Photoshop® CS5 Bible

Chapter 23. Using the 3D Panel to Edit 3D Scenes and Settings

IN THIS CHAPTER

• The 3D panel

• 3D preferences

• Render settings

• Meshes

• Materials

• Lights

The 3D panel is one of the most versatile and comprehensive panels in Photoshop. Almost everything you can do with a 3D scene can be done from this one panel, and you can do lots of things with 3D scenes.

The panel is so versatile because it is actually four different panels, one each for meshes, materials, and lights, each with unique settings that allow you to make changes to each one of these areas of a 3D scene. The default panel, the 3D {Scene} panel, allows you to access all these settings by selecting different layers that represent different aspects of the scene.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? Well, you don't need to be; it's all very organized. This chapter breaks it down for you.

3D Panel Overview

Figure 23.1 shows the 3D panel as it appears when a 3D layer is selected. You can see that it has multiple options. Individual options are covered in detail throughout this chapter, but these are the main areas:

• Panel menu: Just like any panel, the 3D panel has a menu that allows you to change your settings and select preferences.

• Filter buttons: The filter buttons allow you to toggle through the different objects available in a 3D scene and make changes to them. The 3D scene button shows the meshes, materials, and lights and allows you to make changes to them by selecting their layer. The other three buttons show you meshes, materials, or lights, respectively. ...