3D Text in Fusion: Lighting, Animation and a Reusable Edit-Page Macro

1. Build the basic 3D graph

Fusion 3D objects do not plug directly into a normal 2D Merge. A basic chain is Text3D into Merge3D, then Renderer3D converts the scene back to 2D before MediaOut or additional 2D compositing.

1. 1Add Text3D.
2. 2Connect it to Merge3D.
3. 3Add Renderer3D.
4. 4Connect Renderer3D to MediaOut or the next 2D stage.

2. Extrusion and materials

Set Extrusion Depth, bevel and material so the shape reads before lighting. Excessive extrusion quickly makes letters feel heavy, especially with a wide camera.

3. Camera, Renderer3D and lighting

Add Camera3D for an intentional angle, and make sure Renderer3D is configured to process lighting when Light nodes are part of the scene. Otherwise materials can appear unexpectedly flat.

4. Start with one key light and one accent light

Use a simple setup first: a Directional Light for overall form and a Spot Light for emphasis. Too many lights make troubleshooting harder and often create a plastic look.

5. Animate characters with Follower

Follower can offset animation across characters. Position, rotation, opacity and other properties can cascade from one letter to the next, which is much faster than animating every character manually.

6. Finish in 2D after Renderer3D

Add Glow, ColorCorrector, Background and regular 2D Merge nodes after Renderer3D. This keeps the 3D scene stable while the final look remains easy to art-direct.

7. Publish only useful macro controls

Do not expose dozens of technical parameters. A practical macro might publish text, main color, size/position, light intensity and two or three animation controls. That makes it usable on the Edit page.