Using effects and painting tools for 3D

Use 3D tools to manipulate 3D objects and scenes. Paint on the surface of a 3D object, including painting on textures and bumps.

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Requirements

To complete the tasks demonstrated in this tutorial, you need the following software and files:

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended

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Sample files

lrvid4005_ps.zip (ZIP, 28MB)

Prerequisite knowledge

Intermediate knowledge of creating 3D objects and using the Photoshop tools

Using effects and painting tools for 3D

Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 Extended has added an array of new tools and features for working with 3D files. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the 3D Axis widget and paint bump values, as well as use the filter tabs and Ground Plane.

The 3D Tools widget

You can use the 3D Tools widget to move, scale, and rotate 3D objects. To use the 3D Tools widget:

1. Open a file containing a 3D object in Photoshop.
2. Choose the 3D Rotate tool from the toolbox. A 3D Tools widget appears in the document window. The widget gives you access to the functionality of all the tools in the 3D tools menu, without having to switch between them.

   

   Figure 1: Selecting the 3D widget

   Note: The widget has color-coded controls for the x, y, and z axes. The x axis is pink, the y axis is green, and the z axis is blue. You can use the arrow at the end of each axis to move objects along that axis; the first handle to the inside of the arrow allows you to rotate the object. A yellow circle appears around the axis when you hover your mouse over the rotation handle. The final handle allows you to scale an object along that axis.

3. To move an object along the x axis, click the arrow-shaped control at the end of the x axis control (the pink rod). As you drag the control to the left or right, the object in your image moves to the left or right. To move an object along the y axis or z axis, use the green and blue rods.

   

   Figure 2: Using the 3D widget controls
4. To rotate an object, choose the x-, y-, or z-axis controls. Select the arc-shaped handle next to the arrowhead, and then drag the control. The object rotates in a circle around the designated axis.

   Note: A yellow circle appears around the axis indicating the degree of rotation.

5. To scale an object, choose the x, y, or z axis. Click the block-shaped handle just below the rotate control and drag in or out from the center of the widget. Watch the object expand or shrink in size along the appropriate axis.

   Note: Scaling an object along one axis only (in other words, not proportionately), may distort it.

6. You can also customize the widget. To move the entire widget, drag the gray bar at the top of the widget.



Figure 3: Moving the 3D Axis widget
7. To resize the 3D axis, drag the right side of the gray bar.
8. To access the rest of the 3D tools, click and hold the icon for the 3D Rotate tool from the Photoshop toolbox. A pop-up menu of tools appears (see Figure 1.) Each tool has a keyboard shortcut and you do not have to enter into a 3D mode to use them.

   Tip: To toggle between complementary tools, choose one of the 3D tools and press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac OS). As soon as you release the Alt/Option key, the 3D tool resumes its normal function.

Painting directly on 3D objects

In Photoshop CS4 Extended, you can paint directly on a 3D object. To begin painting:

1. Click the Fill color box at the bottom of the toolbox. The Color Picker dialog box opens. Select a color from the color picker and click OK.
2. Select a paintbrush from the toolbox. Begin painting on the surface of the 3D object.
3. To preview the effect of the painting, reselect the 3D Rotate tool and use the 3D Tools widget to rotate the object.

Painting bump values

In addition to painting on the diffuse channel of a material, you can also paint an object's bump values, reflectivity, or other properties. To paint a bump value:

1. Choose the Scene Filter tab located first from the left at the top of the 3D panel. The Scene Filter tab shows you all of the objects in the scene.

   

   Figure 4: The Scene, Mesh, Materials, and Lights tabs
2. Select Bump from the Paint On menu in the 3D (Scene) panel.

   

   Figure 5: The Paint On menu
3. Choose a black brush with which to paint. Paint on the surface of the object. A dented effect appears on the object.

   Note: If a 3D object did not previously have a bump map applied to it, a dialog box appears informing you that Photoshop will automatically create that texture for you.

Using selection tools on 3D objects

For greater control when painting and adjusting textures on 3D objects, you can also use the wide array of selection tools in Photoshop:

1. Choose the Elliptical Marquee tool from the toolbox. Drag it across the surface of the 3D object to make an oval-shaped selection.
2. Choose the Paintbrush and paint over the marquee selection. Note that a dented effect in the shape of an oval appears on the surface of the object.

   

   Figure 6: Creating a bump effect using the Elliptical Marquee tool
3. Reselect the area you just painted. Choose the 3D menu. From this menu, you have a number of additional options for manipulating your 3D objects, including the option to hide polygons or select paintable areas.

Using the Materials tab

The Materials tab shows all of the materials associated with a selected object. With this tab, you can add maps for such properties as self-illumination and shininess, even if they were not created in the 3D program when the object was made. You can also clone 2D data onto 3D surfaces. To create a new map:

1. Return to the 3D panel. Select the Materials tab.
2. Click the Edit Texture icon next to the property you want to modify. For the purposes of this tutorial, click the Edit The Shininess Texture icon next to Shininess. Choose New Texture from the context menu that appears.

   

   Figure 7: Editing the texture of a 3D object

   Note: You can also load a texture you have created beforehand. Photoshop CS4 Extended allows you to create textures for the nine different materials you see in this panel. Seven of those materials can be painted on directly.

3. To clone 2D data onto 3D surfaces, first open a layered image file that you'll use as your 2D source.
4. Press the S key to access the Clone Stamp tool. Press the Alt/Option key to sample data from the source image.
5. Return to your 3D composition.
6. With the Clone Stamp tool still selected, paint directly on the surface of the 3D object. The data you cloned from the previous image is painted on the surface of your object.

   

   Figure 8: Cloning data and painting on a 3D surface

   Note: Because you still have the bump channel selected on the Filter tab of the 3D panel, you are painting over the bump effect. If you want to maintain the colors of the source, switch to the Scene tab and change the Paint On value to Diffuse and then paint.

7. The default setting for the Clone Stamp tool is to show you the overlay. To change this value, open the Clone Source panel. Show Overlay and Clipped are selected by default. Show Overlay shows a preview of the source material as you paint.

   

   Figure 9: The Clone Source panel
8. Deselect Clipped to view the entire image from which you are cloning. Selecting Clipped limits your view of the cloned object to just the area that can be seen within your cursor.
9. Close the Clone Source panel.

Using the Ground Plane

The Ground Plane is essentially a plane on the ground of or underneath of 3D objects. The Ground Plane is a reference to let you know where an object is in 3D space. To use the Ground Plane:

1. Open the 3D panel. Click the first icon from the left at the bottom of the panel, Toggle Ground Plane.

   

   Figure 10: Choosing the Ground Plane

   Tip: To better see the Ground Plane, turn off any filled background layers. The Ground Plane appears as a series of intersecting lines on the transparent background.

   Note: The Ground Plane is also useful when rotating 3D objects or an entire 3D scene. You can move 3D objects independently of the ground, or you can move the ground with them.

2. To move the ground with the object, choose the 3D Orbit tool and drag directly on the canvas to change the view of the entire scene. The 3D Orbit tool is in the second set of 3D tools (the 3D Camera tools), in the toolbox.
3. To move objects in two dimensions at once, return to the widget. Place your cursor in the corner between two axes. A yellow, square icon appears. This is the planer control. Drag up, down, right, or left to move the object.

   

   Figure 11: The planer control
4. To uniformly scale 3D objects, click the center of the widget. A yellow cube appears. This is the scale control. Drag in or out from the center of the widget to increase or decrease the size of the object.

   

   Figure 12: The scale control

   Note: When you perform transforms with the widget controls, the Ground Plane does not move or change with the object, as it does when using the 3D Camera tools on the canvas itself.

Where to go from here

• Photoshop CS4 Help and Support
• Learn Photoshop CS4
• Using advanced 3D techniques, by Chad Perkins
• Converting from 2D to 3D, by Chad Perkins
• Using advanced compositing, by Deke McClelland
• Lynda.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

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