Variable Text Size Constraint

[basher_rardon (Brent M)]

I am engraving a few hundred names on identical objects. When I use variable text the longer names take up more space than the shorter. Is there a way to auto scale variable text inputs given a shape I specify?

For example I specify a rectangle of 3"x5" I don’t want the variable text to exceed these borders and auto scale up and down with the aspect ratio I set.

so
“John Smith” would be bigger than “The Longest Name in the world”

Thanks

[berainlb (PY)]

I don’t believe there’s anything that will automatically allow you to constrain the overall size and retain aspect ratio with variable text.

If you’re okay with a couple of manual steps here’s what I would suggest:

1. setup your variable text
2. for the first batch, use the Bake function so that the names become actualized in the workspace. You may want to retain a backup of the original variable text objects.
3. Use the “Make selected items same width” tool while holding shift to resize to a reference shape. The last shape selected will be the reference shape.
   
4. Burn the first batch.
5. Revert to variable text objects and repeat. You may be able to just undo previous work to get back to where you were.

[misken (Melvin)]

@basher_rardon

For example I specify a rectangle of 3"x5" I don’t want the variable text to exceed these borders and auto scale up and down with the aspect ratio I set.

I think at LBX this was announced to be a feature in the next big update (1.5). So far, I only remember that you can set a max width in shape properties:

but this won’t scale proportional (in 1.5 it will be). But you might select a font that is no that problematic when squeezed a bit (might get you up to the 90% of the job), the rest is manual work…

[basher_rardon (Brent M)]

This seems to be an amazing reply. It gets me 90% of the answer and hopefully the next big update does the rest. Thanks Misken.