How to Make Chrome Wheels in Illustrator
There is no quick and easy way to create chrome effects, including chrome vehicle wheels, in Adobe Illustrator. The Chrome filter leaves much to be desired, and simple gradients don't have the detail and control to capture the intricate highlights and reflections of chrome. Luckily, the Gradient Mesh tool will do exactly what you need to create complex gradient fills to capture the look of bright, shiny chrome wheels.
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Instructions
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Select a light gray (K value of 20 or 30) from the Swatches palette for the fill color. This will be the base color of your wheel. You will build white and black highlights, shadows and reflections on top of this base color.
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Use the Ellipse tool to draw a circle the size of the wheel.
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Select black (K = 100) from the Swatches palette for the fill color.
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Use the Ellipse tool to draw a circle the size of the hollow space inside the rim.
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Use the Selection Tool to select both circles, holding down the Shift key and clicking on each circle.
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Align the circles by clicking the "Horizontal Align Center" then the "Vertical Align Center" buttons on the Align palette.
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Set the transparency options in the Transparency palette options menu so that "New Opacity Masks Are Clipping" and "New Opacity Masks Are Inverted" are unchecked.
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Select "Make Opacity Mask" from the Transparency palette options menu. Your shape should now appear to be a gray donut.
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Click on the shape with the Selection Tool.
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Select "Create Gradient Mesh... " from the Object menu. Set the Appearance to "Flat." Set the rows and columns to 12 and click "OK." You do not want the mesh too fine because it is easier to add to the mesh than to delete. To start, you'll want three or four mesh lines across the top, bottom left, and right sides of the rim.
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Select the Mesh Tool and click on one of the mesh nodes (where mesh lines meet) where you want to put a shiny highlight. Click on the white color swatch. A white gradient will spread out from the selected point. There are four handles sticking out of the node. Click-and-drag these handles to see how they change the spread and direction of the gradient.
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Click-and-drag the node to move it. Work around the rim, selectively setting the nodes white, moving them, and tweaking the spread and direction to build up the highlight. Click where you want a new node added. Delete nodes by selecting one and hitting the Delete key.
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Repeat the process of moving, adding, and tweaking nodes, setting them to black to create dark shadows and reflections.
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Add spokes, lug bolts, and other components to the wheel. Use the Pencil Tool to draw the shape, and fill with light gray. Add a gradient mesh to it. Copy and paste as many as you need, and rotate and arrange them to create the wheel interior. Tweak and color the gradient mesh on each shape.
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Add the hub cap by drawing a small light gray circle, adding and tweaking a gradient mesh as before.
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References
- The Adobe illustrator CS WOW! Book; Sharon Steuer; 2004
- Adobe: Illustrator Help and Support
