When to use Turntable and 3D

Sist oppdatert 30. mar. 2026

Learn whether to use Turntable or 3D in Adobe Illustrator to explore the angles of objects.

When to use Turntable

Use Turntable to generate rotated views of real-world objects. It works best with standalone objects with recognizable forms, such as illustrated characters.

It doesn’t work well with abstract objects, such as geometric shapes or live text, because it can’t reliably generate meaningful rotated views.

Rotated views of a character generated using Turntable, with the Contextual Task Bar.
Generate views of a character from multiple angles using Turntable.

When to use 3D

Use 3D in Illustrator to explore angles of simple abstract objects. Apply a 3D effect to the object to add depth or volume that you can adjust, and rotate it to view it from different angles.

Applying 3D effects to real-world objects can affect their visual realism by adding volume to their original form.

Live text and 3D applied to the text on the left, and the 3D and Materials panel on the right.
Create stylistic text by adding depth and perspective using 3D.

Unsupported objects for Turntable

Native Illustrator objects that Turntable doesn’t currently support are:

  • Freeform, radial, and mesh gradients
  • Opacity
  • Blending constructs
  • Vector and raster effects, such as Grain and Blur
  • Live strokes
  • Area text