Create a 3D Pie Chart Using Adobe Illustrator
Ever wondered how those nifty 3D tools in Illustrator can be put to work? Take a look at our latest tutorial to learn how to make a sweet 3D pie chart using Adobe Illustrator CS3+!
Final Product – What We Will Create:
Step 1
- Open Adobe Illustrator CS3+ and create a new file.
- From the left toolbar, click and hold the graph tool icon and select the “Pie Graph” tool.
Step 2
- Click and drag diagonally across the canvas to create the base pie graph.
Step 3
- Once the graph is created, a data entry window will pop up.
- Enter your chart values horizontally along the row.
- Once you have entered your values, click the apply check mark icon, located within the pop up window’s toolbar.
Step 4
- Click the red “x” in the top right corner of the pop up window to close it.
- From the left toolbar, click the “Direct Selection Tool”.
- Click on each section of the pie graph and apply a swatch to each to change its color.
Step 5
- Next, we will knock out the center of the chart to give it some style.
- Switch to the “Ellipse Tool” and draw a circle on the canvas, aligning it to the center of the pie chart.
- Select the pie chart, then navigate to “Object > Flatten Transparency…”
- Choose the “High Resolution” preset and then click “Ok”.
- Switch to the “Selection Tool” and select everything on the canvas.
- Navigate to the “Pathfinder” panel and select the “Trim” pathfinder.
- Select the center circle with the “Direct Selection Tool” and delete it.
Step 6
- Switch to the “Selection Tool” and select the entire graph.
- Navigate to “Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel…”
- Click the “Preview” checkbox to see a preview of the graph as you make edits.
Step 7
- Under the “Position” heading, enter in the following values for x,y,z and Perspective:
- X: 35°
- Y: -12°
- Z: 2°
- Perspective: 0°
- Under the “Extrude & Bevel” heading, enter in the following value:
- Extrude Depth: 60pt
- For “Surface” choose “Diffuse Shading”.
- Click the “More Options” button and then enter the following values:
- Light Intensity: 100%
- Ambient Light: 57%
- Blend Steps: 256
- Shading Color: Black
Step 8
- Click the “OK” button to apply the settings.
- If needed, you can edit the 3D settings for the graph by navigating to “Window > Appearance” and double clicking on the “3D Extrude & Bevel” layer style.
- Finally, lets shift a few slices to emphasize the chart values.
- Navigate to the “Direct Selection Tool” and select each of the smaller slices, while holding down the “Shift” key.
- While still holding the “Shift” key, slightly drag the selected slices diagonally toward the upper-left area of the canvas.
- You can also add shadows, highlights and texture with Photoshop to give the chart some more style, if needed. Enjoy!