3-D Format Options for Shapes in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows

3-D Options in PowerPoint enable you to format the bevel style of a shape with many more options than those available in the conventional Bevel gallery. And when we say more, we actually mean a whole lot more! You can customize 3-D options such as contour, contour color, depth, depth color, materials, and lighting—almost like a full blown 3-D program.

In this detailed tutorial, you will explore every option within the 3-D Options gamut so that you can end up with results similar to what you see in Figure 1, below.

Figure 1: 3-D Options give you many choices

To see a sample presentation containing 3-D Options in PowerPoint, scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Follow these steps to format 3-D Options in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows:

1. Select the shape with a Bevel effect so that the Ribbon area shows the Drawing Tools Format tab, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 2. Activate this Ribbon tab by clicking on it. Within the Drawing Tools Format tab, click the Shape Effects button (highlighted in red within Figure 2).
2. 
   Figure 2: Drawing Tools Format tab of the Ribbon
Note: The Drawing Tools Format tab is a contextual tab. These tabs are special tabs in the Ribbon that are not visible all the time. They only make an appearance when you are working with a particular slide object which can be edited using special options.
2. This brings up the Shape Effects drop-down gallery as you can see in Figure 3, below.
3. There are two ways to access 3-D Format options from here:
4. Firstly, you can choose the Preset option, and then choose the 3-D Options from the sub-gallery as shown highlighted in red within Figure 3.
5. 
   Figure 3: 3-D Options within the Preset sub-gallery
6. Alternatively, choose the Bevel option, and then choose 3-D Options from the sub-gallery as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4.
7. 
   Figure 4: 3-D Options within the Bevel sub-gallery
3. Either way, you bring up the Format Shape Task Pane, with the Effects tab active (highlighted in red within Figure 5). Within the Format Shape Task Pane, access options within the 3-D Format section (highlighted in blue within Figure 5).
4. 
   Figure 5: 3-D Format options within Format Shape Task Pane
5. 3-D Format options within the Format Shape pane are explained below, as marked in Figure 5, above:

A. Bevel

6. Allows you to alter Top bevel and Bottom bevel surfaces. Click the down-arrow next to Top bevel and Bottom bevel option to bring up some ready to use bevel styles (see Figures 6 and 7). You can apply any of the Bevel styles, and later change the width and height values in the relevant Width and Height boxes next to these galleries (refer again to Figures 6 and 7).
7. 
   Figure 6: Top bevel
8. 
   Figure 7: Bottom Bevel

B. Depth

9. Learn how to add Depth to a shape in our Apply 3-D Depth to Shapes in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows tutorial. Do note that almost all 3-D options need some Depth to display results from modifying other options. So do change the Bevel from the default 0 pt to something higher.




C. Contour

10. This option allows to change the edge thickness values in points and the color of the Contour, as shown in Figure 8. The Contour is the edge of a 3D object, as in the perimeter line of a shape.
11. 
    Figure 8: Contour color and size options

D. Material

12. Click the down-arrow next to Material option to bring up some ready to use material categories, such as: Standard, Special Effect, and Translucent, as shown in Figure 9, below.
13. 
    Figure 9: Material drop-down gallery

E. Lighting

14. Click the down-arrow next to Lighting option to bring up some ready to use lighting categories, such as: Neutral, Warm, Cool, and Special, as shown in Figure 10. You can even change the lighting angle (refer to Figure 10, again).
15. 
    Figure 10: Lighting drop-down gallery
Note: Click the Reset button to convert a 3-D formatted shape back to a 2-D shape (last option within Figure 5, shown previously on this page).
4. Play around with the 3-D Format options. Figure 11, below shows a Star shape with some 3-D effects; we edited several values, as explained on this page.
5. 
   Figure 11: Star shape with 3-D effects edited
5. Remember to save your presentation often.

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