Wireframe Sphere, take 3

Contributed by: Phil Desmarais  aka Phil_The_Rodent

Okay, I'll let you know from the get-go, this tutorial is a pretty simple pattern distortion. I don't know why it was eluding me, but I had an epiphany a couple weeks back, and here is the result.

Part I: Define your pattern

First we're going to want to define a pattern to use. One of the amazing points of this technique is that you're not limited to just grids. You can honestly use anything you like. But for now, seeing as we all like grids, we'll start with a grid.

1. Make a new canvas, 20 pixels by 20 pixels, RGB, with a Transparent background
2. Select All (Ctrl-A)
3. Edit: Stroke, let's say 1 pixel, inside (Normal at 100%), press Okay
4. Edit: define Pattern, lets call this basic Grid. press Okay

 

Okay now we have a pattern established, again, for this part you can establish any pattern you like...

Part II: Develop your workspace

Okay, now we get to work

1. Make a new canvas, and choose a square size that's a multiple of the size of the pattern you established. In Part I, we used a Canvas that was 20x20, so let's make our canvas 400 pixels by 400 pixels. RGB, White Background.
2. Make a new layter
3. Press Shift-Backspace (Shift-Delete on Mac) to bring up you fill dialogue, go to Pattern in the Use drop-down menu, and select the Basic Grid which you defined in Part I as your custom pattern. Press okay.
 

You should be left with a black grid (if you used a grid pattern) on a white canvas. Now let's get to maniuplating it.

 

Part III: Create your tools

1. First thing we'll want to do is make the primary distortion that will oversee this entire technique. Do this with a Filter>Distort>Polar Coordinates, and select Rectangular to Polar and press okay.

 

This stage is highly customizable, and is where you get to pick the type of angle you want you sphere to sit on. Let's start by making a round selection of a portion of the canvas. You'll want to follow me carefully here:

1. Click and hold your Rectangular Marquee tool until a dropdown list of tools appears. Select the elliptical marquee.
2. Hold shift and click and drag to make a circular selection on the canvas. To reposition this selection while making it, press the Spacebar and hold it. Rather than sizing the selection, this will temporarily move it. Once your selection is established, you can move it if you click and drag inside the selection with the marquee tool still active. What we are looking for is a good portion for the front of the sphere. If you do this tutorial a few times it will help you nail this selection.
 

3. Once your selection is established, go to select and Save Selection and let's call it "Sphere Template". Press Okay.
4. When you get back to the canvas, press Crtl-J. This will copy the current selection to a new layer.
5. Notice how your selection disappeared in Step III4. This is why we saved it. Click back on Layer 1 (the distorted grid layer) and Select: load Selection, and in channel select "Sphere Template"
6. Now make sure your marquee is still active, and click and drag inside the selection to move it. We want to good chunk of pattern for the sphere's backside. Again, going through the tutorial a couple times will help you nail this.

 

7. When you have the selection you like, hit Ctrl-J
8. Hide Layer 1 by clicking on the eye icon on the left of the layer in the palette.

 

Okay, so we have the building blocks all established. Next we'll be aligning them, and distorting them.

Part IV: The Manipulation

Okay, the very first thing we want to do here is get everything lined up.

1. Make the front of the sphere (Layer 2, if you've been following along) your active layer by clicking on the layer name or thumbnail.
2. Now link the front of the sphere layer to the back of the sphere by clicking the box beside the visibility eye on the back of the sphere layer (Layer 3).
3. Layer: Align Linked: Vertical Centers
4. Layer: Align Linked: Horizontal Centers

 

We can see it starting to take shape now.

5. Select: Load Selection, and pick the Sphere template which we saved earlier.
6. Filter: Distort: Spherize 100%

Now do this to the back.

7. Make Layer 3 your active layer
8. Filter: Distort: Spherize 50%

That step 8 is a little counter-intuitive, but it helps the edges look more gradual.

So there we are. Now just a few tweaks to get it spiffy.

 

 

Part V: Spiff it up

The first thing I did was change my background layer to a gradient. Then I added some effects.

1. Double Click the front layer to get to your layer effects. We'll add a Inner Glow, Opacity 50%, Source Edge, Size 5 px.

 


 

We can also add a touch of bevel if you'd like: let's make an Inner bevel, Smooth, Depth 150%, size 1 px, with the highlight mode set to colour dodgr 100% and the shadow set to nothing.

 


 

2. Double Click the back of the sphere layer, to this we'll add a Gradient Overlay, Style: Multiply, Opacity 100%, Black to White, Style: Radial, Scale 150%.

 


 

Before you close the back layer effects, go to blending options and drop the fill opacity to 0% (in PS7, you will find this right on your layer palette).

 


Et voila!!!