Adobe Illustrator is the ideal program for creating beautiful illustrations, but did you know you can use it to create infographics? Let’s say you have a presentation and you would like to have a visual representation of some information or data.
From stacked column graphs to line graphs, Adobe Illustrator has tools for all types of graphs that you can add to your designs.
I will show you in this tutorial how to create a Pie chart from scratch and then turn it into a 3D form.
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Create a 2D Pie Chart
Start by opening a fresh document in Adobe Illustrator and selecting your preferred size document. There aren’t any specific document size values for this practice tutorial, but I will show you how to enter values to help you create the chart.
The Pie Chart tool looks exactly like a pie chart, although the default tool could be the Column Graph tool (J). Once you select the Pie Chart Tool from the advanced side menu, click anywhere on your artboard.
In the Graph Properties box, enter the width and the height of the pie chart you want to create. I added these values, Width=100mm/Height=100mm.
Now, double-click on the Graph Tool to get the pop-up menu (look below). You can do this step before clicking on your artboard. In the Options section, change the preferences from Standard Legend to Legends in Wedges. You can change the size of the type of the values later on if you need to.
Add the attributes. Start by typing in the white bar. Once you have a value, hit the return key to enter the next value, and so on.
In order for the attributes to appear on your pie chart (that you also can edit later), you must put the top row in quote marks as shown below.
You will get a pie chart that looks like the visual below. If your pie chart appears to have strokes, you can remove them by clicking on None(/).
Change the colors. Use the Direct Selection tool (A), to change the shapes individually.
To make life easier, from the overhead menu, go to Object>Ungroup. This will ungroup each part so you can easily edit the sections separately. Change the color of the numbers to white.
This is how your pie chart appears once you’re done.
You can now stylize the pie chart by making some parts bigger to emphasize some sections, adding descriptions and a legend.
And now for the best part. Select all elements. From the overhead menu, choose Window>3D and Materials.
We’re going to see how we can turn this 2D pie chart into a 3D form.
Turn your 2D Pie Chart into a 3D Pie Chart
With this new excellent feature on Illustrator. Follow these steps to turn a simple shape into 3D.
Related Article: How to use the Scissors Tool in Illustrator.
From the overhead menu, choose Windows>3D and Materials (mentioned previously). This will open a panel where you will be able to edit your image and render it later. Let’s start creating magic!
From the Object tab in the 3D and Materials panel, select Extrude. You can choose any values you’re comfortable with. I left the depth at 17.6.
Now scroll down to Rotation in the same panel, and change the values to the values shown below.
Moving along to Lighting, you will need to enter different values. Again, you can play with the values and see the outcome for yourselves.
Intensity 100%, Rotation 90°, Height 25°, and Softness 40%.
Now click on render (the square icon next to Lighting). And let it do its magic! Your software is working hard right now.
Move each part to make a proper 3D pie chart. Try placing them closer to one another.
Great! You now have an attractive 3D pie chart that will add depth to your infographics and make them look more professional.
Related Article: Blend Tool in Illustrator