VIEW BY CATEGORY:
SUBSCRIBE NOW!25-A-Day SubscriptionsUp to 750 hi-res downloads / month 1 MONTH $2493 MONTHS $709Images On DemandDownload anytime for one year 1 HI-RES IMAGE $195 HI-RES IMAGES $49 |
Next: How to Create a Glossy Effect in Illustrator »
Moving 2D Art into a 3D Space with Illustrator, Part 1
When you don't want to add dimension to your artwork but want to move it from a flat front-on-view and into 3D space, what solutions do you have?
Next: How to Create a Glossy Effect in Illustrator »
The first is the 3D Rotate effect, which will be outlined below. Another method involves using invisible geometry as a powerful 3D Warping tool, which we’ll examine next month.
Should we Rotate Together?
Draw a square with the Rectangle tool and a star with the Star tool, then give them nice bright colors from the Swatches panel. Select both shapes by holding down shift and clicking on each with the Selection tool (black arrow).
The first thing to consider before applying the 3D Rotate effect is whether you want the different objects to rotate together in a single 3D space or independently so that each is literally in separate 3D spaces.
To rotate together, always group objects first by using the Objects > Group menu command. Let’s keep the confetti pieces ungrouped and apply the 3D Rotate effect straight away, by clicking on the menu, Effect > 3D > Rotate.
In the 3D Rotate Options dialog box that appears, you can use the Position cube to rotate the square and star. Click and drag on the cube faces to freely rotate them, or on the cube edges for a constrained rotation along just one axis. Then, increase the Perspective slider to create some visual exaggeration. Make sure you’ve ticked preview to see the results and click OK when you’re feel your objects are rotated how you want them.
Live Effect
Do this by bringing up the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance) and double clicking on the 3D Rotate fx attribute.
Having copied and pasted the square and star a couple of times around the artboard, we’ll vary these 3D Rotate settings for each one so they’re not all the same. Finish off the confetti by changing their size with the Scale tool, and apply different colors to each one using the Swatches panel.
Voila - celebrate your newfound 3D Rotate knowledge with some confetti! In Part 2, we’ll cover the 3D Warping tool. |
