How to Make a Grainy 3D Object in Illustrator

Illustrator 3D Techniques

Creating textured 3D objects in Illustrator doesn’t have to be complicated. With just one shape and a few tweaks inside the “3D and Materials” panel, you can easily produce realistic, grainy-looking objects that feel both modern and organic. This method is incredibly straightforward, relying entirely on Illustrator’s built-in tools—no need for external textures or third-party plugins. It’s a great way to give your graphics more depth and a tactile, handcrafted feel using nothing but vector shapes and lighting.

Step 1

Open Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. In this case, I will make mine at 1800 x 1200 px.

Step 2

Select the Star Tool. Click and drag on your artboard to create a star with any amount of vertices that you like.

Step 3

Go to Effect > 3D and Materials > Inflate and apply the following settings.

Step 4

Click on the Materials tab and under "Base Properties" set the Roughness to 0 and the Metallic to 0.25.

Step 5

Click on the Lighting tab and apply the following settings.

Step 6

Lastly, go to Effect > Texture > Grain. Apply the following settings and click OK.

Some Final Notes:

Now that you know how to easily create a grainy 3D object in Illustrator, you can edit the shape just as you normally would—adjusting properties like the number of star points, inner and outer roundness, and overall scale. You can also freely rotate or reposition the 3D object to explore different perspectives. This method gives you full flexibility while keeping the process simple and entirely within Illustrator.