Photoshop - 3D Text extrusion color gradient on all sides but outline on front only

Question

I'm after a 3d text like the katagana pictured here:

I don't need the glossy/glare effects, but I want to some how achieve having a similar outline effect (white outline like above example) and a color gradient (on all sides).

What I have done thus far is in photoshop with my text layer is:

[Layer Tab] Text > Blending Options > Stroke > White 4pt

Next:

Menu > 3D > New 3D Extrusion From Selected Layer > Extrusion Depth .081 in

And then:

[Layer Tab] Text > Blending Options > Gradient Overlay > Color 1 & Color 2

The result is very close to the above example image, but the crucial difference is that my white stroke is applied to the whole 3D extrusion of the text. That's not what I'm after, I only want the stroke to be on the front side of the text. In other words, I don't want to apply the stroke along the extrusion depth portion -- those sides should just be gradient colors, like seen in my example image.

Question

How to I apply a stroke to only part of a 3D extrusion text? I also tried experimenting with the steps above in varying sequences, but the result is the same.

Answer 1

Of course you can fight this battle in Photoshop, but the effort needed to win is lower in Illustrator. An example:

Write your text as fill-only, no stroke, use grey fill color

Extrude with no shading and expand the appearance. Select all, ungroup so many times that there's no more groups. Extruding with no shading generated the minimum amount of surfaces which can be colored separately.

In the right the top surfaces are selected, filled with a gradient and got a white stroke. In the strokes panel select the stroke alignment to inside to avoid widening the stroked parts. Other surfaces have got a black stroke to show them. They can be colored like any closed shapes. I skip it.

When you feel ready in Illustrator, you can copy & paste the shape to an open Photoshop image in as big size and resolution as needed.

If you do not want white strokes, but bevelling, you can make a fake one by duplicating the top surface. The uppermost has color fill but no stroke, the next has white fill and also no stroke. You can place the white version a little aside and edit the corners to make an illusion of bevel:

Answer 2

I think you need to have a bevel applied to your 3D extrude and bevel... I think that will get you more control of your output, and would match what I see in your example image.

Failing that, you can always expand the 3D art output and apply a stroke to just the elements you want.