Radial Charts

Illustrator has many charts you can create with the chart tool. However, there is no radial chart tool. Here is how you build one using simple math and have Illustrator do the calculations. It all starts with a simple pie chart.

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Select the Ellipse tool and click on the Artboard to open the dialog box. Set the size of the circle and click OK. 

Open the Transform panel. For this example the pie is going to be 55%. In the Pie End Angle enter 55*3.6. There are 360° in a circle so each 1% is multiplied by 3.6° to calculate the angle of the pie. 

This is the result of the 55 X 3.6. The pie shows 55% (which is 198° of a 360° circle).

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Repeat this process for each pie section you want. 

Select the Polar Grid tool and click on the Artboard to open the dialog box. Set the width and height to 150 pt (the same size of the pie sections). Set the number of Concentric dividers to be 2 more than the number of pie sections you want. Set the radial dividers to 0. Click OK. 

This is the result of the polar grid. 5 Concentric Dividers, no Radial Dividers. 

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Select the Polar grid and add a stroke to the paths. Increase the stroke until the path nearly touch, leaving a white gap between the lines.

Choose Object > Path > Outline stroke to convert the paths to shapes. 

Ungroup the shapes. Delete the center two circles.

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Select all the pie segments and align them. 

Move the circles over the top and align them with the pie shapes.

Select the outer circle and one of the pie segments. Choose Object > Clipping Mask > Make. 

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Select the next ring in and select the next pie shape. Repeat the Object > Clipping Mask > Make. 

Repeat the process on the third ring. You have a radial chart!