Step 1
- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Create documents
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Image Trace
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measure and plot dimensions
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Create 3D text effect
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
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.
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.
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Step 3 |
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.
- Draw your favorite art on a piece of paper. For example, Flora letters.
- Import the raster image into Illustrator using File > Place in a document.
- Choose Object > Image Trace > Make to trace the image with default options.
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°. |
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. |
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 |
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:
- 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.
Watch this 17-second video to learn how to apply Extrude effects on the 2D artwork.
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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.
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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 Materials to your 3D object, you can add lighting and shadow to it.
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Do one of the following to add lighting:
- Single light: Choose a default preset like Standard, Diffuse, Top 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 Rotation and Height sliders. 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
Select Move selected light to back of object to position the light behind the object.
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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.
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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.
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.
Ray Tracing settings
You can also change quality, noise, and raster options for Ray Tracing. Select 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.