Text for Roark The Dragon (OpenSCAD)

OpenSCAD can rotate and move a 3D text, using a font of your Operating System. That makes it easy to put text on the shield of the “Roark The Dragon” model.

Roark The Dragon is made by Loubie3D, with license CC BY-NC-SA

How to make the dragon with the text:

OpenSCAD can be downloaded here: https://openscad.org/
If the latest version is still from 2021, then download a Development Snapshot of 2023.
Download the attached file “Text for Roark The Dragon.scad”.
Download the file “loubie_dragonoff_custom.STL” from here: https://www.printables.com/model/261627-roark-the-dragon-dragon-sculpt-with-customisable-s
The script and the model should be in the same folder.
Open the script in OpenSCAD.
Press F5 to render the preview after every change to the script.
Once you are happy with the result, press F6 to render the result. It may take some time.

A warning or error might be shown when rendering.

• With OpenSCAD version 2021.01 the dragon will not be rendered, but the text is rendered and can be exported to a stl or 3mf file. The dragon and the text have to be combined in the slicer. 
• With OpenSCAD from 2023 or newer, there is only a warning and both the dragon and the text are rendered normally. Export the result to a stl or 3mf file and import that in the slicer.

New to OpenSCAD?

When you have written code before, then this script should have no secrets for you.
If you have not written code before, then be careful when making changes. Every bracket and every comma and every semicolon has a meaning.

Explanation of the script:

A font viewer can be helpful to select a font from your operating system.
In the menu “help” of OpenSCAD is a Font List. A font can be dragged with the mouse into the script.
The command “translate” is used to move something along the x,y,z axis. It is used to lift the model of the dragon so it sits on the surface.
The command “rotate” has the first parameter “75.9”. It turns out that it was just the right angle for the shield.
The command “text” is to make text. There are now 3 lines, but you can add or remove text lines.
The line distance has to be determined by moving the text upward or downward. The “translate” function is used to position each line. The numbers 24, 12 and 0 are the positions in the y-direction.

This is the script, it is the same as the file that can be downloaded:

// Text for Roark The Dragon
//
// A small OpenSCAD script to make it easy to put text
// on the shield of the beautiful model "Roark The Dragon".
//
// This script is by Stone Age Sculptor
// Augus 19, 2022
// CC BY-NC-SA
//
// The model "Roark The Dragon" is made by Loubie3D 
// with license CC BY-NC-SA
// (make remixes, use same license, not commercially)
// 
// At this moment, OpenSCAD version 2021.01 can not render
// the dragon. It will render the text which can be exported.
// The dragon and the text have to be combined in the slicer.

// How coarse or fine OpenSCAD should render.
// Lower the value on a slow computer.
$fn=200;       

// Put this script and the model in the same folder.
translate([0,0,55.0])            // move it up to start at zero
  import("loubie_dragonoff_custom.STL");

// Pick a font from your Operating System
f = "Arial:style=Bold";          // The font
s = 7;                           // The size for all the text

color("LightGreen")
{
  translate([-2.5,-33.7,28])     // Move it onto the shield
    rotate([75.9,0,0])           // Just about the right angle.
      linear_extrude(2)          // the thickness of the letters
      {
        translate([0,24,0])      // move this up by 24
          text("certified", font=f, s, halign="center");
        translate([0,12,0])      // move this up by 12
          text("dragon", font = f, s, halign="center");
        translate([0,0,0])       // put this at the baseline
          text("trainer", font = f, s, halign="center");
      }
}

Tips:

OpenSCAD can use the command “surface” to import a png file as a heightmap. The command “import” can import a svg file. That makes it possible to add a logo to the text.

OpenSCAD can read a ttf font file with the “use” command. It is possible to download a font and put it in the same folder as the OpenSCAD script and use it, without having to install the font in the Operating System.

The model of the dragon can be printed without support. To print also the text without support, the slicer option to limit the overhang angle can be used. For example with 80 degrees, the text gets a little more support under it.