Page 544 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

example, a cloud). Boom: A 3D object is born. You can select it,

rotate it, shrink it, enlarge it, or change its color later, as described
below.

Stickers. This tool wraps 2D images, as though they’re stickers,

onto 3D objects (see Figure 8-20). The app starts you out with fun,
cartoony ones: mouths, moustaches, noses, eyes, and so on. The
next tab offers a choice of textures: rocks, tree bark, concrete,

marble. These may be buried, but they’re important. They let you
transform your featureless, plastic 3D blobs into realistic real-
world objects. The animators at Pixar use exactly the same

technique—although they use software that’s much, much, much
more sophisticated.

On the last tab, you can add your own sticker from any image file

on your PC. You might, for example, start taking your own photos
of the perfect textures, or import clip art from the pros. See
Figure 8-20.

Text. This tool lets you type in 2D or 3D. Whatever you type in 2D
ends up sticking itself to the canvas in the back; anything you type

in the 3D tool gains a little thickness and hangs wherever you place
it (visible in Figure 8-20).

Effects includes 22 lighting effect filters—including several
straight from Minecraft, like medium-blue “Day,” maroon
“Nether,” and the ominous-feeling “The End.” Drag the sun icon

around the light wheel at the bottom of the pane to move the light
source; this effect is particularly impressive if you have chosen
“Gloss” or “Polished metal” finish for any of your models.

Canvas. This tool controls the 2D background—the white
rectangle Microsoft calls the canvas. Using this pane, you can
resize the canvas, rotate and flip it, turn it on or off, or make it

transparent—like a piece of clear glass that you can still draw,
stick, or write on.