3D in Games
In games 3D is needed to create detailed world, items and characters, 3D can offer games a spectacular amount of realism for games see the video below for more:
Games started to transition to 3d, when games like Star Fox, and virtual racer used 3D to move around in environments. However, 3D really hit it off on the Nintendo 64, with games like crash bandicoot. The ability to move away from the classic side scrolling such games, allowed for more complex and interactive games and genres. Due to games transitioning the use of cartridges went down as developer’s use CD’s due to the more storage capacity.
Most games now are developed in 3d, with each generation of games making more complex systems to use. Creating realistic environments and characters for the players to get attached to the game, a metaphor for games being live-action novels would be appropriate. With more and more detailed 3d animations the characters and environment become more and more realistic.
3D in Animation
Modern animation encompasses 3D computer graphics, essentially being the successor to stop motion techniques used in tradition animation. Computer generated animations are much easier to control than other physical forms. It will also allow the production of actors, expensive set pieces or props, without the financial setback.
Some of the earliest work of 3D animation was in the first half of the 1960’s by Edward zajac, Frank Sinden, Kenneth Knowlton and Michael Noll. The first feature-length computer animation film was in 1995 with the film, Toy Story by Pixar.
The availability and affordability of high-end 3d software has allowed individuals to use the technology and create animations that are of professional quality. 3D animation is created by key-framing he camera, lights and objects within the scene, more organic forms are controlled by rigging and motion capture technics to create realistic movement. Rigging is basically giving the body or ‘mesh’ of a model, bones or a skeleton which is used to move and pose the model. This technique is often used to animate organic life, such as humans and animals, however this can also be applied to any object, such as a fork or wires.
An example of rigging a hand:
Motion capture is another technique; it is the recording of motion of humans or animals. In film making and video game development, it refers to recording actions of human actors, and using that information to animate digital character models in 3D computer animation. A performer wears marks near each joint to identify the motion by the positions or angles between the markers. Acoustic, unertial, LED, magnetic or reflective markers or combinations of any of these, are tracked, optimally at least two times the frequency rate of the desired motion.
3D in Film and TV
The first revolutionary use of 3D in a movie was in Jurassic Park in 1993, almost all the dinosaurs were vreated using 3D CGI and shown in the live action scene of the movie;
It is now common for films to have 3D aspects in them; full-length 3d animation films are also in commonplace.
Compositing:
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all the elements are parts of the same scene. Today, most, not all, compositing is achieved through digital image manipulation, in the digital method of compositing, software commands designate a narrowly defined colour as the part of an image to be replaced. Then every pixel from another image, aligned to appear as part of the original. For example, a TV weather person is recorded in front of a plain blue or green screen, which compositing software replaces only the designated blue or green colour with weather maps.
3D hardly appeared on television until 1994, when a Canadian production company called Mainframe Entertainment, released a CGI TV series called ReBoot. The series was credited to be the first ever full-length, completely computer animated TV series. As the cost of production has gone up, production values have started to mirror those of the film industry.
3D in Education
3D technology is used effectively to create educational tools and content. The software allows creating environments to use as diagrams while in the classroom, as well as bringing in objects to study, or you are able to walk through 3D environments, all of this to help educate students in the classroom. The full environments, such as the Roman City Giza
3D in Architecture
Architectures are able to create 3D building and enviroments. Also be able to produce finished visualisations of the finished deisgns.
3D in Engineering
Engineers use 3D technology to plan out their designs and test them.
3D in Medicine
3D technology in medicine is used to create 3d models in scans to moniore the human body, and it also mainly used for training purposes.
3D in Meteorology
3D technology is used to model weather systems to help understand upcoming patterns, particulary in the case of extreme weather conditions.
3D in Product Design
3d technology is used by designers to develop and visualise new products.
