How to Do 3D Drawing in Excel (3 Suitable Examples)

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Wonder how to make a 3D drawing in Excel? You are in the right place! In this article, I have discussed how to construct a 3-dimensional drawing in Microsoft Excel. So, stay with us all through the article and leave us feedback in the comment box.


How to Do 3D Drawing in Excel (3 Examples)

So, we will see 3 examples of 3D drawings in Excel: creating an arbitrary 3D object, creating a regular shaped 3D object, i.e. a spherical cube, and using built-in 3D models of Excel (animated or still image).

Example 1: Create an Arbitrary 3D Object

There are no rigid rules to make a random 3D object in Excel. So, here we are giving just a demo, from which you will get an idea of that.

⦿ Steps:

  • First off, go to the Insert tab and click on Illustrations.
  • Then click on Shapes and choose a suitable 2D shape.

Here, I have chosen a rectangle, for instance.

inserting a 2D shape in Excel

  • Draw the shape with mouse drag. You have some editing options for this shape in Excel. You can edit the shape controlling the points, you can change the color inside, etc.

shape editing option

  • Now, select the rectangle and go to the Shape Fill.
  • Then select the Texture option and select the Green Marble option.

These two steps are optional. You can avoid them if you wish.

  • Now, select Shape and go to Shape Effects. You will see all the options in the below image.

  • You can use a preset shape format and apply it to your object.

  • In that case, you will get an object like the following image. (Preset 12 is selected)

an arbitrary 3d drawing in Excel

  • Or, you can apply your own formats. For example, I have applied Perspective: Lower Right from the Shadow option, Soft Round from the Bevel option, and Parallel Isometric: Left Down from the 3D Rotation option.
  • As a result, the following 3D-like object appears in my Excel. The shadow I have used makes it more like a 3D object.

  • You can add more formatting to the object. For that, choose the object and right-click on your mouse.
  • Select the Format Picture command.

  • Then the following window will appear.
  • In this window, look at the options: Top bevel, Bottom bevel, Depth, Contour, Material, Lighting, etc. Control the shape of your 3D objects by inputting suitable values in these boxes.

  • Finally, here is our output!

  • Here are some more examples of 3D objects made by using this workaround in Excel.

some more examples of 3d drawing in Excel

Read More: Drawing Decision Trees in Excel


Example 2: Draw a 3D Spherical Cube in Excel

Now, let’s be more specific. How will you draw a regular 3D object in Excel? In this example, I will show how to draw a cubed sphere.

⦿ Steps:

  • First of all, select an Oval shape from the Baic Shapes section of the Shapes option of the Insert tab’s Illustrations group.

  • You can control the size of the shape (height and width) in the Size group.

  • Now, go to the Format Shape window (we have shown the process in Example 1), and select the Round bevel in the Top bevel, and Bottom bevel options.

  • After that, input 110 as the Width and Height of the Top and Bottom bevel options. You can keep the Depth value 0.

  • Now, after applying the following formats, the sphere will look like the following image.
  • Shadow: Perspective (Below)
  • 3D Rotation: Perspective (Contrasting Left)

Drawing of a 3D Spherical Cube in Excel

Read More: How to Create Drawing Register in Excel


Example 3: Insert Built-in 3D Models of Excel (with or without Animation)

In the last example, I will show how to utilize the built-in 3D models of Excel. This option is available in Excel 365, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016.

To manually create animation in Excel, have a look at the following article: Excel VBA to Apply 3D Animation

⦿ Steps:

  • To get them, go to the Insert tab, then from the Illustrations group, click on the 3D Models command and select Stock 3D Models.

  • After that, the following Online 3D Models will appear. Keep your Internet connection on.

built-in 3d drawing in Excel

  • For instance, I have chosen the Animated Animals option here.
  • Select any option available here.
  • Then press the Insert button.

built-in 3d drawing in Excel

  • The following window will appear for a moment.

  • After that, the selected 3D object will be visible.
  • You can rotate the model 360 degrees.

dynamic 3d animated drawing in Excel

Read More: How to Do Drawing in Excel Using VBA


Download Practice Workbook

You can utilize the workbook below for practice. All of the examples from this article are included here. You can use the raw data to execute the operations.


Conclusion

So, I hope the examples of 3D drawing in Excel we have shown here will be useful for you. If you have any thoughts on these, please share them with us. Also, don’t hesitate to ask any questions, the comment box is open for any queries. You are also cordially invited to our website to learn more articles on Excel. Happy Excelling!


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Masum Mahdy
Masum Mahdy

Hi there! I am Mahdy, a graduate of Naval Architecture from BUET, currently working as an Excel & VBA Content Developer in ExcelDemy. You are gonna find my published articles on MS Excel and other topics of my interest here in ExcelDemy's blog. You are most welcome to my profile!

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