3D rotate effect in Illustrator

With the use of perspective, you can draw what looks like a 3D object, but I don't know of any way to create a true 3D object in Illustrator. It's just a drawing tool and has no real awareness of volume. The 3D effects are just transformed into 2D when you hit Enter/Return.

Dale

Yes, I'm pretty sure there is a way. I don't have Illustrator on this computer, so I'll have to check when I'm at work tomorrow, but I believe that you need to find a way to "expand appearance" (I think?) of the effect. Look under the Object menu, perhaps?

Heads up: Be mindful of those expanded 3D objects. If you've applied lighting/shading or anything, 'Expand Appearance' will create lots of overlapping shapes to fake the shadows. It can make for a really nasty grouped object.

usclaneyj said:

Heads up: Be mindful of those expanded 3D objects. If you've applied lighting/shading or anything, 'Expand Appearance' will create lots of overlapping shapes to fake the shadows. It can make for a really nasty grouped object.

Click to expand...

this.

plus, every slice in gradient shading becomes a separate object.

If you don't want any problems, the best you can do, after you finish the 3D object, is to rasterize it to a high resolution (aka 300+ dpi) PSD or TIFF file.