Insert tables, charts, SmartArt, 3D models, and media
What the exam expects
Tables: insert from the grid or Insert Table dialog, then use Table Design options - Header Row, Banded Rows, First Column, Total Row - plus Merge/Split Cells and Distribute Rows/Columns. Remember that manual cell formatting overrides the table style.
Charts: inserting a chart opens a linked data sheet (Edit Data later). Know Switch Row/Column, Select Data, Change Chart Type, and the chart-element buttons for axes, gridlines, data labels, trendlines and legend.
SmartArt: type in the Text Pane, add shapes, and promote/demote with Tab and Shift+Tab. Convert to Shapes or Convert to Text flattens the graphic so it can be animated or formatted piece by piece.
3D models can be rotated, framed with the pan-and-zoom control, and animated with effects such as Turntable. Media: Insert > Audio or Video, then the Playback tab controls Start (Automatically, When Clicked, In Click Sequence), Play Across Slides, Loop until Stopped, Hide During Show, Trim Video, Fade In/Out, Poster Frame and Rewind after Playing.
Traps
- Trimming video changes playback only; the underlying file is untouched until you compress media.
- Play Across Slides and Loop until Stopped are separate checkboxes; enabling one without the other produces surprising results.
- Chart animation is configured in the Animation Pane’s Effect Options (By Series, By Category, By Element), not on the chart itself.
- A SmartArt graphic animated as one object must be ungrouped or converted before individual shapes animate.
- Embedded media bloats files; Compress Media reduces size but can lower resolution.
Worked example
A presenter wants narration to continue over four slides. Insert the audio, select it, and on Playback check Play Across Slides, Loop until Stopped, and Hide During Show; set Start to Automatically.