how to draw a 3d map in illustrator

How To Map Artwork onto 3D Objects with Illustrator

Commodity courtesy Designorati.com In Adobe Illustrator, yous can map textures and artwork onto 3D objects you create and get results such as you see in Effigy 1.

Figure ane. This impressive-looking globe wasn't difficult to make.

To create a earth, I'll use a blue sphere I made. (To brand your own, see "3D Filter How-To.") I demand a map, so I downloaded one from NASA Reusable Images. I used "World Map with Solid Cherry-red Continents." I actually wanted my continents green, only the dark-green ane bachelor on this page would not open for me, so I simply recolored the cherry map green.
With the map file open in Illustrator, zoom out or scroll until you can see the whole map. Elevate the selection tool around it to select all parts of it. Hit Cmd/ctrl + Chiliad (or Object > Group) to group it. If you're using the reddish map, change the colour to a dark green using the Swatches palette.
Go to Edit > Copy to place a re-create of the green map on the clipboard and Edit > Paste in Front to paste the copy direct on top of the original (Figure 2). Yous won't come across any departure, merely information technology's there.

Effigy 2. Paste a copy of the map direct on top of the original.

Change the color of the top copy to bright green. The top re-create volition already be selected, so just click on the bright green swatch in the Swatches palette. At present use the arrow keys to nudge the summit copy upwardly and to the left iii pixels.
Select > All, so group (cmd/ctrl + G). The map now has some dimension (Effigy 3).

Figure 3. Now the map has dimension.

Converting the Map to a Symbol

Any artwork used for mapping to 3D objects in the 3D filters has to exist a symbol. To convert the maps grouping to a symbol, drag it to the Symbols palette and drop it in. Y'all can also open the Symbol palette options card and choose New Symbol, which gives yous an opportunity to name information technology, simply it isn't necessary.
After the map has been converted to a symbol, y'all can delete information technology from the page. You won't need it anymore. Salvage this file as world.ai, and do non close it. The map symbol is now a part of the document world.ai.
Open the sphere image you lot created in the 3D Filter How-To. Select it and copy it to the clipboard.
Make the earth.ai certificate active again and Edit > Paste to add the sphere to the globe document. You should put the sphere into the world document because you need the map symbol you defined to be available. Since symbols are document-level resources — that is, they are non saved with the program preferences but rather with specific documents — the but place the symbol exists is in the certificate it was created in, which is globe.ai. In society to map it to the sphere, the sphere has to be in the same document as the symbol.
You lot'll need to use the 3D Revolve filter once more to become the map on the sphere; but if you go to Issue > 3D > Revolve, Illustrator will desire to add another example. Instead, you want to edit the instance you already accept. To practise this, open the Appearance palette and double-click on the upshot icon in the palette (Figure 4). This will let you edit the existing result.

Effigy 4. Edit the instance in Illustrator'due south Advent palette.

TIP: To completely get rid of an example of the 3D Effects, drag the effect icon in the Appearance palette to the palette trash.
The Revolve dialog opens once again. Make sure you drag the dialog off to the side past its title bar so yous can see the sphere. Y'all don't demand to change the rotation, you just need to map the art to the sphere, so click the Map Fine art button at the superlative right side of the dialog.
The light areas in the diagram are the surface areas you lot tin can see in the epitome at its present rotation. The nighttime areas are hidden, or more than accurately volition be on the side of the sphere that is rotated away from y'all. Notice the sphere is relatively simple: Information technology has 2 surfaces that tin can be mapped. Move from side to side with the arrows. Place the map on surface 1 (Figure 5).

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Effigy 5. The Map Art dialog box.

Open up the Symbol carte. The symbol you saved volition exist at the bottom of the list (Figure 6). Double-click on it to add together it to the diagram.

Figure six. Double-click on the symbol you saved to add it to the diagram.

Information technology's too large for the diagram. You can resize past dragging corner handles the same as any object, or you can resize it instantly to fit by clicking the Scale to Fit button. Click the button now to resize the map (Effigy 7).

Figure 7. It's like shooting fish in a barrel to resize the map — just click the Calibration to Fit push button.

Click the Preview button so you can preview the map on the sphere. It might take a while to render. Find how the maps of Due north and Southward America evidence up, but the maps of Asia, Africa, and Commonwealth of australia are subconscious on the other side of the globe (Figure 8).

Figure 8. The unabridged map is on the globe, but you tin can meet only part of it in this view.

Shaded artwork takes longer to return and takes more computing power, but information technology usually looks more realistic. Attempt checking the Shade Artwork box and letting it render to see which version you prefer. On some images information technology volition make a big difference, and on others it won't, and if there is transparency in the artwork it might even expect foreign. Equally you utilise the Effects, you'll have to decide which mode to proceed on an paradigm-by-image ground.
If you are happy with the result (Figure 9), click OK in the Map Art dialog.

Figure ix. The globe with shading applied.

You can rotate the earth in the 3D Revolve dialog if yous want a different part of the globe showing (Figure x). When you're done rotating by dragging the globe in the preview window, click OK in the 3D Circumduct dialog to utilise the mapped art to the sphere, and you now have a globe. Salvage the file, and you've got the whole world in your easily!

Figure 10. The earth is your oyster — or at least your Illustrator symbol.

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