As a rule, business graphics are rarely regarded as the sexiest of design projects. But just about every creative professional has to create one in his or her career. So when it comes your turn, why not make that graphic as gorgeous as it can possible be? Which is why, this week, I show you how to create a 3D pie chart so colorful and lustrous you’ll want to reach out and touch it.

I start off in Adobe Illustrator, which lets you convert a small spreadsheet of data into a graph. Then I copy the graph, paste it into Photoshop as a shape layer, and extrude the shape layer into 3D space using CS5 Extended’s Repoussé. In the end, I convert the drab gray chart on the left into the partially rendered 3D artwork on right.

In case you’re thinking, “Uh, how do you tell one slice from another when they’re all orange?” this is just the first step. Next week, we’ll separate the pie slices (a process known as “splitting the meshes”) and assign each slice a different color. I’ll also introduce you to the Ground Plane Shadow Catcher, which permits the chart to cast a true ray-traced shadow onto the stage.

Oh, and by sheer and unrelated coincidence, today is the birthday of Colleen Wheeler, my Martini Hour ex-cohost and the person who writes up Deke’s Techniques at lynda.com. Colleen tells me she prefers pies over cakes. Which provides me with an excuse to show you the final chart from next week’s video with a candle stuck in it. Cheers, Colleen!