About Adobe Dimensions

Welcome to Adobe Dimensions™, software that lets you create, manipulate, and edit two-dimensional (2-D) artwork and three-dimensional (3-D) objects. You can think of Adobe Dimensions as a tool that adds depth, shading, and perspective to simple 2-D images to transform them into 3-D objects. In minutes you can create a 3-D object that formerly would have taken hours or days of work using a 2-D illustration program.

After you create artwork in Adobe Dimensions, you can render, save, and output the artwork to a printer or other 2-D output device. You can also export artwork in a variety of file formats for use in other applications such as 2-D illustration, image editing, painting, and presentation software.

Rendering is the process used by Adobe Dimensions to calculate information to display 3-D attributes of objects, such as color, lighting, shading, and perspective. You can choose from four render modes: Wireframe, Draft, PostScript, or Raster mode. Wireframe and Draft modes are intended primarily for editing objects. These modes do not display high-quality color and modeling attributes. PostScript and Raster modes both produce high-quality color and modeling attributes, and are suitable for output or export.

You choose a final render mode based on your plans for outputting or exporting the artwork. PostScript render mode produces vector artwork comprised of Bézier curves, identical to those used by drawing applications such as Adobe Illustrator. Artwork rendered in PostScript mode is resolution-independent. The artwork remains crisp and sharp regardless of resolution or magnification.

Artwork rendered in Raster mode is converted to a bitmap image, like those produced in image-editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop. Bitmap images, also known as raster images, use a grid, or raster, of small squares (called pixels) to represent graphics. Bitmap images are resolution-dependent. A bitmap image may appear jagged or lose detail if magnification or resolution are changed.

You can export artwork created in Adobe Dimensions to other compatible graphics applications. When exporting artwork you can choose from 2-D formats including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator EPS, Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, PICT (Macintosh only), and Windows Bitmap (*.bmp) (Windows only), and from 3DMF 3-D file format.


What's new Adobe Dimensions 3.0
What’s new in Adobe Dimensions 3.0

Adobe Dimensions 3.0 contains new features that make the creation and editing of 2-D and 3-D images more efficient. You can now do the following:

•  Perform interactive editing in 2-D and 3-D windows.

•  Render in PostScript or Raster mode.

•  Map bitmap images onto 3-D objects.

•  Create complex 3-D objects by combining simple objects.

•  Manage the components of complex objects or scenes using the Object Browser to edit, copy, lock, hide, or map artwork to individual components.

•  Drag and drop Adobe Dimensions artwork to and from other applications including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe PageMaker.

•  Export 2-D artwork in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator EPS, Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, PICT (Macintosh only) and Windows Bitmap (*.bmp) (Windows only) file formats.

•  Export 3-D artwork in 3DMF file format.

•  Create custom camera positions with the Camera dialog box.

•  Rotate 3-D objects with three trackball tools that control the movement of objects relative to the vertical, horizontal, and depth planes.

•  Align 2-D and 3-D objects using four alignment commands.

•  Import gradient fills and patterns from Adobe Illustrator.

•  Create masks in 2-D artwork.


Basic Concepts

See also:

Designing 3-D artwork with the Adobe Dimensions program

Working in 3-D

How Adobe Dimensions draws 3-D objects

Viewing objects in Adobe Dimensions

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Displaying and selecting objects and components

Resizing the workspace

Displaying keyboard shortcuts

Changing your window preferences

Changing units of measure

Correcting mistakes

Rendering, exporting, and saving artwork


Designing 3-D artwork with the Adobe Dimensions program

The Adobe Dimensions program lets you create, manipulate, and edit two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) objects. You can think of the Adobe Dimensions program as a tool that lets you quickly add depth, shading, and perspective to simple 2-D artwork to transform it into 3-D artwork.

You can create 3-D objects in the Adobe Dimensions program in three basic ways:

•  You can draw 2-D artwork in the Adobe Dimensions program. You can then convert the 2-D artwork to 3-D by revolving it around an axis—an action similar to turning an object on a lathe—or by adding depth to (called extruding) a shape. When you extrude an object, you can either carve or build up the edges of the 3-D object by beveling the surface.

•  You can import 2-D artwork from an illustration program, such as the Adobe Illustrator program, and then convert the artwork to 3-D by revolving or extruding the artwork.

•  You can use the drawing tools in the Adobe Dimensions 3-D toolbox to create basic 3-D shapes (called primitives) such as cubes, spheres, cones, or cylinders, and then manipulate the shapes to form more complex artwork.

To use the program most effectively, first draw or import simple shapes into the Adobe Dimensions program, and then add 3-D depth, shading, and perspective using the 3-D Tool dialog box and commands. For complex or asymmetrical artwork, you should create each element as a separate shape. For example, to create a 3-D table, you would create the top of the table first and then create the legs as a separate procedure.

You can modify a 3-D object you create by changing its shape, applying surface properties such as color and reflectance, adjusting its lighting, and changing its render mode.

You can map 2-D artwork to 3-D objects. Mapped artwork can include 2-D artwork created in Adobe Dimensions, 2-D artwork imported from a drawing application, or a 2-D bitmap image imported from an image-editing application.

Modifying and rendering 3-D artwork is described in detail in the book’s final three chapters.

See also:

Basic Concepts


Working in 3-D

When you create a 3-D object, it has three defined dimensions: the width (the coordinate on the x axis), the height (the coordinate on the y axis), and the depth (the coordinate on the z axis). You can think of the depth, or z axis, as a dimension popping out of your monitor screen towards you. The 3-D displayed in Adobe Dimensions is defined by a combination of three flat planes: the x-z axes define the width plane; the x-y axes define the height plane; the z-y axes define the depth plane.

By default, the axis indicator in the center of the workplace is displayed. If you want to make the axis indicator invisible, choose File > Preferences and deselect the Show Axis Indicator option.

See also:

Basic Concepts


How Adobe Dimensions draws 3-D objects

Adobe Dimensions draws a 3-D object as a surface or surfaces defined along the x, y, and z axes. Each surface is made up of segments connected by anchor points.

Three-dimensional segments are closed paths consisting of straight or curved lines. As the previous illustration shows, by default, the Adobe Dimensions program adds curved lines (called rules) to curved surfaces so that you can visualize the 3-D geometry more easily.

See also:

Basic Concepts

Displaying and hiding rules for curved surfaces


Viewing objects in Adobe Dimensions

With Adobe Dimensions you can choose the camera position, or position from which you view objects. Camera angle, lens, and roll control the camera position. You can choose preset viewing options or create custom settings.

Camera angle (measured in longitude and latitude in custom settings) refers to the position from which you view an object relative to its front, back, left, right, top, or bottom surface. Preset camera angles position your view either perpendicular to one of the object’s surfaces, or off-axis by 30 degrees.

Lens refers to depth of view and apparent distance from an object. A small lens angle is similar to a telephoto lens. A large lens angle is similar to a fish-eye lens.

Roll refers to the tilt of an object. You adjust roll to give an object no tilt, right-sided tilt, or left-sided tilt.

By default, Adobe Dimensions displays objects using Off-Axis Front camera angle, enabling you to see the width (x axis), height (y axis), and depth (z axis) of an object. Lens and roll angles are set to zero.

For more information on camera angles, lens and roll angles, and the spatial relationship of 3-D objects, see Viewing objects.

See also:

Basic Concepts


Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

The following sections show how to work with the Adobe Dimensions program, how to use its desktop, and how to work with documents.

See also:

Basic Concepts

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Opening documents

You can open a new or existing Adobe Dimensions document in the 2-D environment or the 3-D environment. You can also import 2-D artwork from an illustration program such as Adobe Illustrator, or import 2-D images from an image-editing program such as Adobe Photoshop.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

To open a 3-D window:

To open a 2-D window:

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


To open a 3-D window:

1  Choose one of the following options:

•  In Macintosh, start the Adobe Dimensions program by double-clicking its icon.

•  In Windows, select Adobe Dimensions 3.0 from the Start Menu.

The Adobe Dimensions desktop appears with a new 3-D document open; the toolbox appears on the left, the work area in the center, the Object Info pop-up menu at the lower left of the work area, and the status bar and pop-up menu bar at the top of the work area (Macintosh) or at the bottom of the work area (Windows.)

As a reference point at the center point of the work area, the x, y, and z axes are shown intersecting at the 0, 0, 0 coordinates. This grayscale representation, called an axis indicator, changes depending on your camera angle.

2  To open a new or existing Adobe Dimensions document, choose one of two options:

•  To create a new Adobe Dimensions document, choose File > New.

•  To open an existing Adobe Dimensions document, choose File > Open. The dialog box displays the file format and size of a selected file. Locate a file to open, and click Open.

See also:

Opening documents

To open a 2-D window:


To open a 2-D window:

1  Choose one of the following options:

•  In Macintosh, start the Adobe Dimensions program by double-clicking its icon.

•  In Windows, select Adobe Dimensions 3.0 from the Start Menu.

The Adobe Dimensions desktop appears with a new 3-D document open.

2  Choose one of the following options to open a 2-D window:

•  Double-click the 2-D Artwork tool [image] in the toolbox. The 2-D window appears.

•  Select the 2-D Artwork tool [image] in the toolbox, and click once inside the 3-D window. The 2-D window appears.

•  Choose Operations > Extrude if you want to draw a 2-D object to extrude. Click New Base. The 2-D window appears.

•  Choose Operations > Revolve if you want to draw a 2-D object to revolve. Click New Profile. The 2-D window appears.

•  Choose Artwork > New Artwork to display an untitled 2-D window.

•  Select the 2-D artwork tool from the 3-D toolbox. Drag within the 3-D window and release the mouse button to display a 2-D window in which to draw. You can also double-click the 2-D artwork tool to display a 2-D window.

See also:

Opening documents

To open a 3-D window:


Importing artwork and images

You can import artwork from a drawing application such as Adobe Illustrator to be revolved or extruded or mapped to the surface of a 3-D object in the Adobe Dimensions program. You can also import bitmap images from an image-editing application such as Adobe Photoshop to map to the surface of a 3-D object. Artwork and images can be imported by using the Place command, the Copy and Paste commands, or the Drag and Drop option.

The following guidelines apply to importing artwork or images:

•  Do not import artwork that includes a compound intersecting path (such as a figure 8 or interlocking rings) to be extruded or revolved. Extruding or revolving a compound path will yield unpredictable results.

•  You can import artwork files into an Adobe Dimensions 3-D window or 2-D window, depending on which window is currently active when you use the File > Place command or the Copy and Paste commands or when you drag and drop.

•  When you import a file containing custom colors, the custom colors are imported into the Adobe Dimensions program. If imported artwork contains fill or stroke colors, when you convert the artwork to a 3-D object, the 3-D object takes on those paint attributes.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

To import artwork or images using the Place command:

To import artwork using the Copy and Paste commands:

To import artwork using the Drag and Drop option:

Opening documents

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


To import artwork or images using the Place command:

1  Choose one of the following options:

•  To import vector artwork, Open a 3-D window or a 2-D window, as described in Opening documents.

•  To import a bitmap image, select a 3-D object. Then choose Operations > Map Artwork to open a Mapped Artwork window.

2  Choose File > Place.

3  Select an artwork or image file in the Place dialog box and click Place.

Once you have imported the artwork or image, you can edit it in either the 3-D environment or the 2-D environment.

If you import artwork into a 2-D window, the artwork appears as it did in the original program. If you import artwork into a 3-D window, the artwork is displayed using the current Adobe Dimensions camera and render modes.

See also:

Importing artwork and images

To import artwork using the Copy and Paste commands:

To import artwork using the Drag and Drop option:


To import artwork using the Copy and Paste commands:

1  Launch another graphics application such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop and open a document.

2  Select the artwork or image to be imported, and choose Edit > Copy.

3  Open Adobe Dimensions.

4  Choose one of the following options:

•  To import vector artwork, Open a 3-D window or a 2-D window, as described in Opening documents.

•  To import a bitmap image, select a 3-D object. Then choose Operations > Map Artwork to open a Mapped Artwork window.

5  Choose Edit > Paste.

See also:

Importing artwork and images

To import artwork or images using the Place command:

To import artwork using the Drag and Drop option:


To import artwork using the Drag and Drop option:

1  Launch another graphics application such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop and open a document.

2  Select the artwork or image to be dragged from the originating application.

3  Launch Adobe Dimensions.

4  Choose one of the following options:

•  To import vector artwork, open a 3-D window or a 2-D window, as described in Opening documents. Then drag the selected artwork into the Adobe Dimensions window.

•  To import a bitmap image, select a 3-D object. Choose Operations > Map Artwork. Then drag the selected image into the Adobe Dimensions Mapped Artwork window.

See also:

Importing artwork and images

To import artwork or images using the Place command:

To import artwork using the Copy and Paste commands:


Using the Render Mode menu

The Render Mode menu appears on the far left of the menu bar at the top of the 3-D window. The Render Mode menu allows you to choose how artwork is rendered on your monitor and in output or export.

Rendering is the process by which 3-D attributes such as lighting, shading, and perspective are calculated and displayed. You can edit, output, or export artwork in any of the four modes described below. You must render artwork in PostScript or Raster mode to achieve high-quality color, lighting, and shading.

The following options are available in the Render Mode menu:

•  PostScript mode displays color, lighting, and shading properties by calculating PostScript language BŽzier curves similar to those used in vector-based drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand. PostScript mode should be used when rendering artwork for export to a vector-based drawing program.

•  Wireframe mode displays 3-D artwork as skeletal outlines, stroked with black and filled with None. Wireframe displays no lighting or shading properties. This mode is useful for precise positioning of objects, and is generally the fastest mode in which to edit.

•  Draft mode displays colors, lighting, and shading properties, but creates fewer blends than PostScript mode and therefore renders more quickly. Draft mode is useful for previewing color, lighting, and shading properties while editing artwork.

•  Raster mode renders artwork by converting vector artwork into a bitmap image similar to that created in an image-editing application such as Adobe Photoshop. Bitmap images use a raster, or grid, of small squares called pixels. Each pixel forms part of a mosaic that represents colors, lighting, and shading. Raster mode should be used when rendering artwork for export to an image-editing application.

You can select a Render mode by clicking in the Render Mode menu and dragging to select an option.

For more information about rendering artwork, see Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Using the Camera Mode menu

The Camera Mode menu appears on the menu bar at the top of the 3-D window, to the right of the Render Mode menu. The Camera Mode menu allows you to choose the camera angle from which objects in the workspace are viewed.

The Camera Mode options let you select one of 13 preset camera positions from which to view artwork. You can view 3-D artwork in an on-axis mode, perpendicular to the object’s front, back, left, right, top, or bottom surface. You can view artwork in an off-axis mode, at 30 degrees above the object’s front, back, left, right, top, or bottom surface. You can view artwork in isometric mode, at 45 degrees from the x, y, and z axes. You can also create custom camera positions. For more information about camera modes, see Viewing objects.

You can select a Camera mode by clicking in the Camera Mode menu and dragging to select an option. You can also select a Camera mode using the View > Camera Angles submenu.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

The View Mode pop-up menu in the Adobe Dimensions 2-D workspace allows you to choose the mode in which 2-D art is displayed. Edit Mode displays 2-D artwork as paths, with no fill or stroke colors, similar to Wireframe Mode in the 3-D workspace. Preview Mode displays a PostScript version of fill and stroke colors, similar to PostScript render mode in the 3-D window.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Using the status bar

The status bar shows information about the currently selected tool and the x, y, and z coordinates of your cursor. The status bar is located at the top of the work area (Macintosh) or at the bottom of the work area (Windows.)

•  The Information field displays the name of the selected tool or, in some cases, the action you will perform with the currently selected tool. For example, if you select the cube tool to draw a box, the Information bar displays “Cube: drag to size” to indicate that you should drag to create the desired size cube.

•  The X, Y, and Z Coordinates field shows the x, y, and z coordinates of the objects as you draw or manipulate them. You may want to note the x, y, and z values if you need to position objects precisely.

To display the status bar:

Choose Window > Show Info.

To hide the status bar:

Choose Window > Hide Info.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Scrolling within the hand tool

You can use the hand tool [image] to drag an object or objects around the Adobe Dimensions 2-D or 3-D window when you want to see part of an object that extends beyond the window.

To scroll in the 2-D or 3-D window with the hand tool:

1  Select the hand tool [image] in the 2-D or 3-D toolbox, or press and hold the spacebar with any other tool selected. The pointer becomes a hand when positioned anywhere inside the active window.

2  Drag the hand in the direction you want the image to scroll.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

Adobe Dimensions includes a zoom tool that lets you magnify or reduce your view of any area in your document. You can use the zoom tool to control how much of the document you see in the active window.

Each time you click the zoom tool in the document, the document is magnified or reduced. You can magnify artwork to 1600 percent of its actual size or reduce it to 6.25 percent of its actual size.

You can also use the zoom tool to instantly zoom in on a part of a drawing by dragging a selection marquee over the area that you want to enlarge.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

To magnify or reduce with the zoom tool:

To magnify part of an artwork file by dragging:

To zoom in or out while using another tool:

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows


To magnify or reduce with the zoom tool:

1  Select the zoom tool [image]. The pointer becomes a magnifying glass with a plus sign in its center, indicating that the zoom tool will magnify your view of the artwork.

To toggle between magnification and reduction on the zoom tool, press Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows). (The magnifying glass shows a minus sign at its center when in reduction mode.)

2  Position the magnifying glass in the center of the area that you want to magnify or reduce.

3  Click to zoom in or out. Continue clicking until the document is at the magnification level you want. When the document has reached its maximum magnification or reduction level, the magnifying glass appears blank.

See also:

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

To magnify part of an artwork file by dragging:

To zoom in or out while using another tool:


To magnify part of an artwork file by dragging:

1  Select the zoom tool [image].

2  Drag to draw a marquee around the area that you want to magnify.

See also:

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

To magnify or reduce with the zoom tool:

To zoom in or out while using another tool:


To zoom in or out while using another tool:

•  To enlarge your view while using another tool, hold Command+spacebar (Macintosh) or Ctrl+spacebar (Windows), and click in the work area. The display is enlarged. Release Command+spacebar/Ctrl+spacebar to access the previously selected tool.

•  To reduce your view while using another tool, hold Command+Option+spacebar (Macintosh) or Ctrl+Alt+spacebar (Windows) and click in the work area. The display is reduced. Release all three keys to access the previously selected tool.

See also:

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool

To magnify or reduce with the zoom tool:

To magnify part of an artwork file by dragging:


Switching between 3-D and 2-D windows

When you revolve or extrude 3-D objects in Adobe Dimensions, each object has one or more 2-D windows associated with it. A 2-D window can contain a base or profile path, mapped artwork, and so on. Adobe Dimensions provides a variety of ways to switch between the 3-D workspace and associated 2-D windows.

To switch between 3-D and 2-D windows:

Choose one of the following options:

•  Click a window if it is visible.

•  Choose the desired window from the Window menu.

•  While in a 3-D window, choose Window > Show Object Browser. Double-click the revolve icon, the extrude icon, or the mapped artwork icon next to an object to view the 2-D window associated with that object. For more information on using the Object Browser, see Using the Object Browser palette.

•  Select an extruded object in the 3-D window. Then choose Operations > Extrude and click Edit Base in the Extrude dialog box.

•  Select a revolved object in the 3-D window. Then choose Operations > Revolve and click Edit Profile in the Revolve dialog box.

•  Select a 3-D object and then select from the component windows in the Object Info pop-up menu.

See also:

Working with Adobe Dimensions documents

Opening documents

Importing artwork and images

Using the Render Mode menu

Using the Camera Mode menu

Using the View Mode pop-up menu in the 2-D workspace

Using the status bar

Scrolling within the hand tool

Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool


Displaying and selecting objects and components

Adobe Dimensions provides a variety of ways for you to display, select, position, and edit 2-D and 3-D objects.

The Hide Selection, Hide Others, and Show All commands in the Operations menu allow you to display or hide objects.

The Object Info menu at the lower left of the 3-D window lets you select the component parts of an object in the 3-D window.

For complex placement and editing tasks, the Object Browser provides the greatest flexibility. The Object Browser enables you to select, hide, lock, and otherwise manipulate objects and their component parts. For more information on the Object Browser, see Using the Object Browser palette.

Editing and manipulating objects are described in detail in the book’s final four chapters.

See also:

Basic Concepts

Using the Hide Selection, Hide Others, and Show All commands

Using the Object Info menu to select object components


Using the Hide Selection, Hide Others, and Show All commands

Hiding objects can aid the editing process by allowing you to display only those items you want to edit. This is useful if objects are close together or overlapping in a scene.

To hide objects:

1  Select one or more objects to hide with a selection tool.

2  Choose one of the following options:

•  Operations > Hide Selection to hide the selected object or objects.

•  Operations > Hide Others to hide the deselected objects.

To display all objects:

Choose Operations > Show All.

See also:

Displaying and selecting objects and components

Using the Object Info menu to select object components


Using the Object Info menu to select object components

When you select an object in the Adobe Dimensions 3-D window, you can open the 2-D window or dialog box associated with the object by using the Object Info menu at the bottom of the 3-D window.

To select object components using the Object Info menu:

1  Select an object in the 3-D workspace.

2  Click the Object Info menu and drag to select a component. The 2-D window or dialog box associated with the selected component appears.

See also:

Displaying and selecting objects and components

Using the Hide Selection, Hide Others, and Show All commands


Resizing the workspace

While you work, you can change the size of your work area so that it fits your screen display. By default, when you open a document, it is displayed at actual size in the work area.

To reduce your work area so that it fits your screen:

Choose View > Fit In Window or double-click the hand tool [image].

To display your work area at actual size:

Choose View > Actual Size or double-click the zoom tool [image].

See also:

Basic Concepts


Displaying keyboard shortcuts

The Adobe Dimensions program includes an on-screen list of keyboard shortcuts for the Adobe Dimensions commands that are not displayed in the menu bar.

To display the list of keyboard shortcuts:

Choose Balloon Help > Adobe Dimensions Shortcut (Macintosh) on the menu bar, or choose Help > Keyboard (Windows).

See also:

Basic Concepts


Changing your window preferences

You can change the way windows appear on-screen using the Window > Cascade Windows and Window > Tile Windows commands.

The Cascade Windows command arranges windows in a stack cascading from the upper left corner of the monitor screen toward the lower right corner, with the currently selected window topmost on the stack.

The Tile Windows command displays the current 3-D window on the left half of the screen and all of its corresponding 2-D windows edge-to-edge on the right side of the screen. The Tile Window command provides a convenient way to move back and forth between 2-D and 3-D windows. For example, if you want to see the effect of editing a 2-D base path on the corresponding 3-D artwork, you can use the Tile Windows command to display both windows simultaneously. You can also use the Tile Windows command when multiple 3-D windows are open.

See also:

Basic Concepts


Changing units of measure

By default, the unit of measure for any objects you draw is points (pt). You can globally change the unit of measure to inches, centimeters, or millimeters using the Preferences dialog box. The unit of measure is then updated in all appropriate dialog boxes.

To change the units of measure:

1  Choose File > Preferences.

2  Choose the desired unit of measure—inches (in), centimeters (cm), millimeters (mm), or points (pt) from the Units pop-up menu.

3  Click OK.

Note: You can enter a value with any unit of measure (in, cm, mm, or pt) and Adobe Dimensions will convert the value into the unit specified in Preferences.

See also:

Basic Concepts


Correcting mistakes

Several features help you correct mistakes you may make while using the Adobe Dimensions program.

You can use Edit > Undo to undo operations you have performed. You can repeat an action that was undone by choosing Edit > Redo. If an action cannot be undone or redone, the command will be dimmed.

The Adobe Dimensions program contains a multiple-level undo memory. The program retains the maximum number of undo operations supported by your system’s memory. You can reduce the minimum number of undo levels if you are using memory-intensive functions on your system. You change the number of undo levels with the Minimum Undo Levels box in the Preferences dialog box. The program will always save the minimum number of undo operations in memory.

To change the Minimum Undo level:

1  Choose File > Preferences.

2  Enter the minimum number of undo levels needed in the Minimum Undo Levels text box. The number must be between 1 and 1000. Click OK.

Note: Higher values of undo memory can affect the speed of the Adobe Dimensions program and its ability to render objects. If you notice a significant reduction in program speed, try reducing the minimum number of undo levels in the Preferences dialog box.

You can use File > Revert to retrieve the last saved version of the document. The Revert command reverts the active document to the last saved version of the document, undoing any changes made following the most recent save.

See also:

Basic Concepts


Rendering, exporting, and saving artwork

You can render artwork in PostScript, Wireframe, Draft, or Raster mode for final output or export to another application. To achieve high-quality color, lighting, and shading properties for output or export, you must render the artwork in PostScript or Raster mode.

You can export rendered artwork to other applications by choosing File > Export. Files can be exported in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator EPS, PICT, TIFF, Adobe Photoshop, or 3DMF file formats. You can also transfer artwork to other applications by using the Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste commands, or by using the Drag and Drop option.

You can save your Adobe Dimensions artwork to return to your file and continue working. To save your artwork, choose either File > Save or File > Save As. The document is saved with any lighting, color, and reflectance properties you have assigned.

See also:

Basic Concepts

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Creating 3-D Artwork

See also:

The 3-D toolbox

Drawing primitives

Revolving objects

Extruding objects

Beveling artwork

Making interpenetrating objects

Displaying and hiding rules for curved surfaces

Viewing objects

Generating sequences


The 3-D toolbox

When you are working in the 3-D window, the 3-D toolbox appears on the left of the screen. You can move the toolbox anywhere you like by dragging it to a new position; you can also make the toolbox visible or invisible on-screen.

If the toolbox is invisible, you can still use the last tool you selected. To regain access to all the tools, you must make the toolbox visible.

Besides the tools you see in the toolbox, several additional selection tools are not visible. The additional selection tools appear when you position the pointer over the selection tool with an arrowhead next to it (at the top right of the tool icon) and hold down the mouse button.

The Adobe Dimensions 3-D toolbox contains 17 tools:

The selection tools

Let you select objects or parts of objects and manipulate them in one or more planes by clicking or dragging. For information on using the selection tools, see Selecting and deselecting objects.

The zoom tool

Lets you magnify or reduce your view of your artwork. For information on using the zoom tool, see Magnifying and reducing with the zoom tool.

The hand tool

Works like the scroll bars and lets you adjust your view of the work area. For more information, see Scrolling within the hand tool.

The 3-D drawing tools

Include the cube [image], sphere [image], cone [image], and cylinder [image] drawing tools. You drag with the drawing tools to create a 3-D object manually, or you can use a dialog box to enter dimensions to create a 3-D object precisely. For more information, see Drawing primitives.

The 2-D artwork tool

Lets you open a new 2-D window in which to draw base images. You drag the 2-D artwork tool to create a 2-D window of a desired size. For more information, see Opening documents.

The page tool

Lets you adjust the printable page on-screen by dragging.

The scale tool

Lets you scale an object uni-formly or nonuniformly in the x, y, and z planes, either by dragging or by entering values in a dialog box. For information on scaling objects, see Scaling objects.

The trackball tools

Let you rotate an object around one or more of the x, y, and z axes either by dragging or by entering values in a dialog box. For information on rotating objects, see Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects.

To display or hide the toolbox:

Choose Window > Show Toolbox to show the toolbox; choose Window > Hide Toolbox to make a toolbox invisible.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork


Drawing primitives

Primitives are 3-D geometric objects—boxes, ellipsoids, cones, and cylinders—that you draw using Adobe Dimensions tools in the 3-D window. To draw primitives in Adobe Dimensions, you select a 3-D drawing tool and then drag to manually draw the 3-D object. You can also double-click the primitive tool or select the tool and click once in the 3-D window to display a dialog box and enter precise measurements for the object.

(To draw paths or to create type, you must use tools in the 2-D window or import images from another drawing program.)

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork

To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

To draw a 3-D object with precision:

To draw a cube or box precisely:

To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:

To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:


To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

1  Select a 3-D drawing tool in the toolbox.

2  In the work area, position the pointer where you want to draw the object. The pointer turns into a cross.

3  Drag to draw the 3-D object. As you drag, the height, width, and depth of the object appear in the status bar at the top of the work area (Macintosh) or the bottom of the work area (Windows.) Unless you view the object in an Off-Axis camera angle, the object appears “flat” or two-dimensional.

See also:

Drawing primitives

To draw a 3-D object with precision:

To draw a cube or box precisely:

To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:

To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:


To draw a 3-D object with precision:

1  Double-click a 3-D drawing tool in the toolbox if you want to draw an object in the center of the screen. To draw an object in a position other than the center of the screen, you can select a 3-D drawing tool, position the pointer on-screen where you want the object to appear, and click. A dialog box appears:

2  Specify the size and shape of the 3-D object you want to create.

See also:

Drawing primitives

To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

To draw a cube or box precisely:

To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:

To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:


To draw a cube or box precisely:

1  In the Cube dialog box, select one of the following options:

•  Uniform to draw a box with six equal sides. Then enter a value for the sides of the cube in the Uniform text box.

•  Arbitrary to draw a box with sides of different sizes. Then enter a value for the x (width), y (height), and z (depth) axes. You can vary the dimensions of each axis independently.

2  Click OK. The cube or box you specified appears on-screen.

See also:

Drawing primitives

To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

To draw a 3-D object with precision:

To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:

To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:


To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:

1  In the Sphere dialog box, select one of the following options:

•  Sphere to draw an ellipsoid with all points equidistant from the centerpoint. Then enter a value in the Radius field for the radius of the sphere.

•  Ellipsoid to draw a three-dimensional oval with points in a quadrant at different distances from the centerpoint. Then enter a value for the radius width in the X Radius field, enter a value for the radius height in the Y Radius field, and enter a value for the radius depth in the Z Radius field.

2  Click OK.

See also:

Drawing primitives

To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

To draw a 3-D object with precision:

To draw a cube or box precisely:

To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:


To draw a cone or cylinder precisely:

1  Choose one of the following options in the Cone or Cylinder dialog box:

•  Cone or Cylinder to draw a cone or cylinder with a circular base. Then enter a value for the height and radius.

•  Elliptical Cone or Elliptical Cylinder to draw a cone or cylinder with an elliptical base. Then enter a value for the height; enter a radius value in the X Radius field for the width of the base; and enter a radius value in the Z Radius field for the depth of the base.

2  Click OK.

See also:

Drawing primitives

To draw a 3-D object by dragging:

To draw a 3-D object with precision:

To draw a cube or box precisely:

To draw a sphere or ellipsoid precisely:


Revolving objects

One way to convert 2-D artwork into a 3-D object is by revolving the artwork. Revolving turns a 2-D object around an axis to create a 3-D object.

You can revolve open or closed 2-D paths to create a 3-D object; however, the path should not intersect itself at any point. You may want to experiment with different shapes and objects to see what effects you can create.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork

Revolving 2-D artwork

Using guides when revolving artwork


Revolving 2-D artwork

You revolve 2-D artwork using the Revolve dialog box. You can create your 2-D artwork either before or after you choose the Revolve command. The 2-D artwork to be revolved is called a profile.

See also:

Revolving objects

To revolve artwork:

To set options in the Revolve dialog box:

Using guides when revolving artwork


To revolve artwork:

1  Choose Operations > Revolve.

2  Click New Profile.

3  Create a guide around which you will revolve the artwork. For instructions, see Using guides when revolving artwork.

4  Create a 2-D profile using one of the following options:

•  Draw the 2-D profile you want to revolve using a 2-D drawing tool. (See Using the 2-D toolbox for information on creating 2-D artwork.)

•  Import artwork into the 2-D environment using the File > Place command.

•  Import artwork into the 2-D window using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands.

•  Drag artwork from another application and drop it into Adobe Streamline.

5  Set options in the Revolve dialog box for revolving the profile as described in To set options in the Revolve dialog box:.

6  Click Apply in the 2-D window or click Apply in the Revolve dialog box to revolve.

See also:

Revolving 2-D artwork

To set options in the Revolve dialog box:


To set options in the Revolve dialog box:

1  With a profile selected, choose Operations > Revolve.

2  Enter the number of degrees you want to revolve your profile. You can enter a value from 0 to +360 or -360 degrees; a positive value revolves an object counterclockwise, and a negative value revolves an object clockwise. An object revolved 360 degrees appears solid.

3  Choose one of two Caps options:

•  No Caps leaves any open paths open and creates a 3-D object much like a skin. The No Caps option does not affect closed paths.

•  Caps (the default) draws a straight line across any openings back to the center in a pie-shaped wedge; if the object is partially revolved, the Caps option creates a solid 3-D section.

4  Enter a name in the Name text box. The name you assign appears at the top of the profile window, in the Object Info pop-up menu, and in the Object Browser.

5  Click Apply.

See also:

Revolving 2-D artwork

To revolve artwork:


Using guides when revolving artwork

When preparing your 2-D artwork for revolving, you should add a guide around which the artwork will be revolved. A guide is a path that you define as the axis around which the 2-D artwork is revolved.

The following rules apply when revolving artwork around a guide:

•  If you do not define a guide as an axis of revolution, Adobe Dimensions revolves the artwork around the y axis that intersects the leftmost point of the revolved path.

•  If the path touches the guide, revolving will create a sealed 3-D object.

•  If the path you create crosses the guide, the path will be split and both paths will be revolved.

•  If the guide does not touch the path and the path is open, you can choose whether to create a sealed 3-D object using the Caps option or to keep the object open in the center by selecting the No Caps option.

•  If the path is closed, revolving it with a guide will create a sealed 3-D object.

To convert a path into a guide:

1  Open a 2-D window in the Adobe Dimensions program.

2  Draw a path using the pen tool, or select an existing path using a selection tool.

3  With the path selected, choose Artwork > Guides > Make. The selected path becomes a guide, indicated by the dotted lines.

To release a guide:

1  Select the guide you want to release with a selection tool.

2  Choose Artwork > Guides > Release.

See also:

Revolving objects

Revolving 2-D artwork


Extruding objects

You can also convert a 2-D path into 3-D artwork by extruding a base image—that is, adding depth to its boundaries. Extruding extends a 2-D shape along its z axis, to add depth. You can extrude any graphic object—open paths, symmetrical or asymmetrical objects, type, graphs, and so on. However, you cannot extrude a 3-D object.

Although you can extrude some compound paths, intersecting paths (such as a figure 8 or interlocking rings) may not render correctly when extruded.

You extrude 2-D objects using the Extrude dialog box. You can create your 2-D artwork either before or after you choose the Extrude command. The 2-D artwork that is to be extruded is called the base.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork

To extrude artwork:

To set options in the Extrude dialog box:


To extrude artwork:

1  Choose Operations > Extrude.

2  Click New Base to display a 2-D window.

3  Create a 2-D base using one of the following options:

•  Draw the 2-D base you want to extrude using a 2-D drawing tool. (See Using the 2-D toolbox for information on creating 2-D artwork.)

•  Import artwork into the 2-D environment by choosing File > Place.

•  Import artwork into the 2-D window using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands.

•  Drag artwork from another application and drop it into Adobe Dimensions.

4  Set options in the Extrude dialog box for extruding the base as described in To set options in the Extrude dialog box:.

5  Click Apply in the 2-D window or click Apply in the Extrude dialog box to extrude.

See also:

Extruding objects

To set options in the Extrude dialog box:


To set options in the Extrude dialog box:

1  Choose Operations > Extrude to create a new base as described in To extrude artwork: , or select a base to edit and choose Operations > Extrude.

2  Accept the default Depth of 50 points, or enter a new Depth value to specify an exact amount by which to increase the depth of the object.

3  If desired, select a bevel as described in Beveling artwork. If you have selected a bevel for your artwork, select one of two beveling options in the Extent box:

•  Select the left Extent option (the default) to carve the bevel into the artwork’s surfaces as it is applied.

•  Select the right Extent option to add the bevel to the object’s surface.

Note: You must select or draw a bevel to be able to use the Extent option. For information on how to choose a bevel, see Beveling artwork.

4  Choose one of two options:

•  No Caps (left) to cover the surfaces created by the extrusion, but not the front or the back of the object.

•  Caps (right, the default) to fill the 3-D image, including the front and back, creating a solid object.

5  Click Apply in the 2-D window on the Extrude dialog box to extrude the object.

See also:

Extruding objects

To extrude artwork:


Beveling artwork

At the same time you extrude a 2-D shape to add depth, you can apply a bevel. If you apply a bevel as you extrude an object, the bevel sweeps along the object’s boundaries and either carves from the surface or adds to the surface to create a three-dimensional edge in the shape of the bevel.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Applying bevels to extruded artwork

A bevel is applied along the depth axis of an extruded object. The bevel’s vertical height is equal to the depth axis of the object. The bevel carves (or builds up) the front face, the back face, and depending on the shape of the bevel, the sides of the object.

For example, if you extrude an object with a Depth setting of 50 points, the depth axis of the bevel will be scaled proportionately to 50 points.

If the depth value for the size of the bevel is too large, the edges carved by the bevel can overlap, causing a warning message. (For more information, see Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping.)

See also:

Beveling artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

When you extrude and bevel an object, you can use a bevel from the library of bevels included in the Adobe Dimensions package, or you can create your own bevel. For instructions on how to create a new bevel, see Drawing a customized bevel. For instructions on how to edit a bevel, see Editing an existing bevel.

The Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library contains straight and curved line segments at various angles and lengths. The filename indicates the type of line. The bevels include arcs, bulges, lines with segments set at an angle, jagged lines, wavy lines, rolling and rounded lines, and a combination of straight and curved lines (called complex bevels).

The Bevel Library is located in the Bevel Library folder within the Adobe Dimensions Program folder.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

When you select a bevel from the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library, the bevel is placed in its own 2-D window. You can edit the bevel if necessary, and then apply it to the 3-D artwork by clicking Apply in the Extrude dialog box.

To select a bevel from the Bevel Library:

1  Create or import the 2-D artwork to be beveled and extruded using one of the methods described in Extruding objects.

2  Click New Bevel in the Extrude dialog box to display the Bevel dialog box and the contents of the Bevel Library.

3  Click the bevel you want.

4  Click Import. The bevel profile appears in the 2-D Bevel window.

5  Edit the bevel, if desired, using tools in the 2-D toolbox.

6  Apply the bevel as described in Applying bevels to extruded artwork.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Drawing a customized bevel

You can create a customized bevel by either selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library (as described in Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library) and editing it, or by drawing a new bevel. Any new bevel you draw must be a single open path (not a closed path).

To draw a new bevel:

1  Create or import the 2-D artwork to be beveled and extruded using one of the methods described in Extruding objects.

2  Click New Bevel.

3  Click New in the Bevel dialog box. A 2-D Bevel window appears.

4  Use the 2-D drawing tools to draw a bevel. To prevent overlapping edges when extruded, the length (depth axis) of the bevel should be approximately the same as the depth of the extrusion.

5  Apply the bevel as described in Applying bevels to extruded artwork.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

To apply a bevel:

1  Select the bevel to be applied either by using the Bevel Library or by creating a new bevel.

2  Specify a Depth value for the bevel in the Extrude dialog box.

Note: The greater the Depth value, the larger the bevel is scaled and the more likely that beveled surfaces will overlap.

3  Choose one of the following options:

•  Extent (left) to carve the bevel into the artwork’s surfaces as it is applied. This is the default option.

•  Extent (right) to add the bevel to the object’s surface.

Note: If a warning appears because the bevel intersects itself, you should cancel the operation, and follow the instructions in Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping.

4  Choose one of the following options:

•  No Caps (left) to cover the surfaces created by the extrusion, but not the front or the back of the object.

•  Caps (right) to fill the 3-D image, including the front and back, creating a solid object. This is the default option.

5  Select a bevel as described in Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library; or draw a new bevel as described in Drawing a customized bevel .

6  Click Apply.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Editing an existing bevel

You can edit an existing bevel using the Edit Bevel option in the Extrude dialog box. When you edit a bevel, it must remain an open path; a closed path cannot be used as a bevel.

To edit an existing bevel:

1  Select the extruded 3-D object to be edited.

2  Choose Operations > Extrude.

3  Click Edit Bevel. The bevel window appears, displaying the current bevel at its center.

4  Edit the bevel using the 2-D drawing tools.

5  Apply the bevel as described in Applying bevels to extruded artwork.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Saving custom bevels

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Saving custom bevels

You can save a custom bevel for reuse later.

To save a custom bevel:

1  With the 2-D bevel window active, choose File > Export.

2  Locate the Bevel Library folder, or create a new folder.

3  Enter a name for the bevel in the Export to text field. Choose a file format from the Format pop-up menu. Then click Export. Adobe Dimensions creates a file with the 2-D bevel path, and saves the custom bevel in the folder.

When beveling objects later, you can open the custom bevel in the Bevel Library, or import the bevel by choosing File > Place.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping


Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping

Adobe Dimensions scales bevels uniformly according to the depth you specify to fit the new surface created by the extrusion. Beveled surfaces may overlap if the bevel carves deeper than half the smallest dimension (either height or width) of the 2-D shape being extruded and beveled. Overlapping surfaces create a “candy-wrapper” effect, and result in a warning when you apply the bevel.

The thinner the 2-D object and the deeper the bevel carves, the more likely that the bevel will intersect itself.

To avoid an overlapping bevel, you can do any of the following:

•  Decrease the Depth value in the Extrude dialog box.

•  Select the right Extent option in the Extrude dialog box to build the bevel up on the 2-D base, rather than carving into it.

•  Edit the bevel to make it longer without increasing the carving depth. (The bevel’s length (depth axis) should be about the same as the Depth value in the Extrude dialog box.)

You may have to make all three changes to achieve the desired effect. After beveling a surface, you can increase the depth of the bevel and of the 3-D object by scaling the 3-D object nonuniformly.

See also:

Beveling artwork

Applying bevels to extruded artwork

Using the Adobe Dimensions Bevel Library

Selecting a bevel from the Bevel Library

Drawing a customized bevel

Applying Bevels to Extruded Artwork

Editing an existing bevel

Saving custom bevels


Making interpenetrating objects

Adobe Dimensions allows you to make interpenetrating 3-D objects (objects that overlap in space). You can color, shade, and map artwork to interpenetrating objects as you would separate objects. You can also group interpenetrated objects to select them as a single object with the selection tool.

You can create interpenetrating objects in many ways. Two ways, using the Transform commands and the selection tool, are described below.

Note: Interpenetrating objects can require large amounts of memory and can create very large files when rendered in PostScript mode. If you are unable to render or output interpenetrated objects, try recreating the object with abutting, rather than interpenetrating, components.

To make interpenetrating objects using the selection tool and the Transform commands:

1  Use the selection tool [image] to select an object to be interpenetrated, and choose one of the following methods:

•  Choose Operations > Transform > and select Move, Transform, or Rotate. Choose Absolute or Relative coordinates, enter values in the X, Y, and Z fields to position a copy of the object, then click Copy. For more information on using the Operations > Transform commands, see Transforming objects.

•  Use the selection tool [image] to reposition the selected object to interpenetrate with another object.

2  Change the camera angle or custom camera position to view the objects from different positions. Use the selection tool to adjust the positions of the objects as necessary.

3  Repeat steps 1 and 2 to interpenetrate more objects as necessary.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork


Displaying and hiding rules for curved surfaces

By default, Adobe Dimensions adds rules to curved surfaces in Wireframe mode so that you can more easily visualize the 3-D geometry. The rules remain visible so long as the Ruled Surfaces option in the Preferences dialog box is selected. However, you may want to hide the rules so that you see the minimum number of segments drawn by the 3-D drawing tool.To do so, you deselect the Ruled Surfaces option.

For example, when the Ruled Surfaces option is turned on, 12 segments define the curved surface of a cylinder or cone, and 12 y-axis segments and 6 x-axis segments describe the curved surface ofa sphere or ellipsoid; when the Ruled Surfaces option is turned off, three segments delineate the curved surface of a cylinder, cone, sphere, or ellipsoid.

The Ruled Surfaces option is intended only for curved surfaces, to provide more information about the object’s shape. Rules cannot be selected or manipulated in any way.

To turn on or turn off the Ruled Surfaces option:

1  Choose File > Preferences.

2  Select or deselect the Ruled Surfaces option and click OK.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork


Viewing objects

You can change your view of 3-D objects by choosing one of 13 preset camera angles, or by creating custom camera positions that designate latitude, longitude, perspective, and roll. You can change the view or camera position as often as you want, in any render mode.

By changing camera angle or camera position, you can see different parts of an object or the object’s position relative to other objects without having to rotate or reposition objects. Viewing objects from different angles also makes it easier to align the objects and position them in space as desired. For example, if you want to see how a partially hidden label wraps around an object viewed from the front, you can change the camera angle to the left.

Changing the view does not alter the objects or lighting in any way; only your viewing position changes.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork

Selecting a camera angle

Creating custom camera positions

Saving and naming custom camera settings


Selecting a camera angle

You can choose from 13 preset camera angles listed in the View > Camera Angles submenu and the Camera Mode pop-up menu. (See Using the Render Mode menu for more information about the Camera Mode pop-up menu.) To use the Custom camera angle in the Camera Mode pop-up menu, create a custom camera position by choosing Window > Show Camera and making adjustments in the Camera dialog box. For information about custom views, see Creating custom camera positions.

Six of the preset camera angles provide an on-axis view, perpendicular to either the height, width, or depth plane. When you choose one of these views, objects appear flat and two-dimensional. Curved surfaces appear slightly modeled in Draft, PostScript, or Raster Render mode.

Seven of the preset camera angles provide an off-axis view, 30 degrees off the height, width, or depth plane. When you choose one of these views, objects appear three-dimensional in any view mode.

By default, Adobe Dimensions provides an Off-Axis Front camera angle of the work area, which lets you view artwork at a 30-degree angle above and to the left of the artwork. You can change the default using the Default View Angle text box in the Preferences dialog box.

The 13 preset camera angles portray objects relative to the x, y, and z axes as follows:

•  Front view or Back view displays the x axis and the y axis, or the width and height of the object, from either the front or back.

•  Left view or Right view displays the y axis and the z axis, or the height and depth of the object, from either the left or right.

•  Top view or Bottom view displays the x axis and the z axis, or the width and depth of the object, from either the top or bottom.

The following options give a 3-D, off-axis view:

•  Off-Axis Front view, the default, displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees above and to the left of the front of an object.

•  Off-Axis Back view displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees above and to the left of the back of an object.

•  Off-Axis Left view displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees above and to the left of the left side of an object.

•  Off-Axis Right view displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees above and to the right of the right side of an object.

•  Off-Axis Top view displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees above and to the left of the top of an object.

•  Off-Axis Bottom view displays an object as if it were being viewed from 30 degrees below and to the right of the bottom of an object.

•  Isometric view displays an object as if it were being viewed from a point at a 45-degree angle from the x, y, and z axes.

To change the camera angle in the current 3-D window:

Choose one of the following options:

•  Select a camera angle from the Camera Mode pop-up menu at the top of the 3-D window.

•  Choose View > Camera Angles and select a camera angle from the submenu.

To change the default view angle:

1  Choose File > Preferences.

2  Choose the view angle you want from the Default View Angle pop-up menu.

3  Click OK. The setting remains in effect for all new documents until you change it.

See also:

Viewing objects

Creating custom camera positions

Saving and naming custom camera settings


Creating custom camera positions

In addition to the 13 camera angle options provided, you can create custom camera positions using the Window > Show Camera dialog box. Four options in the dialog box allow you to move the camera to any position on a sphere surrounding the objects you are viewing:

•  Lens adjusts the perspective, or depth, of view. You can adjust the lens from 0 to 160 degrees. A smaller lens angle is similar to a telephoto camera lens. A larger lens angle is similar to a wide-angle camera lens.

Note: With off-axis views, a lens angle higher than 150 degrees may result in objects extending beyond the monitor plane. Adobe Dimensions clips any portion of an object extending beyond the monitor plane, so paths in the object appear to be cut off.

•  Longitude adjusts the position of the camera around the y axis of a sphere surrounding the object, similar to moving the camera across the lines of longitude on a globe. At 0 degrees, you view the object directly from the front. You can adjust the longitude from -180 degrees (moving the view clockwise) to 180 degrees (moving the view counterclockwise).

•  Latitude adjusts the position of the camera around the x axis of a sphere surrounding the object, similar to moving the camera across the lines of latitude on a globe. At 0 degrees, you view the object directly on the equatorial plane on a sphere surrounding the object. You can adjust the longitude from -90 degrees (to view from the bottom of a sphere surrounding the object—the south pole of a globe) to 90 degrees (to view from the top of a sphere surrounding the object—the north pole of a globe).

•  Roll adjusts the position of the camera relative to the z axis of a sphere surrounding the object. The degree of roll is similar to the tilt of the axis of a globe. At 0 degrees the camera aligns with the x and y axes of the object, and the object has no tilt. You can adjust the roll from -180 degrees (rolling the view counterclockwise as the object appears to tilt to the right until it’s upside down) to 180 degrees (rolling the view clockwise until the object appears to tilt to the left until it’s upside down).

To create a custom camera position:

1  Choose Window > Show Camera.

2  Use the slider bars or enter values in the text fields to adjust Lens, Longitude, Latitude, and Roll as described:

•  Choose a Lens angle between 0 degrees (for no perspective) and 160 degrees (for a wide-angle perspective).

•  Choose a Longitude angle between -180 degrees (to move counterclockwise around the object) and 180 degrees (to move clockwise).

•  Choose a Latitude angle between -90 degrees (to move the camera toward the bottom of the object) and 90 degrees (to move the camera toward the top of the object).

•  Choose a Roll angle between -180 degrees (to tilt the camera left) and 180 degrees (to tilt the camera right).

See also:

Viewing objects

Selecting a camera angle

Saving and naming custom camera settings


Saving and naming custom camera settings

Use the Custom Camera List dialog box to name and save custom camera settings you create. This provides an easy way to reuse a camera setting repeatedly within the same file.

To save camera settings:

1  Choose View > Custom Camera List.

In the Custom Camera List dialog box, text fields for Lens, Longitude, Latitude, and Roll indicate the current settings for the camera position.

2  Check that the settings are all at the level you want. Enter new values in the text fields if needed.

3  In the Name text field, enter a name for the custom camera position.

4  Click Save to add the name to the Camera List scroll box.

5  Click OK.

To apply a saved camera setting:

1  Choose View > Custom Camera List.

2  Select a custom camera name in the scroll box. (Only those camera settings created within the currently active file appear.) The camera view adjusts to reflect the selected camera position.

3  Click OK.

To delete a saved camera setting:

1  Choose View > Custom Camera List.

2  Select a camera position name in the scroll box. The camera view adjusts to reflect the selected camera position.

3  Click Delete.

4  Select another camera position using the custom camera scroll box, the Camera Mode pop-up menu, or the Show Camera dialog box.

See also:

Viewing objects

Selecting a camera angle

Creating custom camera positions


Generating sequences

The Generate Sequence command creates a sequence of Adobe Illustrator files that can be used in various applications including Adobe Premiere, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. You can use a sequence in simple animation or in artwork where you want to control how objects appear in space in relation to each other when moved and manipulated.

A sequence is a series of transformations between the starting point, or original position of an object, and the ending point of the object after it has been transformed. You can place each frame of the sequence in separate, numbered files; or you can place all of the frames in the sequence in a single file.

Note: The generated sequences require the multiple of disk space of the original file. So, for example, if your original previewed file is 15K and you generate a sequence of 10 frames, your series will require 150K of disk space.

To generate a sequence of files:

1  Select the object or objects that will be used in the sequence. If you select more than one object, the objects will be treated as a group. If you plan to output the sequence to a single file, the artwork must be in Wireframe or PostScript render mode.

2  Choose Operations > Generate Sequence. This marks the starting point of the objects in the sequence.

3  Click OK.

Note: To cancel the Generate Sequence command, you must choose Operations > End Sequence, and either click No in the warning dialog box if you have not transformed the object or click Cancel in the Sequence dialog box.

4  Manipulate or position the object as you would like it to appear at the ending point of the sequence. You can move, rotate, and scale the object.

5  Choose Operations > End Sequence. This action sets the manipulated or repositioned object as the last in the sequence.

When generating a sequence, the Adobe Dimensions program calculates the shortest distance between objects. So, to rotate an object 360 degrees in any direction, you must perform four separate sequences, each of which rotates the object 90 degrees, with the Leave Object in Original Position option and Output Frames to a Single File option deselected. The program appends the second sequence numbers to those of the first, and so on, when it creates its series of files.

6  Enter the beginning frame number in the Starting Frame Number field. By default, the sequence is numbered beginning with 0.

7  Enter the number of frames you will generate in the Number of Frames field. The default is 24 frames.

If you are creating a sequence of frames for use in the Adobe Premiere program, the number you enter should correspond to the time base set in the Adobe Premiere project (24, 25, or 30 frames per second). For more information, see the Adobe Premiere User Guide.

8  Choose a file format for the sequence from the File Type pop-up menu.

9  To place the frames in separate files, in the Filename Prefix field either accept the default name of Sequence, or enter a new name for the sequence. By default, the sequence number is appended to the name as Sequence.000, Sequence.001, and so on. (To change the sequence number, use the Starting Frame Number field, as described in step 6.)

10  To leave the object in its original (starting) position after generating the sequence, check the Leave Object in Original Position option.

11  To place all frames in a single file, select the Output Frames to a Single File option.

12  Click Generate.

13  Choose one of the following options:

•  If you are a generating a sequence that will be placed in separate files, select or create a folder for the generated sequence. Then click Select Folder Name, where Folder Name is the name of the selected folder. In the Export Image Resolution dialog box, enter values for the Width, Height, and Resolution, and select units of measure for those attributes, if desired. Click the Constrain Proportion checkbox to maintain image proportions as you change its size. Then click OK.

•  If you are generating a sequence that will be placed in a single file, select or create a folder for the generated sequence. Name the file in the Export To text field. Then click Export.

A progress bar appears as the sequence is generated.

14  To open a file generated by the sequence, choose one of two options:

•  Open the file in the appropriate graphics application.

•  Import the file into an Adobe Dimensions document and click Convert. The artwork will not be 3-D, but 2-D like other artwork imported into the Adobe Dimensions program.

The file with the corresponding sequence appears on-screen.

See also:

Creating 3-D Artwork


Creating 2-D Artwork

See also:

Creating or opening a 2-D window

Choosing a view mode

How Adobe Dimensions draws 2-D objects

Applying 2-D artwork to the 3-D environment

Drawing rectangles and ovals

Drawing with the pen tool

Adjusting path segments

Using compound paths

Using the type tool to create type

Editing type

Converting type to editable path outlines

Working with masks


Creating or opening a 2-D window

When you start Adobe Dimensions, the 3-D environment is the default environment. If you want to create 2-D artwork or import 2-D artwork from another application and edit it in Adobe Dimensions, you need to create a 2-D window in which to work.

To create or open a 2-D window:

Choose one of the following options:

•  To work with a base to be extruded, choose Operations > Extrude and click New Base (or click Edit Base if you have selected a 3-D object with an existing 2-D base).

•  To work with a 2-D profile to be revolved, choose Operations > Revolve and click New Profile (or click Edit Profile if you have selected a 3-D object with an existing 2-D profile).

•  Select the 2-D artwork tool [image]. Drag within the 3-D window to define a 2-D artwork window.

•  Double-click the 2-D artwork tool [image].

•  Choose Artwork > New Artwork.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

Using the 2-D toolbox

Showing and hiding the toolbox


Using the 2-D toolbox

When you work in the 2-D window, the 2-D toolbox appears on the left of the screen.

Additional tools appear when you position the pointer over a tool icon with an arrowhead next to it and hold down the mouse button.

The Adobe Dimensions 2-D toolbox contains 17 tools. The following tools have functions that differ from those in the 3-D toolbox:

•  The pen tool [image] lets you draw straight lines and smooth curves.

•  The scissors tool [image] lets you split a path into two distinct paths.

•  The add-anchor-point tool [image] and the delete-anchor-point tool [image] let you add and remove anchor points.

•  The convert-direction-point tool [image] lets you change an anchor point from a corner point to a smooth point and vice versa.

•  The rectangle tool [image], oval tool [image], and round-cornered rectangle tool [image] let you draw these objects by dragging.

•  The type tool [image] lets you create type and select type for editing.

•  The scale tool [image] lets you scale a 2-D object uniformly or nonuniformly either by dragging or by entering values in a dialog box.

•  The rotate tool [image] lets you rotate an object either by dragging or by entering values in a dialog box.

•  The page tool [image] lets you adjust the placement of the current 2-D page.

See also:

Creating or opening a 2-D window

Showing and hiding the toolbox


Showing and hiding the toolbox

The Show Toolbox and Hide Toolbox commands in the Window menu control whether a toolbox is visible or invisible. If the toolbox is invisible, you can still use the last tool you selected. To regain access to all the tools, you must make the toolbox visible.

To show or hide a toolbox:

Choose Window > Show Toolbox or Window > Hide Toolbox.

See also:

Creating or opening a 2-D window

Using the 2-D toolbox


Choosing a view mode

Adobe Dimensions provides two view modes in the 2-D workspace, Edit and Preview. Edit mode is similar to Wireframe mode in the 3-D workspace. Objects appear as paths only, with no stroke or fill colors or other surface properties. Editing and working with objects is faster in Edit mode.

Preview mode is similar to Draft mode in the 3-D workspace. Colors are displayed in draft PostScript blends for you to preview; however, colors are not rendered. To render colors and other surface properties for output or export, you must choose a render mode in the 3-D workspace.

To select a view mode:

Choose one of the following options:

•  Choose View > Edit or View > Preview.

•  Choose Edit or Preview from the View Mode pop-up menu in the upper left corner of the 2-D workspace.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


How Adobe Dimensions draws 2-D objects

Adobe Dimensions defines all 2-D objects as paths consisting of a width (the x or horizontal axis) and a height (the y or vertical axis).

A path is any line or shape that you create using the drawing tools. A path consists of one or more segments. Anchor points define where each segment of a path starts and ends. The first and last anchor points on an open path are called the endpoints. If an anchor point is solid, the anchor point itself is selected and can be moved with the direct-selection tool. If two consecutive anchor points are hollow and the direction lines are showing, the segment can be adjusted with the direct-selection tool.

Segment and path types are as follows:

Note: In the 2-D environment, segment refers to part of an open or closed path bounded by anchor points; in the 3-D environment, segment refers to part of a 3-D surface bounded by anchor points.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


Applying 2-D artwork to the 3-D environment

After drawing or importing artwork in a 2-D window, you apply the artwork to the 3-D environment using the Apply button in the 2-D window. To revolve or extrude 2-D artwork from the Revolve or Extrude 2-D window, click Apply in either of those windows.

After artwork has been applied to the 3-D environment, it can be manipulated with 3-D tools and commands.

If you have applied 2-D artwork to the 3-D environment without extruding it or revolving it, you can return to the 2-D environment to edit the artwork by selecting Artwork > Edit Artwork.

You can edit the profile or base of revolved or extruded artwork by using the Operations > Revolve or Operations > Extrude command. .

To edit 2-D artwork that is not revolved or extruded:

1  Select an object in the 3-D environment that has not been revolved or extruded.

2  Choose Artwork > Edit Artwork.

3  Edit the artwork using tools in the 2-D toolbox.

4  Click Apply to apply the artwork to the 3-D environment.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


Drawing rectangles and ovals

Adobe Dimensions provides a rectangle tool, rounded-rectangle tool, and oval tool that can draw a rectangle, rounded-rectangle, or oval from the center or from the edge:

To create a rectangle, rounded-rectangle, or oval by dragging from an edge:

1  In the 2-D environment, select the rectangle tool [image], the rounded-rectangle tool [image], or the oval tool [image].

2  Position the cursor at one corner or edge of the shape you want to create, and drag to the opposite corner or edge. To constrain the shape to a square or circle, hold down the Shift key as you drag.

To create a rectangle, rounded-rectangle, or oval by dragging from the center:

1  Select the rectangle tool [image], the rounded-rectangle tool [image], or the oval tool [image] and position the cursor at the center of the shape you want to create.

2  Hold Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) and drag diagonally to any corner or edge. To constrain the shape to a square or circle, hold down the Shift key as you drag.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


Drawing with the pen tool

The pen tool lets you create straight lines and smooth, flowing curves. You can use the pen tool to create paths and to edit existing paths.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

Drawing straight lines

About direction lines and direction points

Drawing curves


Drawing straight lines

The simplest kind of line you can draw with the pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the pen tool to create anchor points.

To draw straight lines with the pen tool:

1  In the 2-D environment, select the pen tool [image].

2  Move the tip of the pen point to where you want the straight line to begin, and click. A solid square appears. This is an anchor point, and it is selected until you define the next point.

3  Click again where you want the first segment of the straight line to end. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the angle of the line to multiples of 45 degrees.

4  Continue clicking to create additional straight lines.

The last anchor point added is always a solid square, which indicates that it is selected. Previously defined anchor points become hollow squares as you add further anchor points.

To end an open path:

Choose one of the following options:

•  Click the pen tool [image] in the toolbox.

•  Hold down Command (Macintosh) or Ctrl (Windows) to change to the selection tool [image], and then click anywhere away from the path.

•  Choose Edit > Deselect All.

•  Select a different tool.

To close a path:

Click the first anchor point. A closed circle appears next to the pen tip when the pen is positioned correctly to close the path. A segment joins the last and first anchor points.

See also:

Drawing with the pen tool

About direction lines and direction points

Drawing curves


About direction lines and direction points

Before you draw and modify curved lines with the pen tool, it is important to know about two elements that are associated with anchor points on curves. On curved segments, each selected anchor point displays one or two direction lines, ending in direction points. The position of each direction line and point determines the size and shape of a curved segment. Moving these elements reshapes the curves in a path.

The direction lines are always tangent to (touching) the curve at the anchor points.The slope of each direction line determines the slope of the curve, while the length of each direction line determines the height, or depth, of the curve.

Continuous curved paths—that is, paths along a continuous wave shape—are connected by anchor points called smooth points. Noncontinuous curved paths are connected by corner points.

When you move a direction line on a smooth point, the curves on both sides of the point adjust simultaneously. In comparison, when you move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on the same side of the point as the direction line is adjusted.

See also:

Drawing with the pen tool

Drawing straight lines

Drawing curves


Drawing curves

You create curves by dragging the pen tool in the direction you want the curve to go. The following instructions explain how to draw curves.

To draw a curved path:

1  In the 2-D environment, select the pen tool [image].

2  Position the pen tip where you want the curve to begin. Hold down the mouse button. The first anchor point appears, and the pen tip changes to an arrowhead.

3  Drag in the direction you want the curve segment to be drawn. As you drag, the pointer leads one of two direction points.

The length and slope of the direction line determine the shape of the curve. You can adjust one or both sides of the direction line later.

Release the mouse button when the direction line is the length you desire.

4  Position the pointer where you want the curve segment to end, press the mouse button, and drag in the opposite direction to complete the segment. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45 degrees. Release the mouse button when the curve is the shape you desire.

5  Choose one of the following options:

•  To draw the next segment of a continuous curve, position the pointer where you want the next segment to end, and drag away from the curve.

•  To change the direction of the curve and create a noncontinuous curve, position the pointer on the last anchor point, hold down Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows), and hold down the mouse button to set a corner point; then drag in the direction of the curve. Release Option/Alt and the mouse button, reposition the pointer, and drag in the opposite direction to complete the curve segment.

Keep the following guidelines in mind to help you draw any kind of curve quickly and easily:

•  Always drag the first direction point in the direction of the bump of the curve, and drag the second direction point in the opposite direction to create a single curve. Dragging both direction points in the same direction creates an “S” curve.

•  When drawing a series of continuous curves, draw one curve at a time, placing anchor points at the beginning and end of each curve, not at the tip of the curve. Use as few anchor points as possible, placing them as far apart as possible.

See also:

Drawing with the pen tool

Drawing straight lines

About direction lines and direction points


Adjusting path segments

You can modify the shape of a path by moving one or more of its segments, or by moving its anchor points. To adjust a curved segment, you move the segment between the points anchoring it, or you move one or more of its anchor or direction points.

You can also adjust a path by converting smooth points to corner points and vice versa. For more information, see About direction lines and direction points.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


To move a curved segment (without changing
its slope):

1  Use the direct-selection tool [image] to select the points or segments you want to move. To move a curved segment, Shift-click to select the points anchoring the curve.

2  Drag the selected anchor points or segments to a new position. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the angle of movement to multiples of 45 degrees.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


To adjust a straight segment:

1  Select the direct-selection tool [image], and click anywhere along the segment you want to move. To adjust the angle or length of the segment, select an anchor point.

2  Drag the selected segment to its new position.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


To adjust a curve:

1  Select the direct-selection tool [image].

2  Select the curve you want to adjust. Direction lines appear for that curve.

3  Choose one of the following options:

•  To adjust the location of the curve’s anchor point, drag the point.

•  To adjust the position of the segment between two anchor points, drag the segment.

•  To adjust the shape of the curve on either side of the anchor point, drag the direction point.

Note: Hold down the Shift key to constrain the angle of movement to multiples of 45 degrees.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

1  Select the direct-selection tool [image].

2  Select the object and the anchor point you want to convert.

3  Select the convert-direction-point tool [image].

4  Choose one of the following options:

•  Click a smooth point, converting it into a corner point without direction lines.

•  Select a corner point, and drag to create direction lines, converting it to a smooth point.

•  Select a smooth point to display direction lines, and then drag a direction line, converting the segment into a corner point with direction lines.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


Adding and deleting anchor points

You can add and delete anchor points on any path using the add-anchor-point tool and the delete-anchor-point tool. Added anchor points can give you more control over the path shape. Similarly, you can delete anchor points to change the shape of a path or to simplify the path.

If your path contains numerous anchor points, it’s a good idea to delete any unnecessary points to reduce the complexity of the path.

To add or delete an anchor point:

1  Select the add-anchor-point [image] or delete-anchor-point [image] tool.

2  Choose one of two options:

•  To add an anchor point, position the pointer on a path segment, and click the mouse button.

•  To delete an anchor point, position the pointer over an anchor point, and click the mouse button.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


Splitting paths with the scissors tool

You may want to split paths that you have already created. Using the scissors tool, you can split an open path into two paths and split a closed path so that it becomes one or more open paths.

To split a path and adjust it:

1  Select the path if you want to see its current anchor points.

2  Select the scissors tool (scissors).

3  Click the path where you want to split it.

If you split the path in the middle of a segment, two new endpoints are created, one on top of the other. Both endpoints are selected.

If you split the path at an anchor point, a new anchor point is created on top of the original anchor point. Both anchor points are selected.

4  Deselect the paths.

5  Use the direct-selection tool [image] to delete or adjust the new anchor point or path segment.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Averaging anchor points

Joining endpoints


Averaging anchor points

The Average command lets you move two or more anchor points to a position that is the average of their current locations.

To average anchor points:

1  Use the direct-selection tool [image] to select two or more anchor points.

2  Choose Artwork > Average.

3  Choose whether to average along both axes, the horizontal (x) axis only, or the vertical (y) axis only.

4  Click OK. The anchor points are now coincident.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Joining endpoints


Joining endpoints

The Join command connects the endpoints of an open path to create a closed path, or joins the endpoints of two open paths.

If you join two coincident endpoints (that is, endpoints that are on top of each other), they are replaced with a single anchor point. If you join two noncoincident endpoints, a path is drawn between the two points.

To join two noncoincident endpoints:

1  Use the direct-selection tool [image] to select the endpoints.

2  Choose Artwork > Join. A line is drawn, joining the two endpoints.

To join two coincident endpoints:

1  Use the direct-selection tool [image] and drag to select the endpoints.

2  Choose Artwork > Join.

3  Select the Corner option (the default) or the Smooth option to specify the type of join you want. See About direction lines and direction points, for a description of smooth points and corner points.

4  Click OK.

See also:

Adjusting path segments

To move a curved segment (without changing its slope):

To adjust a straight segment:

To adjust a curve:

To convert a smooth point to a corner point, and vice versa:

Adding and deleting anchor points

Splitting paths with the scissors tool

Averaging anchor points


Using compound paths

A compound path consists of two or more overlapping objects combined into a single compound object. Using the Compound Paths command enables you to create paths that have transparent interior spaces where the original objects overlapped (such as the interiors of the letters o and g). This method lets you create more complex objects than you could easily create using the drawing tools.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

Creating compound paths


Creating compound paths

As you create compound paths, you may find it helpful to open a 3-D window and a 2-D window side by side, so that you can apply the effects of the compound path in the 2-D window and see the effect on the 3-D object in the other window. This helps you understand how compound paths work.

Once you define an object as a compound path, all objects in the compound path take on the paint attributes of the backmost object in the stacking order. Releasing the compound path does not reapply the objects’ previous paint attributes.

To create a compound path:

1  Choose Operations > Arrange > Bring to Front and Operations > Arrange > Send to Back to place objects you want to see through in front of the background object in the stacking order.

2  Select all of the objects that you want to include in the compound path.

3  Choose Artwork > Compound Paths > Make. A hole is created in the overlapping objects.

4  To apply the effect in the 3-D environment, click Apply.

To release compound paths:

1  Select the compound path you want to release.

2  Choose Artwork > Compound Paths > Release.

See also:

Using compound paths


Using the type tool to create type

You can create type anywhere in a 2-D document. The type you create in the Adobe Dimensions program is limited to a single line of type without carriage returns; a line of type is treated as a single object. When you select any tool other than the type tool, or when you press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows) after typing a line of type, the type appears as outlines and four anchor points appear around the corners of the text box, indicating that the type is selected. These anchor points must appear in order for the type to be applied in a 3-D window.

To create type using the type tool:

1  Select the type tool [image]. The pointer changes to an I-beam within a dotted box.

The small horizontal line near the bottom of the I-beam marks the position of the type baseline. The baseline is the line on which the type rests.

2  Position the cross hair of the I-beam pointer where you want the type to begin, and click. A blinking insertion point appears.

3  Enter the type you want. Press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows) to end the line of type; the type appears as outlines with four anchor points around the corners of the text box.

The default font is 48-point Helvetica (Macintosh) or Arial (Windows.) For information on changing fonts, see Setting type attributes.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


Editing type

You can edit type by coloring it; by changing the character, font, size, orientation, and kerning; and by deleting, copying, or pasting it.

To color type, you use the Surface Properties palette. To edit type attributes, you use the Character palette. For information on how to change type attributes, see Setting type attributes.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

Coloring type

Setting type attributes

Specifying kerning, tracking, and spacing


Coloring type

You can color type with stroke and fill colors, using process or custom colors in the Surface Properties palette. You must select type with the selection tool in order to color it.

You can color type in both the 2-D environment and the 3-D environment; however, color changes made in the 3-D environment will not change any current color settings in the 2-D environment. It is recommended that you apply colors to artwork in the 2-D environment.

To color type:

1  Use the selection tool [image] to select the type.

Choose Window > Show Surface Properties.

2  Color the type as desired. For instructions on using the Surface Properties palette, see Coloring objects.

See also:

Editing type

Setting type attributes

Specifying kerning, tracking, and spacing


Setting type attributes

Adobe Dimensions lets you control such type attributes as font, type size, vertical or horizontal orientation, and kerning. You can use the Character palette to change any type attributes.

You can set type attributes before or after you create type. To change type attributes of existing type, you must first select the type with the type tool.

You can change the following type attributes:

•  The font family, the complete set of characters, letters, and symbols that comprises a particular typeface design in one style. For example, the font used in this paragraph is Minion. The default font family in the Adobe Dimensions program is Helvetica.

•  The type size. The default type size is 48 points. Type size is always measured in points. One point is equal to 1/72 of an inch.

•  The orientation, either horizontal or vertical.

•  Kerning, tracking, and spacing. These options control the spacing between two selected characters or within a type selection. For more information, see Specifying kerning, tracking, and spacing.

To set type attributes:

1  Select the type tool [image] in the 2-D environment. The cursor changes to an I-beam pointer.

2  Click on the type to select it.

3  Choose Artwork > Character. The Character palette appears, displaying the currently selected font, size, orientation, and kerning or tracking value.

4  To change the font family, either choose a font from the Font pop-up menu or type the name of the font family you want to use in the Font text box.

5  To choose a new type size, enter a new size by typing a number in the Size text box, or use the Size pop-up menu (Macintosh.) The new size is applied automatically.

6  To change the type orientation, choose Horizontal or Vertical from the Orientation pop-up menu. Type is in horizontal orientation by default.

See also:

Editing type

Coloring type

Specifying kerning, tracking, and spacing


Specifying kerning, tracking, and spacing

Kerning controls the spacing between two characters. This spacing is built into a font by the font designer, and can vary among fonts and type styles. The Kerning option lets you adjust the space between characters on either side of an insertion point. Tracking inserts uniform spacing between more than two characters in selected text. You use tracking when you want to adjust the spacing of a word or an entire block of type. Spacing is the distance between letters when type is in a vertical orientation.

The Character palette displays a Kerning option, a Tracking option, or a Spacing option, depending on what type is selected. If you have placed an insertion point between two characters, the option is Kerning. If you have selected a group of characters or a block of type, the option is Tracking. If the type is in vertical orientation, the option is Spacing.

Positive kerning, tracking, and spacing values move characters apart; negative kerning, tracking, or spacing values move characters closer together. Kerning, tracking, and spacing values are measured in units that are 1/1000 of an em space. The width of an em space is relative to the current type size. In a 1-point font, 1 em corresponds to 1 point; in a 10-point font, 1 em corresponds to 10 points. Because kerning units are 1/1000 em, 100 kerning units in a 10-point font are equivalent to 1 point.

To change the kerning, tracking, or spacing value:

1  Select the type tool [image]. The cursor changes to an I-beam pointer.

2  Drag the I-beam pointer over the type to select it, or place an insertion point between two characters.

3  Choose Artwork > Character.

4  Enter a positive or a negative value in the Tracking, Kerning, or Spacing text box.

See also:

Editing type

Coloring type

Setting type attributes


Converting type to editable path outlines

The Create Outlines command lets you turn type into a set of paths that you can edit and manipulate as you would any graphic object. You can convert type to outlines in order to adjust each letter independently or edit individual letter shapes. The following rules apply when converting type to paths:

•  To use the Create Outlines command with a given typeface, you must have the Type 1 or TrueType font outlines for that typeface installed on your system.

•  Once converted to outlines with the Create Outlines command, the type no longer possesses type attributes such as font or size; the type functions only as individual pieces of artwork. You can modify the outlines created from type as you would any graphic object, but you can no longer edit the outlines as text.

•  The Create Outlines command retains all formatting of the selected type. It also retains the color attributes of the type; for example, if the type is stroked, the outlines are stroked.

•  All of the type in a selected text block is converted when you use the Create Outlines command; you cannot convert a single letter within a text block. To convert a single letter into an outline, create a text block containing only that letter.

To convert a type to path outlines:

1  Use the selection tool [image] to select the type you want to convert to outlines.

2  Choose Artwork > Create Outlines.

3  Edit the outlines, using tools in the 2-D toolbox.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork


Working with masks

Masks crop part of an image so that only a portion of the image appears through a shape or shapes you create. In Adobe Dimensions, you can mask objects using the Artwork > Masks > Make command. You can color masks with fill and stroke colors in the same way you color other artwork.

Note: If you use complex shapes as masks, or if you use several masks in a file, you may have problems printing the file. If you experience printing problems, simplify or eliminate the masks.

See also:

Creating 2-D Artwork

Creating masks


Creating masks

A masking object can consist of a single path or a compound path.

To mask objects:

1  Draw or select the object you want to use as a mask.

2  Place the object on top of the objects you want to mask.

3  Shift-click with the selection tool [image] to select the mask and the objects you want masked.

4  Choose Artwork > Masks > Make. The mask loses its paint attributes and is assigned a fill and stroke value of None. Choose Draft from the View Mode pop-up menu to view the effects of the mask.

To undo the effects of a mask:

1  Select the objects you no longer want to use as a mask.

2  Choose Artwork > Masks > Release.

Because the mask was assigned a fill and stroke value of None, it is not visible unless you select it or assign it new paint attributes.

See also:

Working with masks


Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

See also:

Editing artwork

Using the Object Browser palette

Coloring objects

Using custom colors

Transforming objects


Editing artwork

After you have created objects, you often need to edit them, group them together, and otherwise manipulate them.

See also:

Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

Choosing a render mode while editing

Selecting and deselecting objects

Grouping objects

Stacking objects

Aligning objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


Choosing a render mode while editing

Rendering is the process Adobe Dimensions uses to calculate information to display 3-D attributes of objects, such as color, lighting, shading, and perspective. You can edit objects in any of the four render modes: Draft, Wireframe, PostScript, or Raster.

When editing objects, it is generally faster to use Draft or Wireframe mode. Rendering requires fewer calculations in these modes than in PostScript or Raster mode, so objects are redrawn more quickly when you apply changes. Wireframe mode displays artwork as skeletal outlines with a black stroke and no fill, lighting, or shading. Draft mode displays fill color but no stroke color, and not all reflectance properties. You can create, position, and resize objects in either of these modes, and preview some surface properties in Draft mode.

PostScript and Raster render modes display objects with high-quality color, lighting, and shading properties, suitable for export or final output. PostScript mode renders objects as vector artwork that displays stroke and fill colors and lighting and shading properties. PostScript mode is most appropriate for exporting Adobe Dimensions files to a vector-based drawing application such as Adobe Illustrator. Raster mode renders objects as bitmap images that display fill colors, lighting, and shading. Raster mode is most appropriate when exporting Adobe Dimensions files to a bitmap-based image-editing application such as Adobe Photoshop.

You can choose to edit in PostScript or Raster mode to adjust small details in artwork, or make final changes to color, lighting, or shading before exporting or outputting the file.

For more information on render modes, see Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork.

See also:

Editing artwork

Selecting and deselecting objects

Grouping objects

Stacking objects

Aligning objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


Selecting and deselecting objects

Before you can perform any operation on an object or parts of an object, you need to distinguish it from the objects around it. You do that by selecting the object with one of the selection tools.

Which of the selection tools you choose depends on what you want to select. If needed, refer to the status bar to see which tool is selected.

The selection tool

In the 3-D environment, the selection tool [image] lets you select an entire 3-D object, grouped 3-D objects, or imported artwork. In the 2-D environment, the selection tool lets you select entire 2-D objects or an entire 2-D path by selecting any point on the path.

The direct-selection tool

In the 3-D environment, the direct-selection tool [image] lets you select individual surfaces of a 3-D object. You use this tool, for example, to apply different colors to each surface of an object. Once you select a single 3-D surface, you can move from surface to surface three ways:

•  Use the commands Edit > Select Previous Surface and Edit > Select Next Surface.

•  Press the left bracket key ([) to move the selection forward to adjacent surfaces of a 3-D object.

•  Press the right bracket key (]) to move the selection backward to adjacent surfaces of a 3-D object.

In the 2-D environment, the direct-selection tool lets you select individual points or segments on a path.

The object-selection tool

In both the 2-D and 3-D environments, the object-selection tool [image] lets you select a single object within a group, for example, one leg of a four-legged table.

For more information about grouping, see Grouping objects.

The z-translation tool

The z-translation tool [image] is available only in off-axis views in the 3-D environment. This tool lets you move objects and groups of objects along the depth axis. The depth axis changes according to the current camera angle. For example, when the camera angle is Front, the z axis is the depth axis; when the camera angle is Right, the x axis is the depth axis.

See also:

Editing artwork

To select objects:

To deselect objects:

Choosing a render mode while editing

Grouping objects

Stacking objects

Aligning objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


To select objects:

Choose any of the following options:

•  Choose a selection tool and click within 2 pixels of the object you want to select. If you click more than 2 pixels away from any object, all objects in your artwork will be deselected, unless you are also holding down the Shift key.

•  Drag one of the selection tool pointers to draw a marquee around the object you want to select.

•  To select multiple objects, drag a selection marquee over all of the objects, or select an object and then hold down the Shift key as you select additional objects.

Note: When selecting overlapping objects, clicking the objects selects the frontmost object in the stacking order—that is, the most recently created object. To select all overlapping objects, use the selection marquee.

In addition to the selection techniques just described, you can use the following selection shortcuts:

•  Hold Command (Macintosh) or Ctrl (Windows) to switch the current tool to the selection tool most recently used.

•  Choose Edit > Select All to select all objects in a document.

•  Choose Edit > Select Inverse to select all objects not currently selected, and deselect all objects currently selected.

•  Choose Edit > Deselect All to deselect all objects in a document.

See also:

Selecting and deselecting objects

To deselect objects:


To deselect objects:

Choose one of the following options:

•  To deselect everything in the document, click or drag at least 2 pixels away from any object, or choose Edit > Deselect All.

•  To deselect part of a selection, hold down the Shift key, and click or drag over the path or segment you want to deselect.

See also:

Selecting and deselecting objects

To select objects:


Grouping objects

You can combine several objects into a group so that you can work with them as a unit. This allows you to move or transform a number of objects without affecting their positions relative to one another. For example, you can move, scale, or rotate objects, or otherwise modify them, together.

Artwork you import into Adobe Dimensions, such as a logo made up of several shapes, is treated as a single grouped object. A dotted bounding box appears around imported artwork to indicate that it is a grouped object. Imported artwork can be ungrouped using the Ungroup command.

Once you convert artwork to a 3-D object, it becomes a grouped object; you can use the direct-selection tool to select one of its surfaces, you can use the object-selection tool to select an object from within the group, or you can ungroup the object.

To group or ungroup objects:

1  Select the objects that you want to group or ungroup.

2  Choose Operations > Group or Operations > Ungroup.

See also:

Editing artwork

Choosing a render mode while editing

Selecting and deselecting objects

Stacking objects

Aligning objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


Stacking objects

The Adobe Dimensions program “stacks” successively drawn objects, beginning with the first object. How objects are stacked determines how they are displayed when they overlap. You can rearrange the stacking order of objects using the Bring to Front and Send to Back commands.

Note that grouping objects may affect the way the objects are stacked in relation to other, nongrouped objects in the artwork. If you group two objects that are separated by a nongrouped object in the stacking order and choose Bring to Front with the group selected, the underlying grouped object will be moved in front of the non-grouped object.

To make an object the frontmost or backmost object:

1  Select the object you want to move.

2  Choose Operations > Arrange > Bring to Front or Operations > Arrange > Send to Back.

See also:

Editing artwork

Choosing a render mode while editing

Selecting and deselecting objects

Grouping objects

Aligning objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


Aligning objects

Adobe Dimensions makes it easy to align multiple objects in 2-D and 3-D windows using alignment commands. Alignment commands are active only when two or more objects, surfaces, or paths are selected. If one of the selected objects is locked, the other objects move to align with the locked one.

3-D alignment commands

In the Operations > Align submenu are as follows:

•  Object Centerpoints moves selected 3-D objects until their centerpoints coincide.

The following 3-D alignment commands can be used only with 3-D objects that have one flat surface selected:

•  Surface Orientation aligns the selected surfaces of 3-D objects in parallel planes.

•  Surface Planes aligns the selected surfaces of 3-D objects in the same plane.

•  Surface Centerpoints aligns the selected surfaces of 3-D objects in parallel planes with the centerpoints of the surfaces coinciding.

2-D alignment commands

In the Operations > Align submenu are as follows:

•  Object Centerpoints moves selected 2-D objects until their centerpoints coincide.

The following 2-D alignment commands can be used only with 2-D objects that have at least one straight side:

•  Surface Orientation aligns the selected sides of 2-D objects in parallel lines.

•  Surface Planes aligns the selected sides of 2-D objects in the same line.

•  Surface Centerpoints aligns the selected sides of 2-D objects in parallel lines with the centerpoints of the sides coinciding.

To align 2-D or 3-D objects:

1  With a 2-D or 3-D window active, select the objects you want to align using one of the following options:

•  To use Object Centerpoint, use the selection tool to select any 2-D or 3-D objects.

•  To align 3-D objects using Surface Orientation, Surface Planes, or Surface Centerpoints, use the direct-selection tool to select the surfaces of the 3-D objects to be aligned.

•  To align 2-D objects using Surface Orientation, Surface Planes, or Surface Centerpoints, use the direct-selection tool to select the sides of the 2-D objects to be aligned.

2  Choose Operations > Align and select the alignment command you want to use.

See also:

Editing artwork

Choosing a render mode while editing

Selecting and deselecting objects

Grouping objects

Stacking objects

Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork


Interactively editing 2-D and 3-D artwork

You can edit a revolved or extruded 3-D object by changing its corresponding 2-D artwork and seeing the change instantly in the 3-D environment.

A 3-D extruded or revolved object and its base or profile are closely linked; to change the shape of a 3-D image, you edit its corresponding 2-D base or profile image. You then apply the change to the 3-D object using the Apply button. You can repeat the editing process as desired.

You can edit 2-D in either Edit or Preview view mode, and 3-D artwork in any render mode. Editing 3-D objects is faster in Wireframe or Draft mode, because objects are redrawn more quickly after you apply changes.

To edit a base or profile of a 3-D object:

1  Select a 3-D object’s base or profile using one of the following options:

•  Select an extruded object and choose Operations > Extrude. Click Edit Base.

•  Select a revolved object and choose Operations > Revolve. Click Edit Profile.

•  Double-click an extruded or revolved object. The object’s corresponding Extrude or Revolve dialog box appears. Click Edit Base or Edit Profile. (If you double-click a primitive, the Adobe Dimensions program displays the corresponding dialog box.)

•  Select an extruded or revolved object and choose Base or Profile from the Object Info pop-up menu at the lower left of the screen.

•  Open the Object Browser and double-click the Extrude icon or the Revolve icon of an object in the Object Browser palette. For more information on the Object Browser, see Using the Object Browser palette.

2  In the 2-D window, use the 2-D tools to edit the base or profile image.

For more information about drawing in 2-D and using the 2-D toolbox, see Using the 2-D toolbox.

3  Click Apply at the upper right of the 2-D window or in the Revolve or Extrude dialog box. The 3-D image is instantly updated with the changes made to the 2-D profile or base.

See also:

Editing artwork

Choosing a render mode while editing

Selecting and deselecting objects

Grouping objects

Stacking objects

Aligning objects


Using the Object Browser palette

Adobe Dimensions provides an object browser that enables you to quickly list, name, select, group, ungroup, lock, unlock, hide, and display objects and their component parts. With the object browser you can perform complex editing tasks such as hiding certain objects in a scene while you transform other objects, or selecting and transforming one surface of a many-sided object.

The object browser displays a list of objects or groups of objects and their attributes which appear in the active 3-D or 2-D window. (If no window is open, the object browser lists no objects.) The surfaces or paths included in an object, and the objects included in a group, are listed below and to the right of the object or group name. For example, a cube in the Object Browser list appears with six individually named surfaces. The surfaces or paths in an object and the objects in a group appear in the Object Browser list when you click the right-pointing triangle next to an object or group name.

The column on the left side of the Object Browser below the eye icon [image] allows you to hide or display objects. The column below the slashed-pencil icon allows you to lock or unlock objects. When you lock an object, it cannot be transformed until you unlock it. Locking objects is useful if you want to view the objects while you edit other objects in the scene, but do not want to alter the locked objects.

The column on the right side of the object browser displays icons indicating that an object includes a profile, a base, or mapped artwork. You can view the 2-D window associated with the profile, base, or mapped artwork by clicking the icon.

See also:

Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

•  To view the Object Browser palette, choose Window > Show Object Browser.

•  To hide the Object Browser palette, choose Window > Hide Object Browser or click the close box on the title bar of the Object Browser palette.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

•  To select an object in the 2-D or 3-D scene, click the object’s name.

•  To select multiple objects, drag over the names of all the objects you want to select. You can select multiple objects only in sequence; for example, you can select the first four objects in a group, but you can’t select just the first and third objects in a group.

•  To deselect objects, click away from the names anywhere in the Object Browser palette.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

•  Click the right-pointing triangle next to an object or group name to display the names of surfaces or paths in the object, or objects in the group. The triangle points down to indicate that item names in that object or group are displayed.

•  Click the downward-pointing triangle next to an object or group name to hide the names of components in that object or group. The triangle points right to indicate that item names in that object or group are hidden.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To display an object's 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:
To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

Double-click the profile, base, or mapped artwork icon to the right of the object.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

•  To hide an object in a 2-D or 3-D window, click the bullet in the column below the eye icon [image] next to the object’s name.

•  When no objects are selected, click the eye icon to hide all objects.

•  When some but not all objects are selected, click the eye icon to toggle between hiding the deselected objects and hiding the selected objects.

•  When all objects are selected, click the eye icon next to each object to hide objects individually.

•  To display a hidden object, click in the column below the eye icon next to the object’s name.

•  To display all hidden objects in a scene, click the eye icon.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

•  To group objects in the 2-D or 3-D scene, use the selection tool and drag to select objects. You can select multiple objects only in sequence; for example, you can select the first four objects in the Object Browser list, but you can’t select just the first and third objects in the list.

Then choose Operations > Group. The grouped objects are indented under a new object name, “GroupN.” (By default, the first group is named Group1.)

•  To ungroup objects, select the group name and choose Operations > Ungroup.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

•  To change the name of an object, surface, path, or group in the Object Browser, double-click the item name and type the new name. Then press Return (Macintosh) or Enter (Windows).

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

•  To lock an object or group so that it cannot be altered, click in the column below the slashed-pencil icon next to the object’s name.

•  To unlock an object, click the bullet in the column below the slashed-pencil icon next to the object’s name.

•  To unlock all objects, click the slashed-pencil icon.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


To delete objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:

1  Use the selection tool to select the object or group.

2  Press Delete.

Note: You can lock or delete only objects or groups, not surfaces or paths within objects.

See also:

Using the Object Browser palette

To view or hide the Object Browser palette:

To select or deselect objects using the Object Browser palette:

To display or hide component names in the Object Browser palette:

To display an object’s 2-D base, profile, or mapped artwork window:

To hide or display objects using the Object Browser palette:

To group or ungroup objects using the Object Browser palette:

To rename items using the Object Browser palette:

To lock or unlock objects or groups using the Object Browser palette:


Coloring objects

You can color both 2-D objects and 3-D objects with black, white, shades of gray, process colors, and custom colors. In addition, you can change the color of a 3-D object’s shading as well as its reflectance properties; see Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object for information about changing shading and reflectance.

When a 3-D object is created, it initially possesses the color attributes of its corresponding 2-D base or profile image. However, color changes made to the 3-D object are not applied to the 2-D base or profile image. Similarly, changes made to the 2-D base or profile image are not updated to an existing 3-D object.

See also:

Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

Filling and stroking a path with color

Selecting color attributes


Filling and stroking a path with color

When you color a 2-D or 3-D object, you paint its stroke or fill. An object’s fill is the area that is enclosed by a path. An object’s stroke is a line that is centered on a path outlining the object. Paths may be filled, stroked, or filled and stroked; you can also create unfilled or unstroked paths by using the None option in the Surface Properties palette.

Filling and stroking affect closed and open paths differently, as the following examples illustrate. Open paths are filled as if the endpoints were connected by a straight line.

You use the Surface Properties palette to set color attributes for selected paths. All newly created paths are automatically painted with the color attributes last applied to an object using the Surface Properties palette.

The render mode you choose determines what color attributes you can display in artwork. PostScript mode displays stroke and fill colors. Raster mode and Draft mode display fill colors. Wireframe mode displays only black strokes.

Only entire paths can be colored. Even if you select only part of a path and set color attributes for it, the entire path will be colored.

Note: You can change the color attributes of individual pieces of type within a text block if you first convert the type to outlines using the Artwork > Create Outlines command.

See also:

Coloring objects

Selecting color attributes


Selecting color attributes

The following procedure describes how to select color attributes using the Surface Properties palette.

To set color attributes:

1  Select one or more paths whose color attributes you want to change, or deselect all paths in your artwork if you want the attributes to apply only to new paths you create.

2  Choose Window > Show Surface Properties.

If an object is selected, the fill, stroke, and shade colors are displayed in the Fill, Stroke, and Shade boxes. If multiple objects with different attributes are selected, no color appears in the Fill, Stroke, and Shade boxes.

3  Select the Fill box to set the fill attributes, select the Stroke box to set the stroke attributes, or select the Shade box to set the shade attributes.

4  Choose a fill, stroke, or shade color by choosing a color selection option—None, White, Black, Process, Custom—from the second row of icons in the Surface Properties palette, as described below:

None option

If you do not want a path to be filled or stroked, select the None option (the leftmost color selection option with a strike through it) from the palette. This option makes the fill or stroke transparent. By default, objects are given a stroke of None.

Black or White option

To fill or stroke with white or black, select the White or Black option, respectively. You can also adjust the percentage, or tint, of black by typing a number in the text box or by adjusting the Tint slider until you get the shade you want.

Process color option

To fill or stroke with colors that will be printed with process inks representing a percentage of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), select the Process color option (the four-color box). Enter a value from 0% to 100% in each of the four process color boxes, using the Tab key to move from one text box to the next, or drag the triangles below the sliders to adjust each process color value.

As you adjust each color value, the colors along the other sliders change to reflect the adjustment you are making. For example, as you move the black slider to the right, black is added to the cyan, magenta, and yellow along the other three sliders. The Fill box, Stroke box, or Shade box (whichever is selected) displays the composite process color.

Note: Adobe Dimensions creates an approximate screen representation for process and spot colors. Because on-screen colors don’t always match your printed output, it is recommended that you make four-color proofs for any colors that you create and work closely with your print shop to reproduce the color.

Custom color option

To fill and stroke objects with custom colors, select the Custom color option. A custom color can be a process color mix you’ve named and saved, or a predefined color from a color matching system. Select the color you want from the list of available custom colors that appears.

1  Select the object to be painted.

2  Double-click the object with the right mouse button, or choose Paint Style from the Paint menu (Ctrl+I). The Paint Style palette appears with the current color value displayed.

3  Double-click the Fill or Stroke color swatch, depending on which value you want to adjust. The Choose Color dialog box appears with a four-sided cursor positioned on the currently selected color. If desired, you can resize the dialog box to enlarge the color picker and see more colors.

4  Choose a new color using one of the following techniques:

•  Drag the cursor to select a color from the color picker.

•  Slide the arrow next to the Luminosity bar up as far as 100 percent or down as far as 0 percent; or enter a value in the Luminosity text box to adjust the brightness of the color. Zero-percent luminosity is black, and 100-percent luminosity is white.

•  Enter new values in the Red, Green, and Blue text boxes, or in the Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity text boxes. Hue is the position of color in the color spectrum. Saturation measures the purity of the color. Luminosity measures the brightness of color.

To revert to the last color selection made in the Choose Color dialog box, click Revert. To cancel your selection, click Cancel.

5  When you are satisfied with your selection, click OK. The new color appears in the color swatch in the Paint Style palette, and the equivalent percentages of cyan, magenta, and yellow are displayed.

If you want a screened percentage of that color, enter a percentage in the Tint text box, or drag the slider until the color in the Fill or Stroke box appears as you want it.

See also:

Coloring objects

Filling and stroking a path with color


Using custom colors

You can modify custom colors used in the Surface Properties palette by defining your own custom colors, changing the default set of custom colors, exporting custom colors for use with different projects, or deleting custom colors using the Custom Color dialog box. You can also import custom colors.

A custom color may be a process color mix you’ve named and saved, or it may be a predefined color from a proprietary color matching system. Custom colors you create and load in the palette are saved with the current document if you have used the colors.

If you color the same object with both custom and process colors, and then export the artwork, the custom colors may be converted to process colors. For more information, see Using custom colors in fills and shades.

1  Select the object to be painted.

2  Double-click the object with the right mouse button, or choose Paint Style from the Paint menu (Ctrl+I). The Paint Style palette appears with the current color value displayed.

3  Double-click the Fill or Stroke color swatch, depending on which value you want to adjust. The Choose Color dialog box appears with a four-sided cursor positioned on the currently selected color. If desired, you can resize the dialog box to enlarge the color picker and see more colors.

4  Choose a new color using one of the following techniques:

•  Drag the cursor to select a color from the color picker.

•  Slide the arrow next to the Luminosity bar up as far as 100 percent or down as far as 0 percent; or enter a value in the Luminosity text box to adjust the brightness of the color. Zero-percent luminosity is black, and 100-percent luminosity is white.

•  Enter new values in the Red, Green, and Blue text boxes, or in the Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity text boxes. Hue is the position of color in the color spectrum. Saturation measures the purity of the color. Luminosity measures the brightness of color.

To revert to the last color selection made in the Choose Color dialog box, click Revert. To cancel your selection, click Cancel.

5  When you are satisfied with your selection, click OK. The new color appears in the color swatch in the Paint Style palette, and the equivalent percentages of cyan, magenta, and yellow are displayed.

See also:

Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

Defining your own custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Importing custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Defining your own custom colors

You can define your own custom colors using white, black, or percentages of CMYK. Creating your own custom colors lets you select process colors in the Surface Properties palette by name, import custom colors from one document into another, and make global color changes to artwork.

To define your own custom colors:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors listed in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Click New. The name New Color, followed by a number, appears in the list.

3  In the Change Name To text box, enter the name you want to assign to the color.

4  Select the White or Black option and choose a tint of white or black, or select a process color as described in Selecting color attributes. Then click OK.

The custom color you have created appears in the Surface Properties palette, listed alphabetically with the other custom colors.

To make global color changes using a custom color:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors listed in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Select the color you want to change. (You can combine steps 1 and 2 by double-clicking the name of the color you want to change in the Surface Properties palette.)

3  Change the color to black, white, or a process color using the dialog box controls, as described in Selecting color attributes. Do not change the color’s name.

4  When you are satisfied with the new color, click OK. The new color replaces all objects colored with the custom color’s former definition.

5  Save the file to save the new color definition.

See also:

Using custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Importing custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Changing the default custom colors

Depending on your needs, you may want to change the default custom colors that appear in the Surface Properties palette.

To change the default custom colors in the Adobe Dimensions program:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Click Export to display the Export Custom Color dialog box.

3  Locate the folder containing Adobe Dimensions on your system’s hard disk.

4  In the Name text box, type Default Custom Colors (Macintosh) or defccol.ai (Windows). Click OK.

When you open a new 3-D window or restart Adobe Dimensions, it loads this renamed set of colors. If you delete this file, the program loads the application’s default custom colors on startup.

Note: You can also create new Default Custom Color lists by renaming the custom color files exported from Adobe Dimensions using the Finder, and then placing the files in the application folder. This procedure lets you select the startup custom color list before starting the application.

See also:

Using custom colors

Defining your own custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Importing custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Exporting custom colors

You can export custom colors to a new Adobe Illustrator document. Exporting custom colors lets you save sets of custom colors for different projects.

To export custom colors:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Click Export to display the Export Custom Color dialog box.

3  In the Name text box, type the name of a new file to which you will export the custom colors. The file will be saved as an Adobe Illustrator document. Click OK.

See also:

Using custom colors

Defining your own custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Importing custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Deleting custom colors

You can delete custom colors from the active documents. This procedure deletes the specified colors from all 2-D and 3-D windows associated with the active window. This procedure does not delete colors from your startup file.

To delete custom colors:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors listed in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Choose one of two methods:

•  To delete one color, select the color and click Delete. Any objects colored with the deleted color will be filled with the default color (25-percent black).

•  To delete all custom colors not used in the open document, click Select All Unused, and then click Delete.

See also:

Using custom colors

Defining your own custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Importing custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Importing custom colors

You can import custom colors from Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Dimensions documents. The imported colors are added to the Adobe Dimensions custom color scrolling list. Note that the imported color replaces the custom color in the Adobe Dimensions document with the same name. If you want to retain the Adobe Dimensions custom color, you should rename the color following the procedure in Defining your own custom colors.

To import custom colors from Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Dimensions documents using the Custom Color dialog box:

1  Choose Window > Custom Colors, or double-click any of the custom colors in the Surface Properties palette.

2  Click Import.

3  Select the Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Dimensions document from which you want to import custom colors. Click OK. The imported custom colors will be added to the custom color scrolling list in the Surface Properties palette.

To import custom colors from Adobe Illustrator documents using the Import Colors command:

1  Choose File > Import Colors.

2  Select the Adobe Illustrator document from which you want to import custom colors. Click OK. The imported custom colors will be added to the custom color scrolling list in the Surface Properties palette.

See also:

Using custom colors

Defining your own custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Using custom colors in fills and shades


Using custom colors in fills and shades

You can use custom colors to simulate proprietary color matching systems used in color-separation programs and on-press. In some cases, however, Adobe Dimensions converts the custom colors to their process color equivalents.

When you export the artwork to another application, the program converts custom colors to their corresponding process colors when:

•  You fill and shade a 3-D object with both custom colors and process colors.

•  You fill and shade a 3-D object with two different custom colors.

The program does not convert a custom color to a process color when you fill a 3-D object with a custom color and shade with black or white.

See also:

Using custom colors

Defining your own custom colors

Changing the default custom colors

Exporting custom colors

Deleting custom colors

Importing custom colors


Transforming objects

The following topics describe how to transform 2-D and 3-D objects by moving, copying and pasting, rotating and scaling; and by repeating transformations.

See also:

Editing, Coloring, and Transforming Objects

Moving objects

Copying and pasting objects

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Scaling objects

Repeating a transformation


Moving objects

Adobe Dimensions lets you move objects by dragging, by using a dialog box, or by using the arrow keys.

The following guidelines apply when moving objects:

•  You can move copies of objects rather than the objects themselves. In this case, if the object you are copying is part of a group, the copy becomes part of the same group. If the copy is made from objects in a number of groups, the copied objects become part of the frontmost group.

•  When you move a 3-D object with the arrow keys, you move it in one direction at a time.

•  When you move a 3-D object by dragging, you move it in two dimensions at a time (or only in one dimension if you are using the z-translation tool) and relative to its current position.

•  When you use the Move dialog box to move a 3-D object precisely, you can move the object in three dimensions at once by specifying new x, y, or z coordinates; in addition, you can move an object relative to its current position, or by a specified distance relative to the center of the work area (the global 0, 0, 0 point, indicated by the axis indicator). You can also move a copy of the object.

•  The camera angle affects how a 3-D object appears to move; you should use the axis indicator for orientation as you move an object.

See also:

Transforming objects

To move an object by dragging:

To move an object a specific distance or direction:

To move an object using the arrow keys:

Copying and pasting objects

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Scaling objects

Repeating a transformation


To move an object by dragging:

1  Select the appropriate selection tool in the toolbox. If you want to move a 3-D object along the depth axis only, choose an Off-Axis Camera mode and select the z-translation tool [image].

2  Select the object to be moved.

3  Hold the mouse button and begin dragging the object.

4  To control the move, choose one of the following options as you drag:

•  To copy the object as you move it, hold down Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) as you drag.

•  To constrain the move by a 45-degree angle horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, hold down Shift as you drag.

5  When the object is in the desired position, release the mouse button; if you were copying the object or constraining the movement, release the Shift and Option/Alt keys.

See also:

Moving objects

To move an object a specific distance or direction:

To move an object using the arrow keys:


To move an object a specific distance or direction:

1  Select the object.

2  Choose Operations > Transform > Move, or double-click one of the selection tools.

3  Click Absolute to move the object a specified distance from the work area’s centerpoint (the 0, 0, 0 coordinates in the 3-D work area or the 0,0 coordinates in the 2-D work area), or click Relative to move the object a specified distance from its current position on-screen.

4  Enter a value in the X text box to move the object along the x axis; enter a value in the Y text box to move the object along the y axis; and for 3-D objects, enter a value in the Z text box to move the object along the z axis. The values correspond to the object’s centerpoint. Positive values move the object up and to the right; negative values move an object down and to the left. On the z axis, positive values move the object toward the camera; negative values move the object away from the camera.

To reset all values to 0 for the current move (Absolute or Relative), click Reset.

5  Choose one of the following options:

•  Click Copy to apply the values and move a copy of the object.

•  Click Apply to apply the values and move the original object.

Note: You can reposition a selected object at the centerpoint of the work area by selecting Absolute in the Move dialog box, clicking Reset, and then clicking Apply.

If you are moving an object relative to its current position, you can continue moving the object according to the values you entered in step 4 by choosing Operations > Transform > Repeat. If you are moving an object absolutely, relative to the center of the work area, you are moving the object to a specific location; reapplying the move will not further move the object.

See also:

Moving objects

To move an object by dragging:

To move an object using the arrow keys:


To move an object using the arrow keys:

1  If necessary, set the amount of the move by choosing File > Preferences. Enter a value in the Cursor Key Distance text box, and click OK.

2  Select the object you want to move.

3  Choose any of the following options:

•  Press the arrow key that indicates the direction in which you want the object to move.

•  To move an object toward you on the depth axis, press Shift+up arrow.

•  To move an object away from you on the depth axis, press Shift+down arrow.

See also:

Moving objects

To move an object by dragging:

To move an object a specific distance or direction:


Copying and pasting objects

You can copy any 2-D or 3-D object using one of three methods.

To copy a 2-D or 3-D object:

1  Select the object you want to copy.

2  Choose one of the following methods:

•  Choose Edit > Duplicate to paste a copy of the object below and to the right of the original.

•  Choose Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste to paste a copy of the object in the same position as the original (3-D) or in the center of the work area (2-D). If you have not scrolled the window, the object’s center coincides with the 0, 0, 0 coordinates (for a 3-D object) or 0, 0 coordinates (for a 2-D object).

•  To copy an object as you move, scale, or rotate it, click the Copy button in the appropriate dialog box. You can also hold Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) and begin dragging the 3-D object. When the object is in the desired position, release the mouse button, then release Option/Alt.

See also:

Transforming objects

Moving objects

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Scaling objects

Repeating a transformation


Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Adobe Dimensions provides a rotate tool to rotate objects in the 2-D environment, and four trackball tools to rotate objects in the 3-D environment.

The trackball tools provide several options for constraining an object’s position while you rotate it:

•  The trackball tool [image] lets you move objects around the vertical, horizontal, and depth axes relative to the current camera position. The object’s position is not constrained in any plane.

•  The horizontal trackball tool [image] lets you move objects around the horizontal axis in the current view, while the object’s position in the vertical and depth axes is constrained.

•  The vertical trackball tool [image] lets you move objects around the vertical axis in the current view, while the object’s position in the horizontal and depth axes is constrained.

•  The depth trackball tool [image] lets you move objects around the depth axis in the current view, while the object’s position in the horizontal and vertical axes is constrained.

Note: When using the rotate or trackball tools, you can view the object in its new orientation if you continue to hold down the mouse button but stop moving the mouse. Resume moving the mouse to continue the rotation.

See also:

Transforming objects

To rotate a 2-D object with the rotate tool:

To rotate a 3-D object with the trackball tools:

To control the rotation or make copies of the rotated object:

To rotate an object with the Rotate dialog box:

Moving objects

Copying and pasting objects

Scaling objects

Repeating a transformation


To rotate a 2-D object with the rotate tool:

1  Select an object with the selection tool [image].

2  Select the rotate tool [image].

Position the pointer on the object and drag to rotate the object.

As you drag, use the objects’s x and y indicators (on the status bar) to determine the orientation of the object.

See also:

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

To rotate a 3-D object with the trackball tools:

To control the rotation or make copies of the rotated object:

To rotate an object with the Rotate dialog box:


To rotate a 3-D object with the trackball tools:

1  Select an object with the selection tool [image].

2  Select one of the trackball tools.

3  Position the pointer on the object and drag to rotate the object.

As you drag, use the objects’s x, y, and z indicators (on the status bar) to determine the orientation of the object.

See also:

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

To rotate a 2-D object with the rotate tool:

To control the rotation or make copies of the rotated object:

To rotate an object with the Rotate dialog box:


To control the rotation or make copies of the rotated object:

1  Choose one of the following options:

•  To achieve greater control over the rotation or to rotate in small increments, position the pointer farther away from the object.

•  To define an origin of rotation other than the center of the object, click once to set the new origin before dragging.

2  Begin dragging to rotate the object.

3  To constrain the rotation as you drag, choose one of the following options:

•  To constrain the rotation to a 45-degree angle relative to the global x axis or relative to the y axis, hold down the Shift key as you drag horizontally or vertically, respectively.

4  To make a copy of the rotated object, begin dragging, and then hold Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows).

5  When you are satisfied with the rotation, release the mouse button; release Shift and Option/Alt if you used them.

See also:

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

To rotate a 2-D object with the rotate tool:

To rotate a 3-D object with the trackball tools:

To rotate an object with the Rotate dialog box:


To rotate an object with the Rotate dialog box:

1  Use a selection tool to select the 2-D or 3-D object.

2  Choose Operations > Transform > Rotate, or double-click the rotate tool [image] or the current trackball tool.

You can use the Rotate dialog box to rotate 2-D objects around the object’s centerpoint (identified by the Z coordinate in the dialog box). You can rotate 3-D objects locally (around the object’s centerpoint) or globally (around the global axes, which coincide with the 3-D work area’s 0, 0, 0 coordinates or the 2-D work area’s 0, 0 coordinates). You can specify rotation for 3-D objects in each dimension independently.

3  If you are rotating a 3-D object, select one of two options:

•  Select the Global coordinates option to rotate the object relative to the global axes.

•  Select the Local coordinates option to rotate the object relative to the object’s own x, y, and z axes. You can think of local coordinates as being the x, y, and z coordinates radiating from an object’s center, set at the time an object is created.

4  For 2-D objects, enter a value in the Z text box. For 3-D objects, enter values in one, two, or three dimensions by typing a value in the X, Y, and Z text boxes. You can reset all values to 0 by clicking Reset.

5  Click Apply to apply the rotation to the selected object, or click Copy to make a copy of the object with the rotation applied.

See also:

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

To rotate a 2-D object with the rotate tool:

To rotate a 3-D object with the trackball tools:

To control the rotation or make copies of the rotated object:


Scaling objects

You can scale 2-D and 3-D objects by dragging with the scale tool or by using the Scale dialog box.

See also:

Transforming objects

To scale an object with the scale tool:

To control the scaling:

Scaling a 2-D or 3-D object with the Scale dialog box:

Moving objects

Copying and pasting objects

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Repeating a transformation


To scale an object with the scale tool:

1  Using a selection tool, select the object you want to scale.

2  Select the scale tool [image].

3  Click anywhere on the active window and drag to scale an object from its center. The status bar shows how much scaling is being applied.

See also:

Scaling objects

To control the scaling:

Scaling a 2-D or 3-D object with the Scale dialog box:


To control the scaling:

1  Choose one of the following options:

•  To scale from a point other than the center of the object, click once to set the new scale origin before dragging.

•  To scale the object proportionally, hold down the Shift key.

•  To constrain the scaling along the z axis, hold down the Z key.

•  To make a copy of the scaled object, hold down Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows).

•  To pause in the scaling and view the object in its new orientation, stop dragging but continue to hold down the mouse button.

2  When you are satisfied with the scaling, release the mouse button; release the Z key if you used it.

See also:

Scaling objects

To scale an object with the scale tool:

Scaling a 2-D or 3-D object with the Scale dialog box:


Scaling a 2-D or 3-D object with the Scale dialog box:

1  Using a selection tool, select the object to scale.

2  Display the Scale dialog box using one of the following options:

•  Choose Operations > Transform > Scale.

•  Double-click the scale tool [image].

•  Select the scale tool and then Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Windows) in the document window.

3  If you are scaling a 3-D object, select one of two options:

•  Global Coordinates option to scale the object relative to the global axes (the 3-D work area’s 0, 0, 0 coordinates).

•  Local Coordinates option to scale the object relative to the object’s own x, y, and z axes. You can think of local coordinates as being the x, y, and z coordinates radiating from an object’s center, set at the time an object is created.

4  Select the Uniform or the Arbitrary option. When you select Uniform, the object’s proportions are retained as you scale. When you select Arbitrary, the proportions are not retained.

5  For 2-D objects, enter values in the X and Y text fields. For 3-D objects, enter values in the X, Y, and Z text fields.

6  Click Apply to apply the scale settings to the selected object, or click Copy to make a copy of the selected object with the scale settings applied.

See also:

Scaling objects

To scale an object with the scale tool:

To control the scaling:


Repeating a transformation

You can repeat any transformation you’ve made, including a copy, move, rotation, or scaling. You can apply a transformation made to one object to subsequent objects that you select.

To repeat a transformation:

Choose Operations > Transform > Repeat.

See also:

Transforming objects

Moving objects

Copying and pasting objects

Rotating 2-D and 3-D objects

Scaling objects


Shading, Lighting, and Mapping 3-D Objects

See also:

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object

Adjusting the lighting on a 3-D object

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects


Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object is analogous to painting 2-D objects. When you create a 3-D object, it displays certain surface properties such as the apparent reflectance of the surface—from a high gloss to a dull matte—its shading, and its surface colors. To change these properties, you use the Surface Properties palette.

See also:

Shading, Lighting, and Mapping 3-D Objects

Changing reflectance properties

Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution

Changing shading properties


Changing reflectance properties

By changing the reflectance properties of a 3-D object, you can make it appear as flat and unshaded as a piece of wood or as glossy and highlighted as a piece of plastic. You can assign reflectance properties to an entire object or to individual surfaces of the object. If you fill the object with a color, the color takes on the specified reflectance properties.

To see the reflectance properties of an object, you must render the object in Draft, PostScript, or Raster mode. For more information about render modes, see Choosing a render mode for output or export.

To change an object’s reflectance:

1  Select the 3-D object.

2  Choose Window > Show Surface Properties.

3  Click the Reflectance icon at the upper right of the dialog box.

4  Choose one of three Reflectance styles:

•  None to make the object show no reflectance. The reflectance sliders are not available when None is selected.

•  Diffuse to make the object reflect light in a soft, diffuse pattern, as from a dull surface such as wood. Only the Ambient reflectance slider is available when the Diffuse option is selected.

•  Plastic to make the object reflect as if it were made from a shiny, high-gloss surface, such as plastic. All reflectance sliders are available when the Plastic option is selected.

5  Adjust the reflectance sliders as follows:

•  The Ambient slider controls the apparent ambient lighting shining on the object and the resulting shading that Adobe Dimensions draws. As the ambient light value increases, the maximum shade color value in the object’s shadow decreases. For example, at 0-percent ambient light, the maximum shade color value is 100 percent. At 20-percent ambient light, the maximum shade value is 80 percent.

•  The Matte slider controls the amount of white in the highlight. The greater the Matte value, the less white in the highlight; the smaller the Matte value, the more white in the highlight.

•  The Gloss slider controls the size of the highlight from small (100 percent) to large (0 percent). The shinier the object’s surface, the more concentrated (smaller) the highlight on it.

Note: Gloss attributes can be viewed only in PostScript or Raster render modes.

6  For PostScript render mode, enter a Number of Blends value in the text box. To have Adobe Dimensions calculate a Number of Blends value, click Calculate. For information on using the Number of Blends option, see Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution.

7  Click Apply.

See also:

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object

Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution

Changing shading properties


Calculating blend values for your printer's resolution
Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution

By default, Adobe Dimensions uses 25 blends for PostScript render mode. Increasing the Number of Blends value in the Surface Properties palette causes colors to blend more smoothly; decreasing the number of blends causes the program to preview more quickly and decreases memory needs. Depending on your printer’s resolution and the line screen you plan to use, you may want to decrease your number of blends. Adobe Dimensions contains a Blend dialog box to calculate the number of blends based on the printer’s resolution and the line screen (lines per inch) value.

The Number of Blends option in the Surface Properties palette applies only to the currently selected objects and overrides the value set in the Default Shaded Blends option in the Preferences dialog box. For more information about setting the blend value, see Setting the number of blends to render and print efficiently.

Note: Number of Blends affects shading in PostScript render mode only. If you change the Number of Blends while in another render mode, the change will take effect only if you change to PostScript render mode.

To calculate the Number of Blends value:

1  Choose Window > Show Surface Properties.

2  Click the Reflectance icon.

3  Click Calculate.

4  Enter your printer’s resolution in units of dots per inch (dpi) and your line screen’s resolution in units of lines per inch (lpi).

5  Click OK. The new Number of Blends value is calculated and entered in the Number of Blends text box.

6  In the Surface Properties palette, click Apply.

See also:

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object

Changing reflectance properties

Changing shading properties


Changing shading properties

The Draft, PostScript, and Raster modes shade a 3-D object to create a 3-D effect. Shading simulates the effect of lighting on the surface of a 3-D object. Whether an object is assigned a diffuse reflectance or a plastic reflectance affects shading. Objects with a diffuse reflectance are shaded with a single shadow blend. Objects with a plastic reflectance are shaded with two blends: a shadow blend and a highlight blend.

By default, Adobe Dimensions sets an object’s shading to black. When you render objects in PostScript render mode, you can change the objects’ shading to none, white, a process color, or a custom color using the Surface Properties palette.

If you want mapped artwork to exhibit the same shading properties as the object to which it’s mapped, you must select the Shade Mapped Artwork option in the Preferences dialog box. (See Setting preferences to enhance rendering and performance for more information.)

To change the shading color of an object:

1  Select the 3-D object that you want to shade.

2  Choose Window > Show Surface Properties.

3  Click the Shade icon.

4  Select a color to shade the object using the color icons—None, White, Black, Process, and Custom—and dragging the corresponding sliders to adjust the tint. For a description of how to select colors in the Surface Properties palette, see Coloring objects.

5  Click Apply.

See also:

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object

Changing reflectance properties

Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution


Adjusting the lighting on a 3-D object

You can greatly change the appearance of 3-D objects in a document by adjusting the document’s lighting characteristics—that is, by adding more lights, by varying the lighting intensity, or by moving lights to reflect off different sections of the object. Changing the lighting can make the surface properties of an object appear much more dramatic.

The following guidelines apply to lighting:

•  By default, any 3-D document you create is assigned one light, positioned as if it were shining over your right shoulder. Light shines diffusely, as if it were very far from an object.

•  You can add as many lights as you want to illuminate the 3-D artwork in the document from the front or back in a 360-degree direction. However, the more lights you add, the more calculations Adobe Dimensions must perform, and the longer it will take to render the artwork. Too many lights can wash out the color so that 3-D objects become white.

•  The highlight created by light and Plastic reflectance does not necessarily appear where light shines the brightest on the object or artwork; rather, the highlight appears where the light reflected from the object and the observer’s line of view would intersect.

•  Any lighting applies to your entire document; lights do not cast shadows.

To change an object’s lighting:

1  Choose Window > Show Lighting.

A PostScript view of a reflective sphere at the left of the dialog box shows the position of the lights over the selected object. The small white circles represent the lights shining on the artwork.

2  To move a light, drag its white circle around the sphere.

3  Select from the following options:

•  To add a light, click Add. By default, the light you add is in front of the object.

•  To send a selected light behind the artwork, click Send Back; the button toggles between Send Back and Bring Front.

•  To delete a selected light, click Delete. You can delete all but one light.

•  To revert to the lighting settings set when you first opened the Lighting dialog box, click Revert.

4  Adjust the intensity of a selected light by entering a value from 0 percent (no intensity) to 100 percent (total light) in the Intensity field.

5  Click Apply to apply the light changes to the 3-D object.

See also:

Shading, Lighting, and Mapping 3-D Objects


Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

One of the most powerful features of Adobe Dimensions is its ability to map 2-D artwork or bitmap images to a 3-D object’s surface. You can think of artwork or image mapping as if you were applying a flexible label to the surface of an object so that the 2-D artwork conforms to the contours of the 3-D surface.

You can map 2-D vector artwork or text that you create in Adobe Dimensions, or that you import from Adobe Illustrator or another drawing program. Mapped artwork can include gradient fills or patterns when you import the artwork in Adobe Illustrator file format.

You can also map bitmap images that you import from Adobe Photoshop or another image-editing application. With the ability to map bitmap images to 3-D objects, Adobe Dimensions is the only application that enables you to produce artwork containing both vector and bitmap data. You can map bitmap images in file formats including Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, Windows Bitmap (Windows), PICT (Macintosh), and EPS.

See also:

Shading, Lighting, and Mapping 3-D Objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Setting artwork mapping options

Four options in the Preferences dialog box let you control the appearance of artwork mapped to a 3-D object and the way the program treats mapped artwork information: Show Mapped Artwork, Shade Mapped Artwork, Clip Mapped Artwork, and Ruled Surfaces. For a detailed description of these options, see Setting preferences to enhance rendering and performance.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Using the Mapped Artwork window

When you select a surface of a 3-D object for artwork mapping, the surface appears flat and includes guides (that is, dashed lines) in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window. The height of the surface represents the maximum distance of the surface from top to bottom. Flattened surfaces may appear differently than you expect; for example, the flattened surface of a cone appears as a rectangle.

Shaded areas indicate which part of the surface is not visible from the current camera angle. For example, the preview of an ellipsoid is similar to a meridian map of the world that shows different daylight and time zones.

The guides correspond to the rules on the object and are useful for positioning your artwork. For example, for the preview of the curved surface of an ellipsoid, there are 13 vertical guides and 7 horizontal guides; the fourth or middle horizontal guide indicates the midline, whereas the top and bottom horizontal guides indicate the sphere’s top and bottom poles.

The preview in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window always is relative to the local x and y axes. If you have rotated an object many times in the 3-D window, you may lose track of which side is up, and mapped artwork may appear upside down when you apply it to your object. If mapped artwork appears upside down, either rotate the artwork in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window or rotate the 3-D object on-screen to achieve the desired results.

To display the 2-D Mapped Artwork window:

1  Using the direct-selection tool [image], select a surface of a 3-D object on which to map artwork.

2  Choose Operations > Map Artwork.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Because you are creating mapped artwork in a 2-D environment, you can use all of the 2-D tools to draw, create text, scale, rotate, or otherwise manipulate the 2-D artwork you want to map onto the 3-D object.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

You can import artwork or bitmap images to be mapped to a surface using the Place command or the Copy and Paste commands, or by dragging and dropping. Files imported using the Place command can be in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, PICT (Macintosh), or EPS file format. Files imported using the Copy and Paste commands or the Drag and Drop option can be in Adobe Illustrator, PICT (Macintosh), Windows Bitmap (Windows), or Windows Metafile (Windows) file format.

To import artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface:

1  Select an object to which you will map artwork or a bitmap image. For instructions on mapping artwork to a curved surface, an open surface, or a box, see also:

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

2  Choose Operations > Map Artwork.

3  Select one of the following options to import artwork or a bitmap image:

•  Choose File > Place. Select a file to import into the Mapped Artwork window. Then click Place.

•  Launch the application from which you want to import the artwork or image. Open the file to be imported. Choose Edit > Copy to copy the image. Click in the Mapped Artwork window in Adobe Dimensions. Then choose Edit > Paste to paste the artwork or image into the Mapped Artwork window.

•  Launch the application from which you want to import the artwork or image. Open the file to be imported. Drag the artwork or image into the Adobe Dimensions Mapped Artwork window.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

When mapping artwork to curved surfaces, the 2-D artwork conforms to the surface according to the artwork’s size in relation to the 3-D object. The artwork will be distorted somewhat when mapped to a curved surface—similar to the distortion in maps of the Earth—if that surface cannot be flattened into straight-line planes when “unwrapped” as a 2-D representation.

For example, if you map the same artwork near the x axis of a sphere or ellipsoid, then near its poles you’ll see distortion similar to the following:

The amount of distortion depends on the curvature of the object, the size and shape of the artwork, and where on the curved surface you map the artwork. The guides in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window help you determine where to place the artwork to achieve the least or most distortion desired for the given 3-D shape and artwork.

To map artwork to a curved surface:

1  If necessary, use the convert-direction-point tool [image] in the 2-D work area to toggle between corner points and smooth points on the object. Surfaces joined by a smooth point are treated as a single surface when mapping artwork; artwork will not be mapped across surfaces joined by a corner point. For more information about using the convert-direction-point tool to join surfaces, see Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces.

2  In the 3-D window, use the direct-selection tool [image] to select a curved surface of a 3-D object to which you will map artwork.

3  Choose Operations > Map Artwork. The 3-D artwork appears in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window as a flattened surface.

4  Use the 2-D tools to create artwork to map onto the 3-D object, or to import artwork from an application using File > Place.

The guides correspond to the rules on the surface. If the surface is irregular (for example, a vase), the guides will appear closer together where the rules on the surface appear closer together.

5  Click Apply.

To view how the artwork maps around the curved surface, you can use the trackball tool to rotate the object or you can change your camera angle using the View > Camera Angles submenu or the Camera Mode pop-up menu.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Adobe Dimensions maps artwork to only one side of a surface. If you have extruded 2-D artwork with open paths or partially revolved 2-D artwork without caps to create a 3-D object, the object has an inside and an outside surface. If you want to map artwork to an inside surface (that is, a hidden surface that appears shaded in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window), you must flip the surface orientation so that the mapped artwork will be visible on the inside surface.

To flip a surface of open extruded or partially revolved artwork:

1  Use the direct-selection tool [image] to select the surface to which you will map artwork.

2  Choose Operations > Map Artwork.

If you selected the inside surface to map, the surface will appear shaded.

3  Choose Operations > Reverse Mapping. The surface orientation flips so that the previously unseen surfaces (those previously shaded) are now visible (unshaded).

4  Apply artwork to the selected surface.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Mapping artwork to a box

You can map artwork to either one or all surfaces of a box or cube created with the cube tool, using the 2-D Mapped Artwork window. If you create a cube or a box using a different method than the cube tool, you can only map to one surface of the cube at a time.

To map artwork to a box:

1  Draw a box with the cube tool in the 3-D window or select an existing box to which you will map artwork.

2  Choose Operations > Map Artwork.

The 3-D artwork appears in the 2-D window as flattened surfaces in the form of a cross. Shaded areas indicate surfaces that are not visible from the chosen camera angle. Guides in the form of dotted lines indicate the segments of each surface.

3  Using the 2-D tools, create artwork to map to the surfaces of the box; or choose File > Place, and select artwork to map to the surfaces of the box.

4  To adjust the artwork, you can use the selection, rotate, and scale tools in the 2-D Mapped Artwork window, as described in Transforming objects.

5  Click Apply to map the artwork to your 3-D object.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None

You can map artwork to a an object filled with None to create the effect of 2-D artwork, images, or text suspended in space.

To map artwork to a 3-D object filled with None:

1  Select a 3-D object to which you want to map artwork.

2  Use the Surface Properties palette to fill the object with None. For more information on using the Surface Properties palette, see Coloring objects.

3  Map artwork or a bitmap image to the object’s surface using one of the procedures described earlier in this topic.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces


Mapping artwork to multiple surfaces

Adobe Dimensions maps artwork to one continuous surface at a time. A continuous surface is one whose 2-D base or profile contains no interior anchor points or only smooth anchor points. A discontinuous surface contains one or more interior corner points.

If you want to map artwork across sections of a 3-D object that are discontinuous, you must make the surface continuous by converting interior corner points on the 2-D base or profile into smooth points. You use the convert-anchor-point tool in the 2-D environment to convert corner points to smooth points. For more information about using the convert-anchor-point tool, see Adjusting path segments.

See also:

Mapping 2-D artwork to 3-D objects

Setting artwork mapping options

Using the Mapped Artwork window

Adjusting the placement of mapped artwork in the Mapped Artwork window

Importing 2-D artwork or bitmap images to map to a surface

Mapping artwork to curved surfaces

Mapping artwork to open surfaces

Mapping artwork to a box

Mapping artwork to a surface filled with None


Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork

See also:

About rendering artwork

Choosing a render mode for output or export

Setting preferences to enhance rendering and performance

Setting the number of blends to render and print efficiently

Exporting documents

Printing documents


About rendering artwork

Rendering is the process Adobe Dimensions uses to calculate information to display 3-D attributes of objects, such as color, lighting, shading, and perspective. Adobe Dimensions provides four render modes: Draft, Wireframe, PostScript, and Raster.

Draft and Wireframe modes are intended for creating, editing, and previewing artwork. Draft and Wireframe modes render and draw artwork more quickly than PostScript or Raster mode, because they require fewer calculations to render objects. Wireframe mode displays artwork with black strokes and no fill, lighting, or shading. Draft mode displays artwork with fill color, lighting, and some shading properties, but no stroke.

PostScript and Raster modes are intended for output or export of artwork, and for final editing, such as previewing final color, lighting, and shading attributes before output. PostScript mode renders objects as vector artwork. Raster mode renders objects as bitmap images. For more information about PostScript and Raster render modes, see Choosing a render mode for output or export.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Choosing a render mode for output or export

Rendering artwork in PostScript or Raster mode displays objects with high-quality color, lighting, and shading attributes suitable for export or output. (It is possible to export or output artwork in Wireframe or Draft mode, but artwork does not include high-quality surface property attributes in these modes.) PostScript and Raster mode differ in the way they display graphic attributes and in their compatibility with other applications.

PostScript mode

Renders artwork by calculating PostScript language BŽzier curves to create vector artwork. Vectors describe graphics according to their geometric characteristics. Vector artwork is resolution-independent. It can be resized without changing the graphic quality of the artwork.

The BŽzier curves in Adobe Dimensions PostScript render mode are identical to those used in drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand. You should use PostScript render mode when you want to export artwork from Adobe Dimensions in an Adobe Illustrator format.

PostScript render mode calculates the blends for each object in a scene individually, based on the number of blends set in the Surface Properties palette. The number of blends you select determines the smoothness of the shading and affects the speed of the render. You can use the Calculate option in the Surface Properties palette to calculate the number of blends you should use, based on the printer resolution and the line screen used. See Calculating blend values for your printer’s resolution for more information about the Calculate option.

Raster mode

Renders artwork by converting vector artwork in Adobe Dimensions file format into bitmap images. Colors, shades, and other 3-D properties are represented in bitmap images. Bitmap images, also called raster images, use a grid, or raster, of small squares called pixels (for picture elements) to represent graphics. Bitmap images are resolution-dependent. They represent a fixed number of pixels. As a result, a bitmap image can appear jagged or lose detail if you resize it or output it at a higher resolution than that for which it was created.

Raster mode may provide better results than PostScript mode when exporting Adobe Dimensions files to an image-editing application such as Adobe Photoshop. When you export a raster image in PICT (Macintosh), TIFF, Windows Bitmap (Windows), or Adobe Photoshop format, a dialog box allows you to choose the image resolution.

To select a render mode:

1  Open a 3-D window in Adobe Dimensions.

2  Click the Render Mode menu at the top left of the 3-D window and drag to select a render mode.

To cancel a rendering:

Press the Cancel button on the progress bar while a rendering is in progress.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Setting preferences to enhance rendering and performance

The Preferences options in the Preferences dialog box affect the performance of your system as you work, the size of your files, the quality of output, and the options available when you export your file to a 2-D drawing program. The settings remain in effect until you change them.

There are 15 preferences options, eight of which affect rendering and system performance, as described in the following sections. For an explanation of the Default Shaded Blends option, see Setting the number of blends to render and print efficiently. The Default View Angle, Units, Cursor Key Distance, Show Page Boundaries, and Show Axis Indicator options do not affect rendered or exported artwork.

To set preferences:

1  Choose File > Preferences.

2  Change the Default Shaded Blends, if desired. For more information, see Setting the number of blends to render and print efficiently.

3  Select any of the following options:

•  Select from the following options to adjust mapped artwork in PostScript render mode:

Shade Mapped Artwork

When the option is selected, shading is applied to all artwork mapped onto 3-D surfaces; mapped artwork appears to be made from the same material as the 3-D object because it reflects light in the same way. When the option is deselected (the default), artwork appears on the 3-D object but the artwork’s fill color is unaffected by lighting; deselecting the option greatly speeds up rendering. However, if you have mapped artwork, you should select this option before performing a final render.

The Shade Mapped Artwork option uses a mask to create shading. If the artwork you are mapping also contains a mask, the results may be unpredictable. You will receive a warning if you import artwork for mapping that contains a mask.

Clip Mapped Artwork

When selected, the Clip Mapped Artwork option trims artwork at the edge of a surface and deletes any artwork that is not visible on-screen to keep the file size as small as possible. By default, the option is deselected, and the program uses a mask to clip artwork to the edge of a 3-D object and retain all artwork. To decrease your file size, you should select this option. To retain all artwork so that you can edit it in your 2-D drawing application, you should deselect this option.

Render/Save Hidden Lines

When selected, this option renders and calculates segments that are behind the front surface of a 3-D object and hidden from view. When selected, the option requires more processing time and disk space, but it allows you to edit the hidden surfaces in your drawing application.

Maximize Smoothing

When selected, the Maximize Smoothing option increases the number of shading calculations per blend. Blends look better, but the PostScript Render takes longer. You should select this option before creating a final render of your finished artwork.

Beep When Render Complete

When selected, this option causes Adobe Dimensions to sound an alert when it finishes rendering your artwork.

•  Select from the following options to adjust mapped artwork in Wireframe render mode:

Show Mapped Artwork

When selected (the default), the Show Mapped Artwork option displays artwork mapped onto 3-D surfaces in Wireframe mode. When deselected, the option displays only the 3-D surfaces and no mapped artwork in Wireframe mode. Working in Wireframe mode is faster when the Show Mapped Artwork option is deselected.

Ruled Surfaces

Selected by default, the Ruled Surfaces option displays rules on curved surfaces so that you can better visualize the 3-D geometry. You should select this option if you want to see the rules in Wireframe mode for mapping artwork. You should deselect this option if you plan to work with complex objects and want Adobe Dimensions to redraw more quickly in Wireframe mode, or to move Wireframe objects on-screen faster.

4  Click OK. To return the Preferences options to their defaults, click Default.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Setting the number of blends to render and print efficiently

In PostScript render, the number of blends you set in the Surface Properties palette determines both the quality of the output you produce and the amount of memory (and thus time) it takes to produce the output. Choosing too few blends will result in banding, or abrupt changes in gray values, in the final output, while choosing too many steps will produce unnecessarily large files.

You can have Adobe Dimensions calculate the number of blends for you, based on the type of printer and line screen resolution you are using.

By default, the number of blends for PostScript modes is 25. You can change the default value using the Default Shaded Blends field in the Preferences dialog box. Changing the Number of Blends value in the Surface Properties palette overrides the default value.

Note: The more colors your monitor displays, the smoother shading appears in Draft mode. If your monitor has the capability, set its display to millions of colors. To set the display in Macintosh, choose Apple > Control Panels, double-click the Monitors control panel, and select Millions of Colors. Then close the control panels. To set the display in Windows, open Control Panels and choose Display > Settings > Color palette, then select True color (24-bit), or True color (32-bit) if available. Then close the control panels.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Exporting documents

Once you have rendered your 3-D artwork, you can export it to a drawing or image-editing application or a page-layout program by using the Clipboard, by dragging and dropping, or by choosing File > Export.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork

Exporting documents using the Copy and Paste commands

Exporting documents by dragging and dropping

Exporting documents using the Export command


Exporting documents using the Copy and Paste commands

You can move artwork from Adobe Dimensions to another application using the Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste commands. Adobe Dimensions allows you to export 2-D or 3-D artwork using the Copy and Paste commands.

To copy artwork to another application using Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste:

1  Select the artwork.

2  For 3-D artwork, select a Render mode using the View menu or the Render Mode pop-up menu.

3  Choose Edit > Copy.

4  Open a receiving application that can read the format of the object on the Clipboard.

5  Choose Edit > Paste.

See also:

Exporting documents

Exporting documents by dragging and dropping

Exporting documents using the Export command


Exporting documents by dragging and dropping

You can use the selection tool to drag 2-D or 3-D artwork from Adobe Dimensions to another application.

To copy artwork using drag and drop:

1  Select the artwork.

2  For 3-D artwork, select a Render mode using the View menu or the Render Mode pop-up menu.

3  Open a receiving application that can read the format of the artwork.

4  Drag the artwork from the Adobe Dimensions window into the window of the receiving application.

See also:

Exporting documents

Exporting documents using the Copy and Paste commands

Exporting documents using the Export command


Exporting documents using the Export command

The Export command lets you save an Adobe Dimensions file in a 2-D format that you can export and use in other applications. You can specify Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, EPS, TIFF, Windows Bitmap (Windows), or PICT (Macintosh) file formats.

To export an Adobe Dimensions document to another application:

1  Choose File > Export.

2  Choose a file format option from the Format pop-up menu in the Export dialog box.

3  Name the export file. If you plan to export an Adobe Dimensions document from a Macintosh operating system to another platform such as Windows, name the file following the platform’s filenaming conventions, and add the extension .ai.

4  Click Export. Depending on what export file format you chose in step 2, a dialog box may appear:

•  With Adobe Illustrator format, a dialog box lets you choose the version of Adobe Illustrator you want your file to be compatible with.

•  With Adobe Illustrator EPS format, a dialog box lets you choose the version of Adobe Illustrator and the type of preview you want, including None, Mac, and PC formats.

•  With PICT, TIFF, Windows Bitmap, and Photoshop formats, a dialog box lets you choose image resolution and scaling. (Since the file will be rendered again for export, you can change the scale or dpi of objects without affecting image quality.)

5  Open and edit the Adobe Dimensions artwork as 2-D artwork in your graphics application.

See also:

Exporting documents

Exporting documents using the Copy and Paste commands

Exporting documents by dragging and dropping


Printing documents

You can print 2-D artwork or rendered 3-D artwork using the File > Print command.

The Print command prints only artwork within the page boundaries in the active window. The page boundaries are represented by two gray rectangles; the outer rectangle represents the page size, and the inner dotted rectangle represents the printable surface of the page (also called the imageable area). By default, page boundaries are always visible; to make page boundaries invisible, choose File > Preferences and deselect the Show Page Boundaries option.

You can control how your artwork is printed by adjusting the placement of the page on the Artboard. You do this with the page tool, found in both the 3-D toolbox and the 2-D toolbox. You can set different page boundaries for the 2-D window and the 3-D window. When you print a document, the page boundaries used are those from the currently selected window.

To adjust the printing boundaries of a page:

1  Select the page tool [image] in the 3-D toolbox or the 2-D toolbox. The pointer becomes a crosshair when you move it to an active window.

2  Click the page and drag to place the page. The page tool repositions the page from the lower left corner. As you drag, the program displays rectangles representing the page size and the printable area.

See also:

Rendering, Exporting, and Printing 3-D Artwork


Troubleshooting

When you register your product purchase, you are eligible for free technical support from a technician for one issue regarding your product. To get the phone number for your product, visit our web site at www.adobe.com or call 800-879-3219. When your complimentary telephone support expires, Adobe offers options in the United States through the Adobe CustomerFirst™ program; for information call 800-685-3652. Outside the United States and Canada, terms may vary. Contact your local subsidiary or distributor for details.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Additional technical support resources

Problems with artwork appearance


Before you call Adobe Technical Support

There are several steps you can take before calling technical support to receive assistance. Performing these steps can solve many problems and often eliminates the need for telephone assistance:

See also:

Troubleshooting

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Check for a utility conflict

Deactivate the preferences file

Check SCSI device connections

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

If you are experiencing installation problems, delete all of your Dimensions applications files, including the preferences file (located in the System Folder/Preferences folder on the Macintosh and in the Dimensions folder on Windows), and then try the following:

•  If you are installing from the CD, copy the entire set of program folders to your hard disk and then install from the hard disk after following the instructions in the next paragraphs.

•  On the Macintosh, hold down the Shift key and restart to turn off all extensions; then reinstall Adobe Dimensions.

•  On Windows, remove all items from the Startup Group and remark out the load/run lines in the win.ini file. Then restart in Safemode (Windows 95), with the Microsoft VGA driver (earlier versions of Windows), or in VGA mode (Windows NT). See your Windows documentation for instructions on deactivating startup software and changing restart options. Reinstall Adobe Dimensions, and then restart Windows again in its normal mode. (Dimensions does not run in Safemode, VGA mode, or with the VGA driver.)

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Check for a utility conflict

Deactivate the preferences file

Check SCSI device connections

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Check for new software or setting conflicts

Very often problems with Adobe Dimensions can be traced to recent installation of new software or utilities that are running at the same time as Dimensions. If you have recently installed new software or changed other system configuration settings, such as your monitor setting, try de-installing the software or restoring your original settings. (If you deinstall software, you must also reinstall Dimensions following the instructions in Reinstall Adobe Dimensions . This will ensure that any Dimensions files that might have been damaged by your new software installation are restored.) If the problem disappears, you can try reinstalling the problem software or system utility or contact the manufacturer for a new version and for compatibility information.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for a utility conflict

Deactivate the preferences file

Check SCSI device connections

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Check for a utility conflict

On the Macintosh, hold down the Shift key and restart the computer to restart with extensions off. In Windows, remove all items from the startup group and remark out the load/run lines in the win.ini file. (See your Macintosh or Windows documentation for more information on deactivating startup software.) If the problem disappears after restarting Dimensions, try restarting your computer with selected startup items reactivated until you have identified the problem software. You can then try reinstalling the software, or remove the software and contact the software manufacturer for a new version and for compatibility information.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Deactivate the preferences file

Check SCSI device connections

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Deactivate the preferences file

To check whether your problem is caused by a corrupted preferences file, quit Adobe Dimensions, deactivate the preferences file, and restart Dimensions. To deactivate the preferences file on the Macintosh, drag the Adobe Dimensions Prefs file (located in the Preferences folder in your System Folder) to the Trash. To deactivate the preferences file in Windows, rename the Dimensions3.prf file (located in your Dimensions directory). If the problem disappears, delete the preferences. If the problem persists, restore the preferences file to its original location (Macintosh) or name (Windows) to preserve your preferences settings.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Check for a utility conflict

Check SCSI device connections

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Check SCSI device connections

Make sure that the devices you are using are securely and fully connected to your computer, and that device cords are not damaged. The cause of the problem could be a bad connection.

Important: Be sure to turn off your computer and SCSI devices before checking cord connections. Failure to do so can damage your hardware.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Check for a utility conflict

Deactivate the preferences file

Optimize and defragment your hard disk


Optimize and defragment your hard disk

Use a disk tool utility, such as Norton Utilities or Scandisk, to check whether your hard disk contains bad sectors that may be causing the crashes. You can then use the Norton Speed Disk or Defrag utility to optimize and defragment the hard drive. (Defragmenting cleans up any leftover file fragments and orders data contiguously so that it can be accessed quickly.) For instructions, see the utility’s documentation.

See also:

Before you call Adobe Technical Support

Reinstall Adobe Dimensions

Check for new software or setting conflicts

Check for a utility conflict

Deactivate the preferences file

Check SCSI device connections


Additional technical support resources

Adobe Systems provides several forms of automated technical support free of charge:

•  See the Read Me file installed with the program for last-minute information not included in this user guide.

•  Use forums on CompuServe and America Online, extensive customer support information on the Adobe Home Page on the World Wide Web, or Adobe’s own technical support bulletin board system. To open the Adobe Home Page, use the URL http://www.adobe.com once you’re on the World Wide Web. To use the Adobe bulletin board, call 206-623-6984. Forums and availability may vary by country.

•  Call Adobe FaxYI, a free fax-on-demand system that can fax you any of over 1400 technical and customer services documents on Dimensions and other Adobe products. Call 206-628-5737 from a touch-tone phone and follow the recorded instructions.

•  Browse through the Adobe Technical Library on the application CD-ROM for additional technical and troubleshooting information.

See also:

Troubleshooting


Problems with artwork appearance

See also:

Troubleshooting

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Adobe Dimensions renders objects by shading them with a percentage of black (or other shade color you’ve selected in the Surface Properties palette). You can increase the brightness of the color by increasing the Ambient Lighting setting in the Surface Properties palette, or by adding additional lights in the Lighting dialog box. For information about the Ambient Lighting setting, see Changing reflectance properties.

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

The object has been created or moved away from the 0 position on the z axis (the depth axis). When the perspective or camera angle changed, the object was rotated off the work area on the z axis, causing some or all of the object to swing “behind” you (that is, off-screen). You can change your perspective or view until you see the object again, or move the object to the 0 position on the z axis by choosing Operations > Transform > Move.

Guides in your artwork may also be too long and may have rotated off the work area. You can make the guide shorter or delete it by selecting the guide and choosing Edit > Cut.

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

If you run out of memory while rendering, you can either reduce the Number of Blends value in the Surface Properties palette, reduce the number of points in the 2-D artwork, reduce the amount of mapped artwork, or reduce the number of interpenetrating objects.

On a Macintosh system, you can allocate more memory from your system to Adobe Dimensions. To allocate more memory to Adobe Dimensions on Macintosh, quit Adobe Dimensions by choosing File > Quit, click the Adobe Dimensions icon on the system desktop, choose File > Get Info, and increase the value in the Preferred Size text box.

You must have a minimum of 4MB of RAM unallocated to any application in order to run Adobe Dimensions on a Macintosh. To verify this, select the Finder. Then choose Apple > About This Macintosh and check the Largest Unused Block of RAM. If this amount is less than 4MB, quit Adobe Dimensions and lower the preferred RAM for Adobe Dimensions.

On a Macintosh system, when you use Wireframe, PostScript, or Raster render mode, Adobe Dimensions will use system memory if it’s available. (Draft render mode will not use system memory.)

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

If you copied Adobe Dimensions to a new system rather than using the Installer program on Adobe Dimensions CD-ROM, the application may lack essential program elements for the system to which it was copied. You should reinstall Adobe Dimensions on your system using the Installer application included on your original Adobe Dimensions CD-ROM.

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

Objects within a group or a text block are colored sequentially in Adobe Dimensions. If an object in a group is deleted, the following object in the coloring order takes on the color characteristics of the deleted object. To prevent problems with color when deleting objects, you can create each object individually (for example, you can create each letter of a word as a single object) so that the objects have no coloring order, or you can ungroup the objects.

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


You get a "Path is self-intersecting" warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.
You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.

Your 2-D artwork path has an intersection or “loop” that may be difficult to find. Zoom in on the path using the zoom tool to find the intersection. Using the 2-D tools, eliminate the intersecting path. If you are extruding artwork, you can decrease the Depth value in the Extrude dialog box, select the right-hand Extent option, or edit the bevel to decrease its carving depth. (For more information about preventing overlapping bevels, see Preventing beveled surfaces from overlapping.)

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.


You get a "Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color" warning when you try to render your artwork.
You get a “Surfaces are found with the same fill and shade color” warning when you try to render your artwork.

Adobe Dimensions shades artwork with a black shade. If your artwork is filled with 100-percent black, the black shading will not be visible against the black object. You can change the shade color, the fill color, or the tint of black on either the shade or the fill to eliminate the warning.

See also:

Problems with artwork appearance

Fill colors appear darker than expected.

Some parts of a 3-D object do not appear on-screen

You receive an error message indicating that you have run out of memory.

You have placed a copy of the Adobe Dimensions program on a new system and the program does not function properly.

You delete an object in a group, or a letter in a text block, and the color of other objects changes.

You get a “Path is self-intersecting” warning when you try to extrude or revolve your artwork.


New command

Creates a new Dimensions document.

See also Opening documents.


Import command

Places an importable file into the document.

See also Importing artwork and images.


Close command

Closes an open Dimensions document.


Save command

Saves the document in its current file format.

See also Rendering, exporting, and saving artwork.


Save As command

Saves an alternate version of the document under a different name or format.

See also Rendering, exporting, and saving artwork.


Export command

Saves the document in a non-Dimensions file format for use in other applications.

See also Exporting documents.


Revert command

Reverts to the last saved version of the document.


Page Setup command

Sets page options including page size, layout, magnification, and orientation.


Exit command

Closes all saved open Dimensions documents and exits the application.


Import Colors command

Imports custom colors from a selected Adobe Illustrator document.

See also Importing custom colors.


Cut command

Removes selected artwork from the active window and places it on the Clipboard.


Copy command

Duplicates the selected object and places it on the Clipboard.

See also:

Importing artwork and images.

Copying and pasting objects.


Paste command

Pastes cut or copied artwork into the active window.

See also:

Importing artwork and images.

Copying and pasting objects.


Duplicate command

Duplicates the selected artwork and places it in the active window.

See also Copying and pasting objects.


Clear command

Deletes the selected artwork.


Select All command

Selects all objects in the document.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Select None command

Deselects all objects in the document.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Select Inverse command

Selects all objects that are currently not selected, and deselects all selected objects.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Select Previous Surface command

Selects the previous surface of a 3-D object with one surface selected.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Select Next Surface command

Selects the next surface of a 3-D object with one surface selected.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Lock Selection command

Locks artwork into position so that you cannot move or modify it.


Unlock All command

Unlocks locked artwork so that you can move and modify it.


Object CenterPoints

Aligns the centerpoints of selected 2-D or 3-D objects.

See also Aligning objects.


Surface CenterPoints

Aligns the selected sides of selected 2-D objects in parallel lines, or the selected surfaces of selected 3-D objects in parallel planes.

See also Aligning objects.


Surface Orientation

Aligns the selected sides of 2-D objects in the same line, or the selected surfaces of 3-D objects in the same plane.

See also Aligning objects.


Surface Planes

Aligns the selected sides of 2-D objects in parallel lines with the centerpoints of the sides coinciding. Aligns the selected surfaces of 3-D objects in parallel planes, with the centerpoints of the surfaces coinciding.

See also Aligning objects.


New Artwork command

Opens a new 2-D artwork window.

See also Creating or opening a 2-D window.


Edit Artwork command

Opens a 2-D window for 2-D artwork that is not revolved or extruded.

See also Applying 2-D artwork to the 3-D environment.


Zoom In command

Magnifies the view of the document up to 1600% of its original size.


Zoom Out command

Reduces the view of the document down to 6.25% of its original size.


Front command

Displays the x and y axes of 3-D objects from the front.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Back command

Displays the x and y axes of 3-D objects from the back.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Left command

Displays the y and z axes of 3-D objects from the left.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Right command

Displays the y and z axes of 3-D objects from the right.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Top command

Displays the x and z axes of 3-D objects from the top.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Bottom command

Displays the x and z axes of 3-D objects from the bottom.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Front command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees above and to the left of the front of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Back command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees above and to the left of the back of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Left command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees above and to the left of the left side of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Right command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees above and to the left of the right side of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Top command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees above and to the left of the top of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Off Axis Bottom command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from 30 degrees below and to the right of the bottom of the object.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Isometric command

Displays a view of a 3-D object from a point 45 degrees from the x, y, and z axes.

See also Selecting a camera angle.


Object Browser command

Displays or hides the Object Browser palette.

See also Using the Object Browser palette.


Surface Properties command

Displays or hides the Surface Properties palette.

See also:

Selecting color attributes.

Changing the reflectance and shading of a 3-D object .


Custom Color command

Displays or hides the Custom Color dialog box.

See also Using custom colors.


Lighting command

Displays or hides the Lighting dialog box.

See also Adjusting the lighting on a 3-D object.


About command

Displays the information screen for Adobe Dimensions.


Keyboard command

Displays shortcuts for Adobe Dimensions.


Home Page command

Helps you connect to the Adobe Dimensions World Wide Web page.


Contents command

Displays the Contents page of the online Adobe Dimensions help system.


Search for Help command

Searches for a word or phrase in the online Adobe Dimensions help system.


How to Use Help command

Displays information on how to use the online Adobe Dimensions help system.


Select tool

Selects entire 3-D objects or grouped objects, or entire 2-D objects, grouped objects, or paths .

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Direct Select tool

Selects individual surfaces of 3-D objects or individual sides or points of 2-D objects.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Object Select tool

Selects a single object within a group of 2-D or 3-D objects.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Z Translation tool

Moves 3-D objects and groups of objects along the depth axis in off-axis views.

See also Selecting and deselecting objects.


Zoom in tool

Magnifies the view of the document up to 1600% of its original size.


Zoom Out tool

Reduces the view of the document down to 6.25% of its original size.


Cube tool

Draws a cube or rectangular prism.

See also Drawing primitives.


Sphere tool

Draws a sphere or ellipsoid.

See also Drawing primitives.


Cone tool

Draws a cone with a circular or elliptical base.

See also Drawing primitives.


Cylinder tool

Draws a cylinder with a circular or elliptical base.

See also Drawing primitives.


Two Dimensional Art tool

Opens a new 2-D artwork window.

See also Opening documents.


Page tool

Adjusts the placement of the printable page on the Artboard.

See also Printing documents.


Text tool

Creates and selects type for editing.

See also Editing type.


Convert Direction tool

Converts smooth points to corner points and corner points to smooth points.

See also Adjusting path segments.


Image Resolution dialog

Sets image resolution for documents exported in PICT, TIFF, Windows Bitmap, or Adobe Photoshop file formats.

See also Exporting documents using the Export command.


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