In our current 7.0 release we included many new cool chart features, one of them is the Highlight param. It basically allows you to add a different types of pattern fills to produce multiple effects. It’s similar to the FillPattern param but offers much more control. One particular effect that’s possible to do, is to simulate the shine of a light source. Using the Highlight param, you can control its length, width and also place it anywhere on your bar or pie.

Here the difference can be seen without the Highlight param as the chart appears flat.

By adding the Highlight param, you can make it appear as if a light source is coming from the left. A stronger highlight color will make it appear exaggerated and cartoon like…

or you can adjust the transparency of the highlight to have it be softer and more realistic. This is achieved by decreasing the transparency value to allow more of the color under to bleed through.

Hopefully this has inspired you to try this out and experiment to see what other cool effects you may be able to create!