How to Make a 3D Pattern In Adobe Illustrator
In this tutorial we will go over the steps to create a 3D pattern in Adobe illustrator
Step 1. Make an Illustrator Document and create shapes.
On the home page of Adobe Illustrator click on new file and change the sizing to inches to make the width and height 8 inches by 8 inches. Once the document is open click on the square shape on the left hand size and create some squares by clicking and dragging on the white margin.
You can change the shape by clicking and holding down on the square to pull up a drop down with a slew of options including (Rectangle Tool, Rounded rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, and Star Tool).
When creating these shapes you can make them stay uniform to their true size by holding down the shift key while clicking and dragging. Once your shapes are made you can click on them one by one and color them using the box on the left hand side. Remove all of the outlines for each shape by making them nonexistent and you're ready for the next step.
Step 2. Making the Shapes 3D and turning on the Render function
To start off Click on one shape and go to “Effect”, “3D and Materials” and click on “Inflate..” You can then adjust the Volume and Rotation of the shape and toggle on or off if you want to Inflate Both Sides. Next turn on “Low” Ray Tracing by selecting the Render button under the 3D and Materials Tab. Now that your shape is 3D and rendered one by one do the same to the rest of the shapes on the document.
Step 3. Making a New Layer and creating a background
Using the Layer Panel on the left side create a New Layer and drag it below the 3D shapes. Next create a square the size of the canvas and color it using the tools learned in Step 1.
Step 4. Making your Assets a Pattern
Use the key command Ctrl-a or Cmd-a to select all of the items on the assets on the screen. Then drag and drop everything into the Swatches panel on the left hand side. Once done double click on the new swatch and adjust the settings of the pattern by making the Tile Type Brick by Row and making the Copies 7 x 5. Once that is complete click the done button with the checkmark at the top of the screen and you have a pattern.
Step 5. Creating a New File and pasting it in
Select all of the assets in the original file and copy it using the key commands Ctrl-c or Cmd-c and Paste it into you new bigger file. Once pasted in drag and drop it all in the Swatches panel like before in Step 4 and then create a shape like we did for the background in Step 3. Once the shape is created click on Swatches and select your new swatch. After that its complete! You can now save your file and export it as a jpeg under File > Export as> Jpeg.
Just Like that you have created a 3D pattern to use for a bigger file!
