Big struggle with mesh

[LizzyDenmark]

Hi. 

I have a client that wants a file i made in photoshop with bevel emboss to be delivered in vector instead.

As i can see the only posibility to make the same effect is to use the mesh. However when i click to create the mesh points, the lines are pretty strange and not in a flow I can use to make the right highlights..

The shape is originally made in illustrator and the vectors of the outline is the way they should be.

How can I make bevel emboss like this in illustrator?

Hope you can help

[Omar.Fathy]

You can make it manually by drawing light nd shadow shpes with Blu Effect.
But you can make better result using the gradient mesh but it will be easy and more editable if you make your flower in separate shapes so you can edit more details for every part.
I mean you can divide it to 4 shapes and 8 will be better. You can just draw one shape and dupplicate it with Rotate Tool.

[LizzyDenmark]

actually quite brilliant idea with the blur effect. 

and about gradient mesh, I was also affraid that there was no easy work around it. The part i shared is only a part of a larger figure that i will have to do it with. 

I don't get why there is no such easier effect in illustrator creating 3d effect. Im not fond of the 3d extrude and bevel option..

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

As Omar wrote: often more than one mesh will give you the result you want. Or masking the mesh to get it into shape.

There is one thing you need to know about how meshes work in order to understand where your result is coming from: https://youtu.be/aIqGHoLPuuE

[LizzyDenmark]

Dear Monika, Thank you for the link.- i will watch this