent<CanvasScaler>();    
24.  
25.         RectTransform panel;
26.         panel = new GameObject("Panel").AddComponent<RectTransform>();
27.         panel.transform.SetParent( canvasObject.transform );
28.         panel.AddComponent<CanvasRenderer>();
29.        
30.         GameObject newGameObject = new GameObject();
31.         rect = newGameObject.AddComponent<RectTransform>();
32.         rect.position = new Vector3( 10.0f, -1.3f, 0.1f );
33.         newGameObject.transform.SetParent( panel );
34.  
35.         TextMeshPro theText = newGameObject.AddComponent<TextMeshPro>();
36.         theText.text = "Test";
37.         theText.fontSize = 0.2f;
38.     }
39.    
40.      void Update()
41.     {
42.         x += 0.0001f;
43.         rect.position = new Vector3( x, -1.3f, 0.1f );
44.         //rect.eulerAngles = new Vector3( x, 0.0f, 0.0f );
45.     }
46. }

 

It's still possible to create 3D text without having to use any external packages.

Code (CSharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2.  
3. public class TextSpawner : MonoBehaviour
4. {
5.     void Start()
6.     {
7.         CreateText("I no longer like turtles",Vector3.zero,Quaternion.identity);
8.     }
9.  
10.     void CreateText(string text,Vector3 position, Quaternion rotation)
11.     {
12.         GameObject obj=new GameObject("Text");
13.         obj.transform.position=position;
14.         obj.transform.rotation=rotation;
15.         TextMesh myText=obj.AddComponent<TextMesh>();
16.         myText.text=text;
17.         myText.anchor=TextAnchor.MiddleCenter;
18.         myText.characterSize=0.1f;
19.         myText.fontSize=64;
20.     }
21. }
22.  
23.