Applying surface shading to a 3D object
By changing a 3D object's surface properties, you can create a wide variety of appearances, from dull and unshaded matte surfaces to glossy and highlighted surfaces that look like plastic. You can also map 2D artwork to each surface of a 3D object. (See Mapping artwork to a 3D object.)
Examples of different surface shading choices A. Wireframe B. No shading C. Diffuse shading D. Plastic shading
To apply a surface property to a 3D object: - Select the 3D object.
- Double-click the 3D effect in the Appearance palette to open the 3D Options dialog box.
- Click More Options in the dialog box to display the Surface options.
- Choose one of the following shading surfaces from the Surface menu:
Note: If the object only uses the 3D Rotate effect, the only choices available are Diffuse Shading or No Shading. - Wireframe to outline the contours of the object's geometry and make each surface transparent.
- No Shading to add no new surface properties to the object. The 3D object has the same color as the original 2D object.
- Diffuse Shading to make the object reflect light in a soft, diffuse pattern.
- Plastic Shading to make the object reflect light as if it were made of a shiny, high-gloss material.
- To display the object's hidden backfaces, select Draw Hidden Surfaces. The backfaces are visible if the object is transparent, or if the object is expanded and then pulled apart.
Note: If your object has transparency and you want the hidden backfaces to display through the transparent front faces, apply the Object > Group command to the object before you apply the 3D effect. - If you chose Diffuse Shading or Plastic Shading, you can set the following lighting options:
- Light Intensity to control the light intensity. Enter a value between 0 and 100.
- Ambient Light controls the global lighting, which changes the brightness of all the object's surfaces uniformly. Enter a value between 0 and 100.
- Blend Steps controls how smoothly the shading appears across the object's surfaces. Enter a value between 1 and 256. Higher numbers produce smoother shades and more paths than lower numbers.
- If you chose the Plastic Shading surface, you can also enter the following values:
- Highlight Intensity to control how much the object reflects light. Higher values create a shinier-looking surface than lower values, which produce a matte surface.
- Highlight Size to control the size of the highlight from large (100%) to small (0%).
To add lights and adjust each light's properties, see Lighting an object.
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