illustrator draw 3d cylinder no shading

• January 20, 2020
• Adobe Illustrator, Art and Blueprint, Digital Art Tutorials, Illustration, Software, Tutorials

Why would you care to know how to render a basic cylinder in Illustrator? Because the steps involved are a simplification of the steps y'all can have to render anything more complex. Master these basic concepts, and you lot've mastered the first footstep to rendering anything in Illustrator.

The outcome of this tutorial volition be a matte (not reflective) cylinder or tube. The divergence between this and a more circuitous object would be the amount of time spend adding and refining details such as reflected calorie-free or cast shadows (which we won't cover here), as well as adding additional layers and stylizations for color, reflections, etc.

Necessary tools/skills to complete this tutorial

• A solid understanding of ellipses in perspective
• Shape transformation keyboard shortcuts
  • Shift+Drag – resizes while maintaining proportions
  • Opt+Drag (Mac) or Al+Elevate (Win) – resizes proportionally around center
  • Combine the ii – resizes all proportions from centre
• Duplicate Object
  • Blackness arrow + Opt+Drag (Mac) or Al+Drag (Win) – pulls out a duplicate copy of a shape
• Ellipse Tool (L) – creates ellipses
  • Shift+Drag – pulls out a circle
  • Opt+Drag (Mac) or Al+Drag (Win) – pulls ellipse out from center
  • Combine the two to pull a perfect circle from the center
• Pen Tool (P) – creates shapes
• Pathfinder Window – creates new shapes from existing shapes
• Slope Tool (G) and Slope Window – drag to set ellipse management and refine gradient size. Adjust color etc in window.
• Eyedropper Tool (I) – Use to use the fill/stroke of one shape to a selected shape.

At present allow's get started!

1. Sketch a cylinder or tube in perspective, post-obit the rules of i, ii or three pt. Place your sketch in your Illustrator document. If yous wish to see your sketch throughout the procedure, place it every bit the top layer and set up the Layer Blend Style to "Multiply." Lock your layer so you don't accidentally movement it. This volition brand it so merely the nighttime parts of the sketch show up. You can view or hibernate this throughout the procedure.
2. Make 3 new layers and drag them below the sketch layer.
   1. Name one "In Progress." This is where y'all will render your form.
   2. Name one "Completed." This is where you will identify finished forms while you practise more.
   3. Name the lesser layer "Background" and add a uncomplicated rectangle every bit a background (see layer order in paradigm below).

3. Utilise the Ellipse Tool to create the nearest terminate cap
   Utilise L / ellipse tool to create an ellipse, then employ the black to adjust it. V will get you the black arrow (can move whole paths) You may demand to rotate or resize your ellipse to match the necessary perspective (use keyboard shortcuts above to transform equally needed).
4. Fix the color on your selected shape.
   1. Fill: Open the Colour window, set up to HSB (Hue/Saturation/Blackness) (use hamburger lines in top right if HSB isn't the default view). Drag H & Southward to 0 and cull a lite greyness Black value
   2. Stroke: Set to NONE (the box with the red hash line).

Create the second ellipse past duplicating and adjusting the degree of the beginning.

5. Create a indistinguishable ellipse and adjust it to fit the other end cap.
   Press option so the double cursor appears, then drag the shape to create a duplicate. This will be an ellipse of the same orientation merely unless it is in one indicate perspective with the cap parallel to you, the ellipse will be a different caste. Adjust the degree by widening the small-scale centrality (hold pick/alt while transforming to practice and then equally from both sides). As well brand the whole ellipse a bit smaller (since information technology is receding in infinite / aka diminution) by holding shift + option/alt while resizing.
6. Create the length of the cylinder as follows (run into image below):
   1. Utilise the pen tool to create a shape that cleanly covers the area between the ii ellipses.

7. Combine the 2 shapes making the side of the cylinder:
   1. Open the pathfinder window.
   2. Select both of the shapes that volition create the side of the cylinder: thee dorsum ellipse and the connecting shape (to select both, use the black arrow to click one, then hold shift and click the other. Both will announced selected.)
   3. Click the "Unite" option to fuse the selected shapes.
8. Rearrange the layers and so the cap ellipse is above the cylinder side

9. Create a gradient for the side:
   1. Open the gradient window. Brand sure the fill is selected (non the stroke). Set up the gradient so information technology transitions between the desired "light" and "shadow" values.
   2. Actuate the gradient tool (Grand) and drag on your shape to create the gradient. The gradient should not cross the entire grade. It should primarily cross the halftone expanse (just where the shadow transitions from light to night).
   3. Cull an advisable color for the cease cap (should not be darker than the shadow side of the cylinder).

The slope should not extend across the entire cylinder; focus the gradient where the bulk of the lite shifts to shadow.

7. Finish Upwardly
   1. Rename your prune group to something meaningful.
   2. Hide the sketch layer
   3. When you lot are satisfied and desire to attempt another,move your work into the "Completed" layer. LOCK the layer.
8. Save your work!

Making a tube? Finish these terminal few steps

1. Make the inner ellipse of the tube
   1. Duplicate the cap ellipse
   2. Resize it smaller (hold shift + opt/alt while resizing to maintain the same degree and center). Move it slightly back forth the small-scale ellipse to create appropriate perspective.
2. Render the inside of the tube:
   1. The inside will be determined by whether or non information technology is receiving light.
      • If you rendered your end cap ellipse in shadow, make the inner ellipse darker to show ambient apoplexy shadow.
      • If you rendered your end cap ellipse in light, employ the same gradient as the outside, merely invert it. To do this, use the eyedropper tool ("I") and drag it in the opposite management.

And voilà: A simple matte cylinder or tube. To take this farther, yous could add together a footling reflected lite and a cast shadow. Color and more volition exist discussed in future tutorials.

Fundamental TAKEAWAYS: Use pathfinder to combine simple shapes into more circuitous shapes. Use the gradient to give a unproblematic but effective sense of soft shading. Don't forget to apply your knowledge of perspective to adjust the ellipses as necessary.

Did you find this helpful? Exercise you take any of your own tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear nigh it if you decide to endeavor something new. If you lot use it differently, I'd love to hear that, too!

– Laura

silvapulds1984.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.royillustration.com/simpletubeillustrator/

Share this post