---
title: Emboss & Engrave
order: 2
---

Emboss raises the surface of one shape, the [host](../getting-started/concepts.md#host), wherever another shape, the [stamp](../getting-started/concepts.md#target), passes through it. Engrave sinks it there instead. The step this makes has two edges, **Outer** and **Inner**, and each can be rounded.

![With the text selected, the plate Shift-clicked, pie Emboss: the letters rise out of the plate](../assets/emboss.webp)

## Emboss and Engrave buttons

**Emboss** and **Engrave** in the pie (South) and in the right-click **Modifiers** menu mark the active shape, the host, with every selected Chisel shape as a stamp. Each stamp gets its own modifier with a **Strength** of `0.1`, and:

- stops rendering on its own and shows a violet [outline](../interface/gizmos.md#cutter-outlines);
- becomes a child of the host, if it had no parent;
- stays selected, the first one active.

With a stamp or a Boolean [cutter](../getting-started/concepts.md#cutter) selected, `'` and `;` also switch its join to Emboss or Engrave (see [Boolean](boolean.md#changing-the-operation)). **Add Modifier** in the panel adds an empty Emboss or Engrave; you then pick its **Target** in the panel.

## Mode

### Emboss

Raises the host's surface by **Strength** where the stamp passes through it.

### Engrave

Sinks the host's surface by **Strength** where the stamp passes through it.

![The text stamp selected, ': the raised letters become engraved](../assets/engrave.webp)

## Strength

How far the mark stands out of the surface (Emboss) or goes into it (Engrave). It is measured from the surface, so on a curved shape the mark follows the curve. Where the stamp reaches less than **Strength** past the surface, the step is only as high as the stamp.

## Color Edge

With **Color Edge** off, the stamp's material colours only the raised top or the sunk floor, and the wall of the step keeps the host's colour. With it on, the wall takes the stamp's colour too, blended across the **Outer** edge.

![Color Edge off (left) and on (right)](../assets/emboss-color-edge.webp)

## Outer and Inner

**Outer** rounds the edge where the step meets the surrounding surface; **Inner** rounds the top of a raised feature or the floor of a sunk one. Each has its own radius, [profile](../rounding-and-blending/profiles.md) and, on Chamfer, Smooth.

![The yellow Strength arc dragged, then the Inner arc: the letters rise, then their tops round](../assets/emboss-arcs.webp)

## Settings

![The Emboss in the Chisel Modifiers panel, both edges on Chamfer](../assets/modifiersettings-displace.webp)

| Setting | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expand arrow | closed | | Shows or hides the settings. |
| Header | | | *Emboss:* or *Engrave:*, the stamp and the strength, e.g. *Emboss: Stamp (0.150)*; *(no target)* in red when the stamp was deleted. |
| Move up, Move down | | | Move the modifier in the stack. |
| Pin | off | | Keep the modifier at the end of the stack. |
| Remove (`X`) | | | Delete the modifier. |
| **Mode** | Emboss | Emboss, Engrave | Raise or sink the surface. |
| **Target** | none | any Chisel shape but the host | The stamp. A stamp picked here stops rendering too, but is not made a child of the host. |
| **Strength** | `0.1` | `0.001` – `10` (soft max `1`) | The height of the step. |
| **Color Edge** | off | | Colour the step with the stamp's material too. |
| **Profile** (under *Outer*) | Round | Round, Sharp, Soft, Tight, Chamfer | The outer edge's profile. |
| **Outer** | `0 m` | `0` and up (soft max `2`) | The outer edge's radius. |
| **Smooth** | `0 m` | `0` and up (soft max `0.5`) | Rounds an outer Chamfer's two edges. Shown on Chamfer. |
| **Inner Profile** (under *Inner*) | Round | Round, Sharp, Soft, Tight, Chamfer | The inner edge's profile. |
| **Inner** | `0 m` | `0` and up (soft max `2`) | The inner edge's radius. |
| **Inner Smooth** | `0 m` | `0` and up (soft max `0.5`) | Rounds an inner Chamfer's two edges. Shown on Chamfer. |

## Viewport handles

With a stamp selected, three arcs show at the top right of the selection: yellow for an Emboss, violet and a little higher for an Engrave. From the inside out they are:

| Handle | Drag outward | Keys while dragging |
|---|---|---|
| Strength arc | A higher **Strength** on every Emboss (or Engrave) that uses the stamp | `Shift` precision, `Ctrl` snap |
| Inner arc | A larger **Inner** radius | `Shift`, `Ctrl`, `1`–`5` profile, `S` Smooth |
| Outer arc | A larger **Outer** radius | the same |

The stamp's violet outline is display only: click the stamp there to select it. A violet target dot at its origin shows when Dots are on.

## Keys

| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| `'` / `;` | Next / previous join for every modifier that uses the selected stamp |
| `Ctrl + B` | Drag the **Outer** radius of every modifier that uses the selected stamp. Keys: see [Blending](../rounding-and-blending/blending.md#adjust-modal-ctrl--b) |

## In the menus

- **Pie** `Q`, **South**: **Emboss** and **Engrave** start the first grid's second row.
- **Pie, East**, with the host active: two rows per modifier: inner profile icons, **Inner**, its Smooth, **Strength**; outer profile icons, **Outer**, its Smooth, the stamp's name.
- **Pie, South-West**, with a stamp selected: the outer profile icons and **Outer**, the inner profile icons and **Inner** (each with **Smooth** on Chamfer), then **Emboss** or **Engrave**, which drags the strength.
- **Right-click**, with a stamp selected: **Outer Profiles** ▸, **Outer**, **Inner Profiles** ▸, **Inner** (each with **Smooth** on Chamfer), then **Emboss** or **Engrave**.
- **Tape tree**: a stamp is listed under the host with **▲** (Emboss) or **▼** (Engrave).

## Tips

> [!tip] Text stamps
> A [Text](../primitives/text.md) shape's letters are extruded from the text's plane in one direction, along its local Z axis. Place that plane below the host's surface so the letters pass through it.

## Limits and known issues

> [!warning] Mesh stamps
> With a [Mesh](../primitives/mesh.md) shape as the stamp, keep **Strength** and the radii within its **Field Margin**, or raise the margin and press **Rebake SDF**.

## See also

- [Boolean](boolean.md), [Carve](carve.md): the other joins
- [Profiles](../rounding-and-blending/profiles.md)
- [Clean Mods](../operations.md#clean-mods): removes a modifier whose stamp was deleted