Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Photoshop’s 3D Environment

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

Tip

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

To create a 3D object, you start by activating an image, type, or shape layer, or a path you’ve drawn with a shape tool or the Pen tool. Then you use the 3D panel shown in Figure 21-1 to extrude the item into a 3D object.

Figure 21-1. The 3D panel’s Source menu lets you create a 3D object from one or more layers, a work path, a selection, or another file. Use the radio buttons below this menu to tell Photoshop what kind of object ...