LaTeX Text Generator for Blender

May 17, 2026 · View on GitHub

A Blender add-on that converts LaTeX notation into 3D text objects, including mathematical equations, formatted text, and tables. Perfect for creating technical visualizations, educational content, and mathematical animations.

Watch Demo Video

Features

  • Self-Contained: No external LaTeX installation or dependencies required
  • Mathematical Equations: Full support for inline and display math modes with complex equations
  • Matrices: Create mathematical matrices in various styles (matrix, pmatrix, bmatrix, etc.)
  • Tables: Generate 3D tables from LaTeX tabular environment with multirow/multicolumn support
  • Text Formatting: Bold, italic, monospace text, paragraphs, and line breaks using LaTeX commands
  • Lists & Structures: Itemize and enumerate environments with nesting support
  • Custom Fonts: Load and use any TrueType or OpenType fonts from your system for base, bold, and italic text
  • Customizable Output: Control scale, thickness, spacing, and choose between individual objects or merged output

Installation

  1. Download the latest release as a ZIP file from this repository
  2. Open Blender (version 4.2 or newer)
  3. Navigate to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons
  4. Click the Install button in the top-right corner
  5. Browse to the downloaded latex-addon-main.zip file and select it
  6. Click Install Add-on
  7. Wait for the add-on to appear in the list (this may take a moment)
  8. Enable the add-on by checking the box next to LaTeX Text Generator

Accessing the Add-on

Once installed, access the add-on from the 3D Viewport:

  1. Press N to toggle the sidebar (if not already visible)
  2. Look for the LaTeX Text tab on the right side
  3. Important: Ensure you're in Object Mode when generating text

Accessing Add-on

Usage

The add-on panel is organized into several sections that give you full control over your 3D text:

Text Input

Text Field: Enter your LaTeX code here using standard LaTeX notation.

  • Click the text editor icon on the right to open a larger text editor
  • In the text editor, you can write multi-line LaTeX with better formatting
  • Click Save to apply your changes and return to the main panel
  • Click Cancel to discard your changes and return to the main panel

Text Editor

Custom Fonts

Expand this section to use custom fonts instead of Blender's default font:

  1. Font Path: Click the folder icon to browse and select a font file (.ttf, .otf) from your computer
  2. Click Load Font button to load the selected font into Blender (fonts are loaded only once)
  3. Font Selection Dropdowns:
    • Base: Choose the font for normal text
    • Bold: Choose the font for bold text (e.g., \textbf{})
    • Italic: Choose the font for italic text (e.g., \textit{})
    • Math: Choose the font for mathematical text, variables, and equations

All loaded fonts will appear in these dropdown menus for easy reuse.

Transform Text

Adjust the appearance and spacing of your 3D text:

  • Scale: Overall size multiplier for the output
  • Thickness: Extrusion depth of the 3D text
  • Line Height: Vertical spacing between lines of text
  • Word Spacing: Horizontal spacing between words
  • Block Spacing: Vertical spacing before paragraphs and list items

Click Reset Parameters button to restore all transform values to their defaults.

Final Output

Generate as one object:

  • Unchecked (default): Each character/element becomes a separate 3D object
  • Checked: All text is merged into a single 3D object

Click Add Text button to create your 3D text objects in the viewport.

Supported LaTeX Commands

This add-on supports a selected subset of LaTeX commands for the most common use cases.

Text Mode

  • Font Formatting:
    • \textbf{text} - Bold text
    • \textit{text} - Italic text
    • \texttt{text} - Monospace/typewriter text
  • Verbatim: \verb|text| - Display text literally without interpreting LaTeX commands
  • Paragraphs: \par
  • Line Breaks: \\ for manual line breaks
  • Math Mode Entry:
    • Inline: $...$, \(...\), \begin{math}...\end{math}
    • Display: \[...\], \begin{displaymath}...\end{displaymath}, \begin{equation}...\end{equation}
  • Lists (supports nesting):
    • \begin{itemize}...\end{itemize} - Bulleted lists
    • \begin{enumerate}...\end{enumerate} - Numbered lists
    • \item - List item
    • \item[symbol] - Custom bullet symbol
  • Comments: Ignores all text from the % symbol until the end of the line

Math Mode

  • Symbols: Most common mathematical symbols (Greek letters, operators, relations, etc.)
  • Superscripts & Subscripts:
    • x^2 - Superscript
    • x_i - Subscript
    • x_i^2 - Combined subscript and superscript
    • x^{\alpha} - Grouped superscripts
  • Spacing: \!, \,, \;, \quad, \qquad
  • Roots:
    • \sqrt{x} - Square root
    • \sqrt[n]{x} - nth root
  • Large Operators:
    • \sum_{lower}^{upper} - Summation
    • \prod_{lower}^{upper} - Product
    • \lim_{x \to a} - Limit
  • Fractions:
    • \frac{numerator}{denominator} - Standard fraction
    • \dfrac{numerator}{denominator} - Display-style fraction
  • Math Fonts (uppercase letters only):
    • \mathcal{X} - Calligraphic
    • \mathbb{R} - Blackboard bold
    • \mathfrak{A} - Fraktur
  • Matrices (supports nesting):
    • \begin{matrix}...\end{matrix} - Plain
    • \begin{pmatrix}...\end{pmatrix} - Parentheses (...)
    • \begin{bmatrix}...\end{bmatrix} - Brackets [...]
    • \begin{Bmatrix}...\end{Bmatrix} - Braces {...}
    • \begin{vmatrix}...\end{vmatrix} - Vertical bars |...|
    • \begin{Vmatrix}...\end{Vmatrix} - Double bars ||...||

Tables (Tabular Environment)

  • Column Alignment:
    • l - Left-aligned column
    • r - Right-aligned column
    • c - Center-aligned column
    • p{width} - Paragraph column with specified width
  • Lines:
    • | in column specification - Vertical lines
    • \hline - Horizontal line across all columns
    • \cline{start-end} - Partial horizontal line
  • Cell Spanning:
    • \multirow{rows}{*}{content} - Span multiple rows (auto width)
    • \multirow{rows}{width}{content} - Span multiple rows (fixed width)
    • \multicolumn{cols}{alignment}{content} - Span multiple columns

Troubleshooting

If you experience any issues, check the System Console (Window → Toggle System Console) for error messages. Common issues include:

  • Add-on doesn't appear: Wait a moment or restart Blender
  • Text doesn't generate: Ensure you're in Object Mode and LaTeX syntax is correct
  • Font won't load: Verify the file format is .ttf or .otf and check file permissions

License

This project is open source. Feel free to use it for your Blender projects, both personal and commercial.