OpenOffice.org 2, Firefox, and Thunderbird for Windows All in One [Electronic resources]

1.

Choose 3D Effects

After drawing a 3D object (with the

3D Objects toolbar) or converting a 2D shape to 3D (as described in

124 Add 3D Text ), right-click the 3D object and choose

3D Effects from the context menu. The

3D Effects dialog box appears.

2.

Adjust Geometry

Click the

Geometry button at the top of the

3D Effects dialog box if needed, to display the

Geometry settings. Here you can adjust the amount of roundness in the

Rounded edges of your object, and the ratio of the front face of the object to its back face (the

Scaled depth ). The

Rotation angle applies only to a

3D rotation object and controls whether the profile is rotated a complete 360 degrees to create the object. You can adjust the amount of extrusion by changing the

Depth .

The

Horizontal and

Vertical Segment amounts apply to rounded shapes; by increasing these values, you can make a rounded shape more smooth. The higher these values, however, the longer your shape will take to draw. The

Normals affect how your object's surface is rendered when lit and when a texture is applied. These settings are best left at

Object Specific , which selects the best formula for each object. With

Flat, you can let each of the vertical and horizontal segments become more apparent, or smooth them with

Spherical . You can invert the

Normals , which makes an object appear as if lit from within. You can choose

Double-Sided Illumination, which simulates both interior and exterior lighting. You can also create

Double-Sided , or open ended, 3D objects, like an open ended box.

On each page of this dialog box, after setting the effects you want, click the

Checkmark button to apply them to the selected 3D object.

KEY TERM

3D rotation object Created with the

Modify, Convert, To 3D Rotation Object command, this type of object starts as a profile which is then rotated 360 degrees through its y-axis (a pole running up and down through its center).116 Fill an Object and

122 Insert Gallery Objects .

You can display the bitmap texture in black and white or color by clicking the appropriate

Type button. You probably won't want to choose the

Mode button,

Only Texture, which displays only the texture across the surface of the object, without the shading that makes an object appear 3-dimensional. Instead, leave

Mode set to

Texture and Shading .

You can control how the bitmap is rendered over the surface of the object horizontally

(Projection X) and vertically (

Projection Y ) by choosing between

Object-specific, Parallel, or

Circular.

6.

Adjust Material

Click the

Material button at the top of the

3D Effects dialog box to display the

Material settings. You can adjust these settings whether or not you've filled your 3D object with a bitmap.

Here you can apply one of several common textures (such as wood) or design your own texture by selecting the color of the object, the color of the lighting, the color of the reflection (the hot spot), and its intensity.

After you've chosen and applied the settings from each page as desired, click the

X to close the

3D Effects dialog box.