User Guide Cancel

Create 3D graphics in Illustrator

Learn how to create lifelike objects in Illustrator by applying 3D effects, lighting, and materials sourced from Adobe Substance. 

  Explore the beta app

 Build 3D artwork in Project Neo (Beta) and bring it to Illustrator to create stunning dimensional designs, graphics, and illustrations.

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.

outcome
A sample 3D vector design

3 steps to create a 3D artwork

Get started by drawing your favorite art on paper, tracing 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.

Adobe Illustrator deeplink

Try it in the app
Follow along with any project to create 3D graphics in a few simple steps.

Create a vector art

You can convert the image of a pencil sketch drawn on paper into vector art using image trace. You can also download a sample 2D artwork to try on the go.

vector art
A sample 2D artwork

  1. Draw your favorite art on a piece of paper. For example, Flora letters. 
  2. Import the raster image into Illustrator using File > Place in a document.  
  3. Choose Object > Image Trace > Make to trace the image with default options. 

Apply 3D effects to the artwork

Before you start applying 3D effects to the vector artwork, explore Object, Materials, or Lighting
options and presets available in the 3D and Materials panel. The 3D and Materials panel appears when you click Window > 3D and Materials

Object

3d types
3D Types in 3D and Materials panel

A. Plane    

Flattens the 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. Twist

Twists the object up to 360°.

D. Taper

Tapers the object from 100% through 1%.

E. Cap

Specifies whether the object appears solid or hollow. 

F. Bevel

Applies beveled edge along the object's depth. 

G. Presets

Applies rotation presets based on direction, axis, and isometrics. 

H. Vertical rotation

Rotates object vertically from -180° to 180°.

I. Horizontal rotation

Rotates object horizontally from -180° to 180°. 

J. Circular rotation

Rotates object in a circle from -180° to 180°. 

K. Perspective

Changes the object's perspective from 0° through 160°.

Materials

substance materials
Materials in 3D and Materials panel

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 new materials to the panel.

Add Graphics - Add artwork as a 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. 

Lighting

Lighting tab in the 3D and Materials panel has lighting presets, lighting widget, and other lighting controls.
Lighting in 3D and Materials panel

A. Presets   

Applies pre-configured lighting effects like Standard, Diffuse, Top Left, or Right quickly to your artwork.

B. Lighting widget

Allows you to drag light sources to adjust their lighting angles.

C. Light source

Multiple light sources illuminate the 3D object better.

D. Move selected light to the back/front of an object

Moves the selected light to the back of the object when in front and vice-versa.

E. Intensity

Changes the selected light’s brightness from 0% through 100%.

F. Rotation

Rotates the focus of light around the object with a value from -180° through 180.

G. Height

Brings the light closer to the object, if it's lower causing a short shadow and conversely from 0° through 90°.

H. Softness

Determines how the light spreads. Overrides the diffuse preset with a value from 0% through 100%.

I. Ambient Light intensity

Controls the global lighting intensity, from 0% to 200%. 

J. Shadows

Applies shadows to your artwork when the toggle button is on. 

K. Position

Applies shadow either Behind Object or Below Object.

L. Distance from object

Adjusts the distance of the shadow from the object with a value from 0% through 100%. 

M. Shadow Bounds

Applies shadow's boundary with a value from 10% through 
400%. 

Apply Extrude, Materials, Lighting, and Shadow Effects

Now that you have explored all the available 3D effects and materials options in the section above, you can apply Extrude and RotationAdobe 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: 

  • If Ray Tracing is enabled, you will experience lag depending upon the complexity or size of the object. For objects with complex paths, 3D effects are applied partially. 
  • 3D effects are not supported on all object types. For example, raster images or single anchor point objects. 

Extrude and Rotation

Watch this 17-second video to learn how to apply Extrude effects on the 2D artwork. 

  1. Select the artwork created using Create vector art.  

  2. Click Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel. 3D and Materials panel appears. 

  3. Set Depth, Twist, and Taper

  4. Select Rotation > Presets > Off-Axis - Front and set X-axis and Y-axis values to any appropriate value from 0° through 360°.

Rotation and Perspective

You can also set the rotation of an object and the perspective from which you view it.

Perspective camera
Add perspective to the object

To adjust the perspective, select a value within a range of 0 to 160 in the 3D and Materials > Object > 3D TypePerspective slider.

A smaller angle is similar to a telephoto camera lens; a larger lens angle is similar to a wide-angle camera lens.

Adobe Substance Materials

After applying Extrude effects to the vector artwork, you can now learn how to apply 3D Materials

3D materials
3D artwork after applying materials

  1. Select the vector artwork after applying Extrude effects on it. 

  2. 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.

  3. Click Material Properties to apply parameters, or change position, channels, and filters.  

Lighting, Intensity, and Shadows

After applying Materials to your 3D object, you can add lighting and shadow to it.

The Lighting tab in the 3D and Materials panel shows two light sources from opposite directions.
Add lighting to your 3D object

  1. Select Lighting in the 3D and Materials panel.

  2. Do one of the following to add lighting:

    • Single light: Choose a default preset like StandardDiffuseTop Left, or Right. To adjust the angle of the light, drag the light within the lighting widget, or use the Rotation and Height sliders.
    • Multiple lights: Use     to add up to ten lights. To adjust the angle of the lights, drag them within the lighting widget, or select a light on the list and use the Rotation and Height sliders.

    Select Move selected light to back of object to position the light behind the object.

  3. Adjust the Color, Intensity, and Softness if required. If there are multiple lights, select a light on the list to adjust its Color, Intensity, and Softness

  4. Select Ambient Light > Intensity and set a value from 0 through 200%.

  5. Select the Shadows toggle button to apply a shadow. You can use parameters like Position, Distance from the Object, and Shadow Bounds to customize a shadow effect. 

    Even if you have added multiple lights and enabled shadows, you will see only one shadow in Real-time preview. To see the shadows of all the lights, switch to Render with Ray Tracing.

Render the artwork

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, select Render with Ray Tracing   in the upper-right corner of the 3D and Materials panel. 

Render with Ray Tracing selected in the 3D and Materials panel.
Render with Ray Tracing to create realistic lighting for your 3D object.

Ray Tracing settings

You can also change quality, noise, and raster options for Ray TracingSelect Render Settings   in the upper-right corner of the 3D and Materials panel. 

  • Select the Ray Tracing toggle button to enable/disable it.
  • You can also change the resolution, color, and background for the raster image by selecting Raster Settings.
  • Select Quality as High and click Render to get one of the industry's optimal quality renderings of your artwork. 

Refer to some of the best practices on how to optimize CPU usage while you render the artwork. 

Render or expand 3D objects as wireframes

Use wireframes to view the underlying structure of your 3D object to ensure accuracy. Do one of the following:

  • Render as wireframe: Select Wireframe in Render Settings   to easily edit the 3D properties of the object such as Depth, Taper, and Twist.
  • Expand as wireframe: Select Expand as wireframes in the Quick Actions section of the Object tab to convert the object to a 2D object.

The final design

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.

Download your final design

Export 3D objects

You can export 3D objects to GLTF and USD file formats and open them in other 3D applications to further edit and enhance 3D objects and 3D objects with materials and graphics. Illustrator also supports exporting 3D objects as OBJ files along with colors.

When you export multiple objects, you can view each object as an independent modifiable object.

Follow the steps to export 3D objects:

  1. In the 3D and Materials panel, select Export 3D objects.

    Select Export 3D objects to open the Asset Export panel.
    Select Export 3D objects to open the Asset Export panel

  2. In the Asset Export panel, select the 3D asset and select GLTF, USD, or OBJ from the Format drop-down list.

    Note:

     For any 3D object that you choose to export, the Format option is set as USDA by default in the Asset Export panel.

  3. Select Export.

To learn more about how to export objects using the Asset Export panel, see Collect assets and export in batches

You can import the exported file in Adobe Substance 3D Stager or any other 3D application to further enhance your 3D object. 

 Get Substance 3D Stager         


What's next: Create 3D text effects

We've got you started on 3D effects in Illustrator. Take a step forward and learn how to create 3D text effects using basic tools and features. Or learn how to intertwine text with 3D objects

Talk to us

If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We'd love to hear from you.

Get help faster and easier

New user?