3D Models in Office 365

Get creative with the new 3D models feature for Office 365 subscribers

Microsoft Office 365 is getting more and more creative in every new release. Automation is playing a big part in the new versions of Excel, Word and PowerPoint, it's bringing new features and endless options to make end user’s life easier and helping them to develop attractive documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The 3D models is one of these features and it can help you to illustrate your document or presentation in a much more appealing way.

Check out below the steps to use the 3D feature, which is available for all Office 365 subscribers for Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

3D Models Key Features

3D objects can be moved and resized, just like images, but they can also be rotated along 3 different axis with the rotation UI.
In PowerPoint, model animations like Turntable, Swing and Jump & Turn can be applied from the Animations to see different views of the model.
If the same 3D object is on two consecutive slides with a Morph transition, the shape is interpolated and animated in 3D.

How to Add 3D Objects From a File

The way to insert a new 3D object from a file is pretty much the same way that we are used to insert other images.

1 - On the Insert tab of the ribbon, select 3D Models and then From a File.

2 - Once it's inserted you can use the controls to manipulate the image, as you can see below.

3- You can use the 3D control to rotate or tilt the 3D model in any direction. Just click, hold and drag with your mouse.

4 - If you want to make your image larger or smaller you can drag the image handles in or out.

5 - You can still use the rotation handle to rotate your image clockwise or counter-clockwise, but we recommend using the 3D rotation mentioned above for a better experience.

3D Models from the Office Online Library

Another option is to use the 3D models available in the Office library, which is called Remix 3D. This online catalogue is a large collection of free 3D models, and it’s also a community where you can upload, collect and share your own 3D images.

Remix 3D Catalogue

You can see below an example of the categories available in the Remix 3D catalogue.

How to Change your 3D Models Appearance

Once your 3D model is inserted into your Office file, you'll get a contextual tab on the ribbon under 3D Model Tools called Format. On the format tab there are some handy controls to help you customize how your 3D images will look.

The 3D Model view gallery gives you a collection of pre-set views that you can use on your image. For example, you can quickly select the head-on view or the top-down view.

The Align tool helps you place your image on the page or slide—at the top or side, for example.

Pan & Zoom gives you control of how your 3D image fits within the frame. Click the Pan & Zoom button, then click and drag the object within the frame to move it. Use the Zoom arrow on the right-side of the frame to make the object appear larger or smaller within the frame.

After you have your 3D images placed you can do different sort of animation, using the PowerPoint’s Morph Transition, for example. The 3D Model feature is available for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Check out in the short video below one example of 3D Models into a presentation.

PowerPoint Training Courses

At New Horizons Ireland, one of the leaders on delivering Microsoft courses we offer a wide range of courses. For all levels of IT professionals to end-users. Check it out with one of our Account Managers and choose the best option for your needs.