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In this documentation I will discuss the use of the basic 3D models/applications which are used in computer games and in media to make high quality movies.

Applications of 3D:

Models and Product design:

There are various types of 3D modelling applications. An example is that when designing an object, for example a child’s toy. The creator will have an idea of the product design and would design a 3D model of the toy to get a realistic representation of what the product design would physically look like for the creator. The cost to make a 3D model is not expensive. An automotive designer would use the 3D application for creating the product design which will then form a model of the car that they will be creating for their company. For example, Tesla would use models and products design before physically making their car because it is cheaper, most companies will do this before actually making a product. A company would use models and products design to test of the product they are making is worth the money or if any changes need to be added. I believe that the model and product design is a smart way to test a product before physically creating the product, it is cheaper and any early mistakes of the products can be fixed. Anyone can use models and product designs, when shopping online you can view the product design and get a 3D image of the product before you purchase the item, an example is Specsavers, you can virtually try on the glasses.

Animations, Tv, Film, Web, Games and Education:

Animations, Tv, films, games and education all use the same similar 3D applications to give a realistic affect to their audience. In animations 3D applications are used to give audience a realistic effect of the story, even though it is only an animation, like the animation Toy Story. In all animations 3D applications such as Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3Ds Max, Blender, ZBrush. These are the most popular applications used in animations to make the animation more realistic and appealing, movie companies would use such applications when making an animation. Tv programs can use green screens and CGI to give a more realistic scenery in a Tv program for example Superman, where they use CGI and green screens to get better scenery or more realistic affects such as a burning building or a tornado. CGI and green screens can make a Tv program exciting for an audience, most Tv programs use CGI and green screens but it can be costly because Tv programs can have many series. In films 3D applications can be used to add features for example the movie

Assignment 1 P1 & M1 & D1

Avatar used a lot of CGI and green screens to give a realistic and visually pleasing affects for their audience, most of the movie CGI I was used on their characters, they use these applications to make the movie look real so the audience enjoy watching the movie, a company such as 21st century would invest money into quality 3D applications so that the movie is good. Games used 3D applications to create characters in their games for example NBA, they use green screens, CGI and 3D modelling to create their characters for the game, to create characters in the game the developers would first have to sketch the design and then use CGI and green screens to create the character. The developers wold then use 3D applications such as blender to blend the animations to make the animations look realistic. In education such as BBC Bitesize 3D application help a lot because they can visually view an object which is being discussed for example in geography or science discussing an object, they can show a 3D representation of that object or a 3D model to help the student have greater knowledge of the topic. I believe the 3D applications are really useful because it helps give a clear understanding of the product considering you can clearly see the product or object as if the product or object was physically there. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

Web:

On the web 3D applications can be used on shops to give a visual representation of the product or item, an example would be a store such as Footlocker, showing an 3D model of a product they sell. The 3D application will help the buyer have a better understanding of the product and can decide if they would like to buy the product. The web is starting to use more of the 3D applications to give users a better experience and a clearing understanding of certain products and information.

Architectural:

In architecture when designing a home or even in studying architecture 3D walk-throughs would be useful so that the audience can have a visual idea of what the final outcome of the design.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY9wQ-xMlwM

Displaying 3D polygon animations:

Application programming interface:

Direct3D - Direct3D is a Microsoft-created API used to render three-dimensional objects. Direct3D started with the DirectX API; this allows rendering of these objects without sacrificing performance. Direct 3D also allows full-screen running of software applications, including games. Direct3D can use hardware acceleration when a video card is available. Direct3D may have been created by Microsoft but other companies still use it and there are variety of free versions.

OpenGL/Graphics pipeline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2hbOfT12jU - OpenGL, which means Open Graphics Library, is an API designed to render 2D and 3D graphics. It provides a simple set of commands which can be used in different applications and on multiple platforms to monitor graphics. Nearly all the modern operating systems and hardware devices support OpenGL, making it an easy choice for developing graphics. It provides an easy way for developers to build cross-platform games or port a game from one platform to another. On many CAD programmes, such as AutoCAD and Blender, OpenGL is also used as the graphics library. Companies such as Apple use OpenGL. Modelling is the process of using an already existing object to make a replicate. The replicate can be a good model but you can alter the objects and make changes or improvements. The method of mapping three dimensional-points to a two-dimensional plane is projection. The majority of methods used to view graphical data are planar based (Pixel information from several bitplanes). The type of projection would be used in many sectors but mainly in computer games and engineering. Scanning conversion is a process commonly used in television and film where real-life things, items or individuals are scanned and transformed into 3D models. An example of this would be a human being scanned and turned into a human model used in film, or as a school educational model. Ray tracing is a technique that creates an image by throwing rays onto the scene and the colour value of that pixel is determined as the rays reflected on the geometry. It can produce a high degree of visual realism but making the scene will cost time. It can simulate various visual effects, such as reflections (an example would be a glass), scattering (where light rays strike the structure and it bounces back and scatters) and refraction (water or air refraction is used and can change depending on directional change).

Display - Rendering is a way of showing together 3d models, lighting and textures, creating an image or animation from the data sent by the 3D modelling software. There are four types Radiosity, Raytracing, Raycasting and Rasterize, this a video describing the basic renderinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtfEVO9Oc3U . Usually, radiosity is used to render pictures of the buildings ' interior, and can produce highly photo-realistic results for scenes that consist of diffuse reflective surfaces. Raytracing is a technique that creates an image by throwing rays onto the scene and the colour value of that pixel is determined as the rays reflected on the imagery. It can produce a high degree of visual realism but making the scene will cost time. It can simulate various visual effects, such as a reflection.

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Raycasting and Raytracing are similar they both share the same algorithm but Raycasting is faster however it cannot render second rays. Rasterize is used mainly in applications such as games in real time. It's achieved in a similar way to what other computer graphics systems of any kind use to display a picture, instead of making the whole scene pixel by pixel, it makes the geometries you see on the screen and it will change accordingly.

Geometric theory: Vertices is when two lines meet one point, the more vertices an object/model has the smoother it will look, giving it a nice affect. A line is a straight narrow marking which has no bends. A curve is a smooth line without any sharp turns, it will slightly bend away from its gradient, curves are used for smooth shapes. Edges are lines that will connect vertices. Simple shapes such as triangles are formed by having multiple edges, having three edges forms a triangle, the more lines a shape has the more complexed that shape will be. Images can be created by shading or colouring the large surface area, that the edges have formed. Primitives are shapes such as torus or a cube, primitives are basic elements such as lines, curves and polygons etc. A mesh is many polygons arranged together in a way that each polygon will at least share one vertex. Wireframe is when there is a 3D model but only the skeletal of the model will be shown, which is only the lines and vertices of the model. Coordinate geometry is using a coordinate plan, it is a graph with the X and Y values when the model is in 2D, the Z coordinate would then be added when working with 3D geometry. Z represents height, X and Y represent the width and depth. X, Y and Z could have negative or positive values. The surface are shapes which is defined by the curves.

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjCudOaZ7P4

Mesh construction:

Box modelling:

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Box modelling is when a 3D model is created by the use of slightly modifying primitive shapes (cubes, pyramids, cylinders, spheres), to create a model. The box modelling is usually a rough draft of the model but is not close to being finished. A feature of the box modelling is that the modelling allows scaling and extruding the face. Box modelling is used when creating any 3D model for example when designing a car. The developers would use 3D applications to make a model of the car, the developers will create more than one draft using the box modelling to make their model look how the actual product would look when finished.

Extrusion modelling:

Extrusion modelling is adding geometry to a polygon primitive, this method is what a designer use to begin shaping a mesh. A design can use the extrusion modelling to create an

illusion to the audience for the model to look realistic, by collapsing a face of the model or by extruding the face outward. Extrusion modelling is also a technique which is used when the designer uses a 2D shape and traces the outline of an object, which can then be turned into a 3D model. Extrusion modelling is used similar to box modelling, companies will use box modelling and extrusion modelling to make their drafts accurate and realistic.

3D development software:

3D Studio Max is usually used in the video game industry for creating animations, 3D character models and game assets. 3D Studio Max can be used for film special effects for example Avatar as mentioned earlier in the documentation, Avatar used 3D Studio Max for some special effects. Studio Max used for character modelling and animation, it also used for rending realistic images such as a building or another object. https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/3ds-max/overview This is a website where you can buy a subscription to use 3DS Max, this page also contains videos and overview describing what you can do with 3DS Max and shows examples of what has been done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1w5Gk-E0Nk

Maya is a 3D development tool, is usually used for 3D applications, video games and animated pictures (TV & Film), Maya is best suited for these programs. The development tool allows the user to create animations, environments, motion graphics, virtual reality

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and character creation. 3D Maya is used to create professional cinematic animations. Companies such as Pixar will use a development tool such as Maya to produce a high quality animation, for example a movie they have created is Incredibles 2 where Pixar use professional 3D development software tools such as Maya to create one of their movies. The tool is useful in giving a cinematic animation or given a character some realistic animations. It attracts a higher audience due to the effort given into the animation and the quality of the animation being of high standard. https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/maya-lt/overview On this website you can purchase a subscription for Maya, this website also has the overview of what Maya is capable of and the exciting features that help companies produce high quality animations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJr3CISwLQ8 This video describes the basics of 3D modelling Maya.

Blender is like an open source for 3D creation, Blender supports most of the 3D qualities such as modelling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking. Blender is used when making any type of 3D animation, it is almost a foundation when creating any type of 3D model because it helps adjust and edit the 3D model to make it

accurate and high quality. An example of who uses blenders is any individual or a big company. Blender is a free software so any company or person can use this software. Blender is used also used in games such as GTA to give the character good animated motion graphics. https://www.blender.org/ This website explains what blender can do and the software that can be downloaded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpkdcY3TdmU This video shows an example of creating rings with blender.

Houdini is most commonly used for creating visual effects in film and game in the FX departments. It's used by major VFX companies like Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures. Houdini is a software simulation tool that ensures highly realistic visual effects are created. Houdini assets are usually generated through the interaction of a series of nodes. The advantage of this workflow is that compared to other programmes, it allows companies or individuals to create detailed objects in a relatively short number of steps. An example that has used Houdini before is Shrek throughout the entire movie quality 3D development software was being used. https://www.sidefx.com/ This website has an overview of what Houdini can create and accomplish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7IVbyHgOuQ This video explains how to use Houdini and slightly describes what it does.

LightWave is an animated and static software package used to render 3D images. This includes a quick

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rendering engine supporting advanced features such as realistic reflection, radiosity, 999 render nodes and caustics. Game developers would use LightWave when creating a game so that the game functions correctly and has realistic features. Game developers such as Rockstar would use this development tool when creating one of their famous games such as Red Dead Redemption 2. https://blog.lightwave3d.com/2019/07/development-update-python-v3-on-lightwave-3d-development-horizon/ The website is an overview of what LightWave is and what LightWave is capable of doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw8kRth_t8Q The video explains how to create a model using LightWave and all the features used.

AutoCAD is a good tool used for visualization and 3D modelling due to AutoCAD having good rendering. The AutoCAD features that allow a combination of solid, surface ad mesh modelling tools, a company will be able to create realistic models. AutoCAD is used by architects, project managers, engineers, graphic

designers and many other professions. AutoCAD is used for designing buildings or real structures, individuals or companies will use this 3D development software to show a model of something they are creating so they can check for any errors and see if it will be stable. Using AutoCAD is cheaper than building an actual building and finding out that it is not stable and changes need to be made. https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/autocad/overview This website has an overview on what AutoCAD is and a company or individual can subscribe to a subscription so that they can use AutoCAD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Cy0T1ev_o This video is a tutorial and how AutoCAD can be used and explaining the simple features to beginners.

Cinema 4D is used for making motion graphics and rendering. It can also be used for animated TV and could be used for architectural applications to allow the user to get a 3D view of an area or object. The features that are used in cinema 4D are motion graphics, which is used to make the animation move smoothly so that it looks realistic and if it was a real motion. Another

feature of cinema 4D is rendering to make sure the quality of the motion graphics is good and smooth.

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https://www.maxon.net/en-gb/products/cinema-4d/overview/ The website has an overview of Cinema 4D of what can be done with the software tool and information about the tool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f1LLlpTVj8 This video will help a company or individual understand the basics of Cinema 4D and what could be created using cinema 4D. The video also shows a demonstration of what can be made.

Softimage is a high-end graphics application which would make an animation realistic and have realistic movements. There were two different versions of Softimage, there was an old version which was discontinued that was used in movies, broadcasting and gaming. Now a newer version has been introduced called Softimage XSI which is used in current companies and newly developed movies and games.

File formats:

3ds - A 3DS file is a 3D image format which Autodesk 3D Studio uses. It includes mesh data, material characteristics, bitmap references, smoothing group data, viewport settings, camera positions, and information about the lighting. 3DS files may also include data about the motion of objects.

.mb- MB is a file extension used in AutoDesk Maya, for a binary scene format. MB stands for scene in Maya Binary. MB files contain 3D models, textures, lighting and animation data for use with the animation software AutoDesk Maya. AutoDesk Maya allows to open MB files.

.lwo - 3D object generated by LightWave 3D, a software used for 3D modelling, animation, and rendering; includes points, polygons, and surfaces representing the form and structure of the object; may also contain references to image files used for textures of the objects.

.C4d- A C4D file is a three-dimensional model created using Cinema 4D, a professional 3D animation and modelling software. This involves a scene consisting of one or more objects with details about position, rotation, pivot points, meshes, and animation.

.dxf - DXF is a file extension commonly used with AutoCAD programme for graphical image format. DXF stands for eXchange Format Drawing. It can be either in an ASCII or binary format, depending on the software which creates the DXF file.

.obj - The OBJ file format is an important file format in 3D printing applications and 3D graphics. It is the preferred format for 3D multicolour printing, and is commonly used in graphics applications as a neutral interchange format for non-animated 3D models.

plug-ins - A PLUGIN file is a plugin that is used by the image editing application which is Photoshop. It stores content that extends the default Photoshop application's functionality and is often used to add image effects and filters, or to support a new format image.

Big companies use 3D development tools which are high quality because they can afford to use these tools because they know the company will know the risks when using the tools and the profit they will make when using these 3D development tools. These development tools are really good and accurate and would produce high quality animations.

Constraints:

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Polygon count is the number of polygons (which are the faces of a shape), are in the file. For example, if a shape was to have six sides then the polygon will have six polygons. Certain shapes such as a sphere could possibly have over hundred polygons, the smoother the object the more polygons the object will have. A high polygon count will then make the model very detailed. File size is the size of the file that will be saved, the file size varies based on how large or detailed the model is. If the polygon count is high, then the file size will be larger. Rendering time is how long it will take for 3D graphics to convert into 2D images with real effects to give a more realistic affect for the audience viewing. If the model is really detailed and complexed, then the rendering time will be longer.

Overall:

The applications and structures that I have spoken about in this documenattion all above are all high quality applications and structures that companies would use to make their high quality Tv programmes and movies. Even an indidiviual can use these applications by siging up to a suubscriotion and paying yearly to use their software, the subscrition can be found on the Autodesk web page.

References:

Terry, H. (2020). What is Direct3D?. [online] Computerhope.com. Available at: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/direct3d.htm [Accessed 1 Feb. 2020].

Smith, J. (2020). OpenGL Definition. [online] Techterms.com. Available at: https://techterms.com/definition/opengl [Accessed 1 Feb. 2020].

George, H. (2020). What is an API? (Application Programming Interface) | MuleSoft. [online] MuleSoft. Available at: https://www.mulesoft.com/resources/api/what-is-an-api [Accessed 1 Feb. 2020].

A, V. (2020). Geometric Theory - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Sciencedirect.com. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/geometric-theory [Accessed 2 Feb. 2020].

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Dante Salvini (Content), S. (2020). The geometric primitives. [online] Gitta.info. Available at: http://www.gitta.info/SpatialQueries/en/html/GeomBasedOps_learningObject1.html [Accessed 2 Feb. 2020].

A, V. (2020). Geometric Theory - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Sciencedirect.com. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/geometric-theory [Accessed 2 Feb. 2020].