How do I make raised 3D letters with a rounded or beveled face, and why are my thick letters taller than my thin ones?

Why it happens

With the Round and Angled Create Shape tools, the Profile value is the angle of the edge. The shape climbs at that angle from the outline toward the middle, so when no height limit is set, the final height depends on the size and shape of the vector. A wide stroke has farther to climb than a thin one and ends up taller (the manual does not spell this out, but it follows from a fixed angle, and the 3D View shows it). Text mixes wide and thin strokes, so the letters come out uneven.

Steps

1. Select the text (it must be closed vectors) and open Create Shape.
2. Choose the face:

• Round for a pillowed, domed face.
• Angled for a beveled, prismatic face.

3. Set Profile. A higher angle is steeper. If the result is too tall, lower the angle first.
4. Control the height:

• Limit caps the shape at the height you enter. Wide strokes stop at the cap, so all the letters top out together. This is the usual choice for lettering.
• Scale keeps the full profile and scales the result to the height you enter.

5. Try Preserve Internal Corners. Checked, the inside corners become straight sided with a sharp mitered crease, which suits angled letters. Unchecked, the sides curve in toward the corner. A published educator example found the sharp version too harsh on a soft pillow shape, so compare both.
6. Add Base Height if the letters should stand on a flat step before the face begins.
7. Set the combine mode. Use Add when the letters sit fully on another shape, such as a dome, and should follow it. Use Merge when they only partly overlap other shapes.

Pro tips

• The Total Height field shows the result of Profile, Limit, Scale and Base Height together. Check it against your material thickness.
• Very thin serifs and script hairlines make very low ridges that a ball nose cannot reproduce. A bolder font models and carves better (see the entry on minimum detail size versus bit geometry).
• For beveled letters cut straight from vectors with no model, see the entry on the Prism Carving toolpath.