How do I add a recessed textured band or panel to a shield or sign face?

The technique (from the software maker's official coat-of-arms demo)

The goal: a diagonal textured band recessed into a shield face (works the same way for any panel or region on any 3D composition).

1. Make a dedicated clip level: in the component tree, right-click, choose Insert New Level, and rename it "Banner_clip" (the _clip suffix is the naming convention, see the clipping entry).
2. Extract the face vector from the existing component: select the shield component, go to the Design tab, choose Trace Bitmap, double-click the color of the face you want, then Preview and Apply. You now have a vector of the shield face without redrawing anything. Offset it inward about 0.1" (Offset tool, delete the original) so the band will not touch the shield's border.
3. Draw the band: use Draw Rectangle (it works in the 3D view too in V12 and later), press F9 to center it, then drag and rotate it into the diagonal position across the face.
4. Keep only the intersection: select the face vector and the rectangle, then use Overlap (the boolean that keeps the overlapping region). Result: a band shape that exactly follows the shield's edges.
5. Drop in a texture: open the Clipart tab, pick a texture piece (the demo uses Linen Fold from the Decorative folder), double-click to place it, and position and scale it so it completely covers the band shape, on the Banner_clip level.
6. Clip it: select the band vector, right-click the Banner_clip level, choose Clipping, then Apply. The texture now exists only inside the band.
7. Recess it (the key move): with the texture component selected, set Shape Height to exaggerate the texture (demo: 0.125") and Base Height to a NEGATIVE value (demo: -0.15"). The negative base height lowers the whole textured band below the shield surface, giving an inset panel instead of a proud lump. Check the result in the 3D view, and adjust the values for your own model.

Why this beats alternatives

No sculpting, and fully non-destructive (the shield and texture clipart are untouched, so you can re-clip, re-position, or remove any time), and every piece is reusable. The same recipe works for inset name plaques, textured letter fields, stone-texture panels in timber signs, and quilted regions on trays.

Pro tips

• Symmetric flourishes around the composition: put them on their own level and use Mirror Mode, quadrant. Build one corner and get four (Ctrl-drag to copy components, and the mirror updates live as you drag).
• If you later move the band vector, remember Clipping > Update (see the clipping entry).
• Machine with 3D Roughing and 3D Finishing as usual. Toolpaths respect the clip and the recess.