Getting Around with Spheres - Page 2
January 19, 2001
Spheres are probably the easiest of geometrics to create. Draw a
circle, fill it with a gradient and wah-lah, instant sphere... or
is it.
The secret to great spheres is in having the proper shading for the
sphere and the correct shadow angle.
Each of the three spheres below was created from the same base color,
the highlight is a lighter shade of the same color... all the way to
white.
basic red - hue: 255, saturation: 255, light: 125
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A highlight close to the base color of the sphere creates the effect
of a very soft light. The shadow would need to be equally as soft,
with blurred edges.
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basic red - hue: 255, saturation: 255, light: 212
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A medium highlight simulates.... you guessed it.... a medium light. The
shadow should be soft, slight blur to the edges.
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basic red - hue: 255, saturation: 0, light: 255
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The bright highlight gives the impression of a bright light shining
on the sphere. A shadow would need to have sharply defined edges close
to the object and a slight blur at the outer edges.
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So exactly how do we make a sphere?
Start by activating the Preset Shape tool. In the Tool Options
dialog box select the Ellipse shape, de-select "Retain style",
check "Antialias" and "Create as Vector". The line width and
style can be left as is; we won't be using the foreground/stroke
style at this point.
To make sure your circle is perfectly round, turn on the grid
which can be accessed from
the menu bar, under View > Grid and
View > Change Grid and Guide Properties. In the Change
Grid and Guide Properties dialog
box, make the following settings:
- units: pixels
- horizontal spacing: 20
- vertical spacing: 20
- line color: your choice
Select your foreground and background colors. The foreground color
will be the highlight, remember to adjust it according to the amount
of light you want displayed on the sphere. The background color is
the color of the sphere itself.
Set the foreground Style Box to null, the background to gradient.
Click inside of the background Style Box to open the Gradient dialog
box and make the following settings:
- Horizontal: 30
- Vertical: 32
- Style: Sunburst (third button from the top)
- Make sure Invert Gradient is unchecked
We should be all set now. Using the grid as your guide, draw out
a circle on the canvas. And there you have it, a sphere sans
shadow.
The Shadow Knows
Equally important as the sphere shading is the shadow shading and
position. Great sphere shadows are created much like spheres, with
the Preset Shape tool and a gradient fill. Set the background
Active Style Box to Gradient (if it isn't still set from creating
your sphere). The foreground Style Box should be set to null.
Change the background color from the color you selected for your
sphere to black. The foreground color should be white, if it
isn't already. Open the Gradient Dialog box and put a check in
the box next to Invert Gradient. That's the only change
you'll need to make here, so exit the dialog box.
Your sphere should have automatically gone to it's own layer when
you created it. If at this point you attempt to create the shadow,
it will go on the same layer as the sphere. Not good. The shadow
will appear to be laying on top of the sphere. Go into the Layers
Palette and click on the background. Now when you create your
shadow it will also go to it's own layer and be beneath the sphere,
where it belongs. Alternately, you could create the shadow on
the same layer as the sphere and move the layer that contains the
shadow below the layer that contains the sphere.
Using the Preset Shape tool, draw an oval. You can drag the handles
on the bounding box around to stretch the shadow out or re-shape it;
twist the shadow with the handle in the center of the bounding box
if the light is coming from the front. Use what ever tools you need
to get that shadow right. If you have to, set up a light and a
ball on your desk to compare the real shadow to the one you are
creating. Remember when working with spheres that a small portion
of the shadow should appear on the same side of the sphere as the
light source.
Once the angle is correct, use the Retouch tool, Soften setting to
smooth the outer edges of the shadow, leaving the shadow edge close
to the object alone. Fade the shadow out by adjusting the layer
opacity in the Layers Palette.
From Flat to 3D
From Flat to 3D
Cubes Are Challenging - Page 3
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