Step 1
Learn how to create lifelike objects in Illustrator by applying 3D effects, lighting, and materials sourced from Adobe Substance.
You can apply 3D effects, lighting, and material to 2D vector graphics with realistic textures viewed under different lighting scenarios. You can then render them with ray tracing to create realistic 3D graphics with ease.
Read on to learn how to re-create a sample vector art with 3D effects as shown in this design sample.
Get started by drawing your favorite art on paper, trace it into Illustrator, apply 3D effects like Extrude, Rotation, and Substance Materials. Provide finishing touches to your design with appropriate Lighting and Shadow effects and then render your artwork with ease.
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You can convert the image of a pencil sketch that was drawn on paper into vector art using image trace. You can also download a sample 2D artwork to try on the go.
A. Plane |
Flattens object onto the plane. |
A. Extrude |
Extends a 2D object to add depth. |
A. Revolve |
Sweeps a path or profile in a circular direction. |
A. Inflate |
Inflates the flat object. |
B. Depth |
Sets the depth of the object from 0 through 2000. |
C. Cap |
Specifies whether the object appears solid or hollow. |
D. Bevel |
Applies beveled edge along the object's depth. |
E. Presets |
Applies rotation presets based on direction, axis, and isometrics. |
F. Vertical rotation |
Rotates object vertically from -180 to 180°. |
G. Horizontal rotation |
Rotates object horizontally from -180 to 180°. |
H. Circular rotation |
Rotates object in a circle from -180 to 180°. |
A. Base Materials |
Applies default preset material. |
B. Adobe Substance Materials |
Enables you to apply some of the Adobe Substance Materials. |
C. Substance 3D assets |
Adds Materials from Adobe Substance assets. |
D. Substance community assets |
Adds Materials from Adobe Substance community. |
E. Add new materials and Graphic |
Add Materials - Adds your own new materials to the panel. Add Graphics - Add artwork as Graphic. You can use graphics to map artwork over 3D objects. |
F. Material properties |
Applies roughness and metallic properties from 0 through 1 for basic materials. Properties vary for each of the Adobe Substance materials. |
A. Presets |
Applies pre-configured lighting effects like Standard, Diffuse, Top Left, or Right quickly to your artwork. |
B. Intensity |
Changes the selected light’s brightness from 0% through 100%. |
C. Rotation |
Rotates the focus of light around the object with a value from -180° through 180. |
D. Height |
Brings the light closer to the object, if it's lower causing a short shadow and conversely from 0° through 90°. |
E. Softness |
Determines how the light spreads. Overrides the diffuse preset with a value from 0% through 100%. |
F. Ambient Light intensity |
Controls the global lighting intensity, with a value from 0% to 200%. |
G. Shadows |
Applies shadows to your artwork when the toggle button is on. |
H. Position |
Applies shadow either Behind Object or Below Object. |
I. Distance from object |
Adjusts the distance of the shadow from the object with a value from 0% through 100%. |
J. Shadow boundary |
Applies shadow's boundary with a value from 0% through |
Now that you have explored all the available 3D effects and materials options in the section above, you can apply Extrude and Rotation, Adobe Substance Materials, and Lighting, Intensity, and Shadows effects to the imported vector artwork.
Be familiar with these limitations and error messages before you start applying 3D effects:
Watch this 17-second video to learn how to apply Extrude effects on the 2D artwork.
Select the artwork created using Create vector art.
You can also set the rotation of an object and the perspective from which you view it.
To adjust the perspective, select a value within a range of 0 to 160 in the 3D and Materials > Object > 3D Type > Perspective slider.
A smaller angle is similar to a telephoto camera lens; a larger lens angle is similar to a wide-angle camera lens.
After applying Extrude effects to the vector artwork, you can now learn how to apply 3D Materials.
Select Materials from the 3D Effects panel. Choose material from the list or add your own material
by clicking + icon.
You can either add your own material or choose from the free community and Adobe materials. You can also add thousands of Adobe Substance 3D materials with a subscription plan.
After applying Extrude and 3D Materials to the artwork, watch this 11-second video to learn how to apply lighting effects.
After applying the 3D effects to the vector art, you can use Render with Ray Tracing to create realistic 3D graphic artwork more efficiently and better. Ray tracing enables you to create realistic 3D graphics by tracing the path of light rays as they bounce over the object.
To enable/disable ray tracing and render, click the Render with Ray Tracing icon at the upper-right corner of the 3D & Materials panel.
You can also change quality, noise, and raster options for Ray Tracing using the settings. Click the render settings drop-down at the upper-right corner of the 3D effects panel.
Refer to some of the best practices on how to optimize CPU usage while you render the artwork.
Now that you have learned about the power of 3D effects in Illustrator, play around with the sample files and take your creative design to the next level.
You can also download the final design to view your 3D graphic artwork.
We've got you started with applying 3D effects in Illustrator. Take a step forward and learn how to create 3D text effects using basic tools and features.
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We'd love to hear from you.
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