Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual

Photoshop’s 3D Environment

When working with a 3D object, you’ll use the 3D menu, the Move tool, and the 3D Mode tools that appear in the Options bar when you have the Move tool and a 3D object active, along with a few panels: the 3D panel as well as the familiar Properties and Layers panels. You’ll also encounter a 3D object cage (Photoshop’s representation of the 3D area that encloses the object—it looks like a rectangular wireframe), a special tool that lets you control the view axis (the angle in which you’re viewing the object), and a set of other clever HUD (heads-up display) features, explained later in this chapter.

Tip

To prepare for your first foray into the realm of 3D, head to the right end of the Options bar and choose 3D from the unlabeled workspace menu. When you do, Photoshop opens the Properties and 3D panels on the right side of the workspace, and plops the Timeline panel at the bottom of the document window (but it’s collapsed, so all you see is its tab).

To create a 3D object, you start by activating an Image, Type, or Shape layer, or even a selection or a path you’ve drawn with a shape tool or the Pen tool. Then you use the 3D panel shown in Figure 22-1 to extrude the item into a 3D object. One of the easiest ways to create a 3D scene is to activate one or more layers in the Layers panel, and then make a choice from the 3D panel. (You can also create a 3D object from a selection, a work path, or a separate file—the process is the same as the one described in the ...