How to create 3D apples with a bowl in Adobe Illustrator CS6 using the Revolve 3D effect

Let’s get started. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to create 3D apples with a bowl in Adobe Illustrator CS6 using the Revolve 3D effect. Try it out and we’d love to see your comments.

Tutorial

Step 1 : Open a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Illustrator CS6. Choose the width as 670px and height as 500px. Click OK.

Step 2 : Use the “Rectangle Tool” to create a rectangle and fill it with yellow color. This will be the background image for our illustration. Later we can improve it based on our drawings.

Step 3 : Let’s start creating a red apple first using the “Ellipse Tool“. Draw an oval shape that looks like the image below and fill it with red with a stroke of none.

Step 4 : Select the oval path and Choose Effect > 3D > Revolve.

Step 5 : The “3D Revolve Options” window opens with more settings. I have used the below settings to get a 3D red apple. Always make sure you check the “Preview” option so you’re able to view the end results from the settings.

Now, you should get something like the image shown below:

Revolve Options
Angle – Sets the number of degrees to revolve the path, between 0 and 360.
Cap – Specifies whether the object appears solid Revolve Cap On) or hollow(Revolve Cap Off).
Offset – Adds distance between the revolve axis and the path, to create a ring-shaped object, for instance. You can enter a value between 0 and 1000.
From – Sets the axis around which the object revolves, either the Left Edge or Right Edge.

Surface Shading Options
Lets you choose options for the shading surfaces:
Wireframe – Outlines the contours of the object’s geometry and makes each surface transparent.
No Shading – Adds no new surface properties to the object. The 3D object has the same color as the original 2D object.
Diffuse Shading – Makes the object reflect light in a soft, diffuse pattern.
Plastic Shading – Makes the object reflect light as if it were made of a shiny, high-gloss material.

Step 6 : Next, draw another oval path on the side of the red apple and set it to the color green.

Then go to Effect > 3D > Revolve

Step 7 : Enter the below values to achieve the look indicated and click OK. Adjust the values if necessary.

Step 8 : Now we have created the green and red 3D apples.

Step 9 : Next, it’s time to add stems to the apples. Use the Paintbrush Tool (B) and draw the stem on top of the green apple as shown in the diagram.

Apply the below settings.

Choose the dark brown color for your brush stroke. Here I have used color #592A0D for the stem.

Step 10 : Adjust and place the stem in the correct area of the apple, so that it will look realistic.

Step 11 : Ok, let’s repeat Step 10 for creating a stem for the red apple. Here I have used the color green #8B9E3A for the stem.

Step 12 : This is what the red apple should look like right now.

Step 13 : Next, we create a 3D bowl to place our apples on it. Create a path like the below image using the Pen Tool (P) and fill it with blue color.

You can also adjust the curvature of the top right corner.

Step 14 : Go to 3D > Revolve and make the below setting to form a 3D bowl.

Step 15 : You can resize the bowl using the Free Transform Tool. I have enlarged the bowl so that I can place our two apples on it.

Step 16 : To give an even more 3D look to the red apple, add a drop shadow by going to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Set the Mode to Multiply, Opacity to 75%, X Offset to 7px, Y Offset to 1px and Blur as 5px.

Step 17 : Now select the green apple path. Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and apply the below setting.

Step 18 : Lastly, we can provide the drop shadow to the blue bowl. Keep the blue path selected, go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and apply the below settings.