Unit 41 3D ModellingApplications of 3D

Product Design

Companies who produce and manufacturing products, are using 3D modelling in order to have a preview of the product. In this way they can estimate possible problems that may occur, and they can improve their product based on the feedback by simple editing the model in the software instead of wasting resources which are going to cost them money. For example, it is quite common for the designers to use a 3D model software to present their projects to the client in a meeting so they can decide what is better for their target audience.

TV / Film / Animation

Most films and high budget TV Shows are using 3D modelling in order to achieve animations or hide backgrounds etc. Most of the Sci-fi movies are using 3D modelling in order to create a setting that does not exist. This is knowing as CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). An example of a movie that used CGI is avatar. Avatar had its entire world created by CGI and actors were motion-captured for animation.

Video Games

Video game developers are using 3D modelling in order to design animations, textures and graphics. Most of the game engines software has tools which helps the developers design maps, and other 3D textures so the games can look more realistic.

Architectural Walk – Through

In architecture, the designers are using 3D modelling in order to create plans and blueprints. Instead of the 3D modelling, in the past the plans and blueprint were created by drawing. With the 3D plans the clients, the designers, the investors and the buyers can view a building from all angles including birds-eye, and the building’s interiors. Also, they can know exactly what it looks like without complex drawings and measurements before a building is built so there should not be unexpected outcomes.

Education

3D Modelling can help in education by explaining complex theories and structures with animations. For example, in anatomy, 3D modelling can help to show how a human body is, how the organs are structured while an animated 3d modelling can show with animations and sounds how the human body works, the organs along with the circulatory system.

Displaying 3D polygon animations

Application Programming Interface

Application programming interface or API is the code built with instructions in the form of protocols and tools, that allow software programs to communicate with each other. There are two commons APIs, the Direct3D and the OpenGL. Direct3D is wide known for its better performance on high – end graphics and has better tools for developers. Although it can operate only on 2 Operating systems, Windows and Xbox OS. We usually can find Direct3D being used on multimedia apps as well as in video games due to having advantages on displaying and manipulating 3D objects.

OpenGL is another API which in contrast with the Direct3D, it can be used in every Operating System. Although PlayStation is using its own API and mobile devices are using OpenGL ES. OpenGL has many advantages which are useful on videogames and apps such as, it is faster at rendering 3D graphics. A faster rendering process with low down-time in video games can give the user a better experience.

Graphics Pipeline

The graphics pipeline is the definition of the stages in the creation of a 3D model. A graphics pipeline varies depending on the application of the 3D model, but it always is included by 6 stages, the Pre – Production, the modelling, the shading and texturing, the lighting, the viewing and the post – production.

Before the modelling process of an object or an environment, the pre – production process is required. This process includes the gathering of ideas from brainstorms, rough drawings and paintings – as well as an appropriate colour palette to match the atmosphere. The final step on the pre – production is made from the concept artists who create a final professional drawing of the 3D model to pass to the modelers.

When the pre – production stage is completed, the modelling stage follows. In the modelling stage, the modellers must turn into 3D the 2D concept art through specialised software. Polygonal modelling is better suited for architectural and object which are created out of primitive shapes like cubes, spheres, cylinders etcetera which are altered through various tools on software like Autodesk Maya or 3DS Max. From the other hand there is the digital sculpting which is used for models such as characters which uses special tools to create realistic stretching on a model.

After the modelling process, the 3D model has to gain the materials, colours shading and textures. The colours, shading, and textures make up what the object looks like by a 2D image being projected onto the model or directly painted on via a graphics tablet or specialised touchscreen. The material can provide the correct lighting feedback such as the model’s reflectiveness and transparency in its environment.

The lighting is a very essential and useful tool in 3D modelling. It can make the models look more realistic but dramatic at the same time. There are different tools used for lighting in 3D modelling depending on the 3D object and the atmosphere. The lighting can change the mood – atmosphere of the object. For example by adding a dark lighting with shadows the mood can be dramatic.

Animations in 3D modelling is another stage in the process. After the lighting process, some projects require animations, such as the example with the body in anatomy. The Animations are being created by a rig which allows for characters to control and move body’s parts and the movements are made frame by frame. The camera position and angles should be changed to show the angles that the image will be viewed as for 2D images and the resolution decided for the quality of the render. When this process has been completed and the render resolution has been decided effects such as explosions and fires can be added if required.

Rendering Techniques

There are rendering techniques which can help to turn a 3D Image into 2D. Rendering a 3D model with its textures, materials and effects will turn it into a 2D image, in order to produce different outcomes. This can be done with two ways, Radiosity and ray tracing which are used in different cases. Radiosity is a method which is used to render realistic images such as blueprints, plans or preview of an architectural image. This method is used to make an image look more realistic than just a 3D plan in order to understand better how the model will look like. This method analyses the light reflections and shadows from materials, which makes light intensity consistent from every angle and on every object. This can make materials colours and shadows look like more familiar to the human eye.

Another method for rendering 3D models is the ray tracing. Ray tracing is a more complex method to use which requires high performance hardware and takes time. This method can provide to our 3D image a more realistic lighting by stimulating the physical behavior of light. Ray tracing can achieve that by calculating the light and the pixels of a certain point of the image and reflect that depending on where the viewer is. Ray tracing is used a lot in video games mostly in First Person Shooters and can make the environment more realistic.

In this image we can see on the left side, the picture is from a scene without ray tracing enabled. One the right picture we can see the exact same scene with raytracing enabled. The water on the road reflects as a mirror, making the game look more realistic.

Rendering Engines

Rendering engines is the software which is rendering the 3D models with its textures, colours and materials into images. Most of the 3D modelling packages includes a 3D rendering engine. The 3D rendering can take time depending on how complex is the project. That includes if there is a high amount of polygons, complex lighting and textures, special materials and effects. The hardware power is also a big factor in the rendering process. A good Processing power along with a powerful GPU and a high amount of RAM can help on the rendering process. In rendering engines the user can choose in the exporting process, the file format, resolution and a few other options. In 3D video games, the graphics are loading in real time. The amount of graphics loaded in real time depends on the power of the hardware. Most of the 3D modelling packages include a 3D engine but there are independent 3D engines such as mental ray. This rendering engine is known for it’s lighting features. It can add lighting in a scene which there are not light rays and it can achieve that due to its complex algorithms. Mental Ray is used in many films, including The Matrix, The Hulk, Star Wars.

Distributed Rendering

Distributed Rendering is a technique which can help in big projects or 3D rendering in low performance hardware. This method allows the user to distribute an image for rendering into multiple different computers. The image can be “cut” into parts and divided to the computers for rendering. Each computer will render his own parts also known as bucket and send back to the render client the result. The render client then will combine all the buckets to create the rendered outcome. The user’s computer which is sending the image for distribution is called render client. The computers which will start the rendering of the buckets are called render servers. These servers are receiving the data, render their part of the frame and send the

outcome to the client. There are rendering engines that provides these features such as the V-Ray rendering engine which can distribute the image via Internet (TCP/IP).

Lighting

Lighting is an important feature in 3D modelling which can change the mood/atmosphere of an image and can create other effects. There are different lighting techniques and different lights which we can use in rendering engines and can be found on those engines. We can download them and use them. In case that a specific lighting is missing from the rendering engine, we can download it and import it in the rendering engine. Each lighting is used for a different purpose and in a different form depending on the needs of the image.

For example, there is the spotlight lighting which is a common light source used to provide a direct light from a source to objects that comes from a cone – shaped object. This object can be edited and manipulated depending on how soft or how hard we want the lighting. If we stretch the cone the lighting will be softer and taking a larger space. In contrast, if we make the cone smaller and tighter, the lighting will be harder and focused in a smaller surface just like a torch or a flashlight.

Another example of a lighting is the point light which is working like a light – bulb. That means that can light a surface to all the directions and as the camera moves further, the lighting will be softer. There are many lightings which can be used different and in multiple situations to achieve the desired impact such as the volume light, ambient light and specular.

Shadowing

Shadowing is another effect used in 3D modelling usually used on areas which there is no light, or the light is in low amount because of objects such as walls covering the incoming light. The spots in the image become darker, this creates the depth that makes scenes look realistic.

Fogging

Fogging is another technique used to reduce the rendering time of an object or a scene. This technique was used mostly in the past in video games to reduce the rendering time for hardware that was not so powerful. Fogging can blur objects far away from the camera by lowering their contrast. This helps so it doesn’t have to load high quality detailed graphics for big distances so the developers can focus on giving detail to close – distance objects and make more details with more polygons the close – distance objects. This effect also improves the perception of distance as objects closer to the viewpoint are clearer and focused.

Vertex and Pixel Shaders:

Vertex and pixels shaders are GPU components. Vertex shaders are used by the GPU in order to add complex features and lightings which can be programmed for geometry by using single vertices. From the other hand, pixel shaders can be programmed and take data from the vertex shaders to control individual pixels to configure lighting and bump mapping via calculating the colour a pixel should be based on lighting, textures, materials and other data. Vertex and Pixel shaders are included in modern GPUs and are specific for certain uses in 3D modelling.

Level of detail

Level of detail also known as LOD is a rendering technique which is used to lower the detail and the quality of a model, this means to lower the polygons and the triangles, or other points when the object is at a certain distance or speed. This features is similar to fogging because it is also used to reduce rendering time but some times it can be used to add realism to scenes and objects.

Geometric Theory

3D models can be edited and manipulated due to several features such as vertices which is the main one. Vertices are the points of the shape that can be moved to drag parts of a 3D model while more vertices equal to more detail and different 2D shapes forming up a model. Two or more vertices can make a line. Vertices can create shapes such as triangles, squares etcetera. For example 2 vertices can make a line, 3 vertices can make a triangle, four vertices can make a square

For curved lines and objects there are software which can help creating those lines, for example by putting 3 vertices we can create a line which the middle vertex will be stretching the line and creating a curved line.

3D models sometimes can be made of 2D shapes combined through software. Those 2D shapes are called faces or polygons which is the area between the vertices and lines of a

shape. Another feature is the edges. Edges are called the lines which are made from more than 2 faces. Edges have more than one side to an object. For example a cube has 12 edges with 8 vertices and 6 faces

In most of the latest versions of 3D modelling software there are primitive shapes by default. Primitive shapes are basic 2D and 3D shapes which are helping the user of the software. Those shapes can be shapes like 2D squares, triangles and circles or 3D cubes, cylinders and more complicated shapes. Some complex software includes more complex shapes.

In 3D modelling we call mesh also known as surfaces the collection of different shapes such as cubes, cylinders, spheres, cones, squares and a few others to create an object or a model. 3D meshes use X, Y and Z axes for reference points. With this way they can define shapes with height width and depth. With a surface we can build in 3D modelling buildings, cars etcetera.

All these elements are displayed on the wireframe. Wireframe is called the view of the same where all the elements are gathered such as the edges, the mesh, the faces and the vertices. In

wireframe you can edit and manipulate all the elements in order to change the shape of the object or the size. The complexity of the model will show how many elements there are available to edit.

In 3D modelling the software use the Cartesian coordinates system. This system allows the user to edit the coordinates of the vertices and is very useful in case of a complex object with a lot of vertices. This system can be selected only if the user wants to edit the position of an object or an element. It is also used to move objects, to stretch lines and to adjust elements.

Mesh Construction

Box Modelling

Box modelling is a technique which use the mesh of primitive shapes such as triangles, spheres and cubes to create more complex shapes. This method can achieve to create those shapes by stretching and resizing elements such as extruding or rotating faces, pulling out/in vertices or edges, and subdividing the model further to increase the number of faces for a higher resolution model which provides more points to manipulate and add detail.

Extrusion Modelling

The extrusion tool is an especially useful tool which is exists and its used to almost every 3D modelling software. Is one of the most used tools in the software because modellers can indent or extrude faces. In extrusion modelling, the modeller inserts a 2D image and with the

use of the line tool lines up a 2D shape with the outline of an image with the user having control of where it outlines. With this way the modellers can turn a 2D image into a 3D shape which they can edit and manipulate. To achieve that reversion from 2D into 3D they use multiple images from the same 2D object but each image is take from different angle.

Using Common primitives

As we mentioned earlier the common primitives in 3D modelling are the basic shapes which the software provides to the user such as the cubes, spheres, pyramids, tubes, torus etc. These shapes are provided by the software so the user can create a foundation of a complex model. The modeller can add details in each of these simple shapes and apply methods to create an object from the shape. This method can be by increasing the subdivisions. With this way the user will increase the number of faces on each sector such as the circles on either side of a cylinder and rows of faces that connect the circles. More subdivisions will create more complex objects and by adding and editing the shapes you create more polygons, and the shape will be smoother and clearer.

3D Development Software

Software

In our days there are multiple different 3D modelling engines use for different purpose. Each software has its own features but most of the software provide almost the same tools. Each software has advantages and disadvantages and specialise in a certain thing. For example some software may specialise in architectural 3D modelling. Other software may specialise in motor engines etc. The choice is up to the user depending on his needs and his budget. I will mention a couple of software with the specialisation of each one.

3D Studio Max is a popular 3D modelling software which is used by professional modellers. This software can operate only on Windows and it costs £1,818 a year. This software has multiple features and numerus tools which can overwhelm a beginner modeller or someone who is not expertise in 3D modelling. It can be used for any 3D modelling project with the best quality features for 3D Renders, animations and all types of modelling. The developers are realising updates with new features and bug fixes frequent based on the users’ feedback.

Maya 3D is another modelling software provided from Autodesk, same as 3D Studio max. This software is available on Windows, Apple and Linux devices and the price is coming at £1,818 a year. This software has a tone of features and tools but compared to 3Ds Max is more user friendly. It has great capacity for simulating realistic animation and effects and can be used in film, television, game development and architecture.

Houdini is another 3D modelling engine which is known for its advanced dynamic simulation tools. Houdini has two versions, the Houdini apprentice which is a free version of

Houdini FX which can be used by students and hobbyists to create personal non-commercial projects. Houdini is known for its tools which allow for the creation of highly realistic visual effects. Houdini is designed and is very compatible with small artists due to its user friendly User Interface.

Blender is another 3D modelling engine known for its modelling tools. Blender is not an engine that big studios are using or big game developers, it is known to have intuitive and easy to understanding modelling workflow. It includes all the basic tools and of course all the advanced ones. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline such as the pre – production, the modelling, rendering animation etcetera and its completely free.

Lightwave is a package of 3D modelling software which contains 3D image renderer, both animated and static. Lightwave is known for its rendering engine and the advanced features included such as realistic reflection, radiosity, caustics and 999 render nodes. It has a very nice modelling workflow and it costs 995$.

AutoCAD is another 3D Modelling Engine which is mostly used from professionals including architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, interior designers, civil engineers, because of the variety of tools and editing options it provides. It has many advantages one example is that it works more efficiently and increases designer’s productivity. Also, it has a feature which it can visualise the product. It costs 1690$ annually.

Cinema4D is a 3d Modelling software known for its proficient of procedural and polygonal modelling, texturing lighting and rendering. This software is trustworthy and suitable for both the beginners and the professional modellers. It can stand out for its features and the animation and rendering processes. It is great for motion graphics, modelling and texturing. It costs 94£ per month.

Softimage XSI is another 3D Modelling software which is not used a lot anymore. Is widely known for the animations it produced, for example it helped on the animations for Jurassic park and lots of others. Compared to other software such as 3ds max and maya is not used a lot anymore because the company does not help it survive. There are not coming any new features and that’s why the price is low compared to the other software. The premium version costs 8395£ to 6825£ while the standard version costs 5775£.

File Formats:

.3ds is the file format that was invented from the first version of 3D Studio Max and until today is the most common format for exporting the 3D files. It is used by most of the software and it keeps features that are available on all modelling software such as textures, lighting, effects and the geometry of the model. A different file format is the .PRJ which is used by some certain software and that format can save data such as the settings of a scene.

.dxf is another image file format which is used by architects and engineers and is compatible with the AutoCAD, another 3D modelling software of Autodesk. This format is useful for architectures and engineers because is compatible with the AutoCAD and its also compatible for almost every other software that an architecture uses and almost every 3d modelling software.

.lwo is another file format for a 3D modelling, animating and rendering software— LightWave. The file format stores models as their meshes and reference image files for textures.

obj is a format that stores models by the position of the vertices and the position of textures via UV mapping which maps the position of vertices of a projected 2D image on a 3D model. This file format can be used with any 3D software as it contains the basic elements of models.

Plug – ins

Plugins is code which can enable features in a software. Software that are allowing plugins are giving the opportunity to professionals, creators and the users to develop new features and tools by themselves and implement it to the software. This code can give access to users to special tools which the software did not have in the past. The plugins are usually created from the users or the company and the tools contained in the plugin are specialised tool for a certain purpose. With this way the professionals that are using the software can use the plugins to save time and effort to do things. Plugins can be found on the internet, and most of the times on the website of the software. For example, a plugin for 3Ds Max is the ‘Low Poly City Builder’ which allows users to easily place low polygon buildings with 1000 pre-made 3D models to create cities.

Constraints

Polygon Count

Polygons in a 3D modelling project is a constraint that can cause problems in the rendering time if the system is not powerful enough to support the rendering of a high number of polygons. Polygons are the faces of the object, model or the scene. A computer’s processing power including the CPU, GPU, RAM and the up-to-date Operating system is required to be powerful enough for the counting of the polygons. A high polygon (face) count is a model or scene with a lot of polygons for detail—the number of polygons is commonly shown on the software’s interface— which requires a lot of processing power, the same way modern AAA games do. Computers and OS must be kept up to date to be able to use modern 3D software without slowing down action and freezing.

File Size

File Size is another constraint we must consider because high quality 3D models with high resolution and complex files may require a big amount of space to be saved. This can cause problems in the case that we want to transfer the file, even upload it on the network. The file size and the format must be optimized in order to be easier in case of transfer. Sometimes, files require a certain amount of space, so if we try to optimise a file to decrease the space required, we can have a loss on quality while some file types require additional files such as textures to be able to reference them.

Rendering Time

As with videos, meshes and images must be rendered as well, this process can take hours depending on polygon count and/or resolution and the computer’s hardware. Animations must process each frame, acting as an individual image each time so it takes even longer. Rendering within video games is also a hardware limitation as the hardware of gaming platforms constrains developers from having incredibly detailed models in smaller areas without causing lag and blank spaces due to time it takes to render in real-time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Productplan.com – What is product Design? link

Mulesoft.com – What is an API? link

Sciencedirect.com – Rendering pipeline link

Dreamfarmstudios.com – What is 3D lighting? link

Biblus.accasoftware.com – Rendering: Definition and types link

Lifewire.com – 3D model Components link

Thilakanathanstudios.com – Box Modelling link

Sciencedirect.com – Extrusion Modelling link

Autodesk.co.uk – Maya3D link

Autodesk.co.uk – 3Ds Max link