Monday 20 June 2016

HA7 Task 1 - Applications of 3D

How 3D is used in the media industry
Games
3D games first became a thing in 1981 when a game called Monster Maze was released, this was the first 3D game. in the game you would gain points for every step you took without being caught by the T-Rex that hunted you throughout the game.
3D games didn't become popular until 1992-1993, at this point more and more games were becoming 3D, for exsample Crash Bandicoot and Super Mario 64. The 3D element in games was a huge change to the gaming industry, making a lot more things possible in games, like more complex puzzles and more detail in game characters.

TV/Film
Films now a days have a lot of 3D imagery in them. 3D in TV and films was first used in 1993 in the move Jurassic Park, a lot of the dinosaurs in the move were made using 3D CGI. Films and TV programs these days can be made entierly of 3D animation, for example:
Toy Sory
Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales
Education
3D models are used in education so students can look at thing in detail that would usually be extremely hard to get a hold of, for example: The human hart, skeletons, the differences in bone and muscle structure between humans and animals. A good software online called Gaia that teaches you things like: Biology, history, design technology, mathematics and more.
Medicine
3D is incredibly useful to doctors and can be used in so many ways. One would be using 3D scans so they can show the patient's whats wrong with them and it makes it easyer to look around your body without operations. Another good example of use of 3D in medicine would be the 3D printer because doctors can use a 3D printer to make artificial limbs and they can even make 3D printed drugs, so they can make certain medication for their specific illnesses.
Engineering
Engineers use 3D software to create 3D modes of the machines they fix so they can see where all the parts go, how they operate and fit together. This is extremely helpful to them because if they are fixing something really complex, they can pull the 3D model apart and see everything where it should be instead of looking through many instructions.
Architecture
Architectures use 3D modeling to plan and make many mock ups of there building before finally making there final draft. The do this so they can see what there building could look like and see if the structure would work.
Product Design
A lot of product designers use 3D modeling to make mock ups of there products to show people who are willing to invest in there product, how their products work and looks. They can then change how the product looks over time if they want to try and make the product smaller or look better. Some products could actually be made by a 3D printer.
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HA7 Task 2 - Displaying 3D Polygon Animations

How 3D Models Are Displayed
API
API stands for Application Programming Interfaces. API is a set of commands, functions and protocols which is used when programming graphical user interfaces. API works kinda like Lego, i say his because it gives the programmer the blocks they need then they just have to place the blocks together to it works.Nearly all operating systems, for example Windows, provide API's for programmers. API's today are used in consoles like Play Station and on websites like eBay and Amazon.

This is an example of an API Amazon uses.
There are a few types of API's an example of one would be Direct3D, a graphics API created by Windows. It is used to render 3D objects when performance is important. This API uses hardware acceleration when possible to speed up the 3D rendering pipelines.

Graphics Pipeline
The graphics pipeline, also known as the rendering pipeline, it a term used to refer to the sequence of steps used to create 2D raster representations of a 3D scene. Another way of putting it is the pipeline is the process of steps the computer goes through to convert instructions in a computer to the graphics displayed on the screen.
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HA7 Task 3 - Geometric Theory

Cartesian Co-ordinate System
The Cartesian Co-ordinate System was invented in the 17th century by a man called Rene Descartes. Rene revolutionized mathematics by providing the first systematic link between euclidean geometry and algebra.
When creating 2D work the computer only uses the X and Y axis but as soon as you turn it to a 3D shape it starts to also use the Z axis. All 3D modeling software operate on a the grid of coordinates made by the X,Y and Z axis.

Geometric Theory and Polygons
Geometric theory is a way to model objects or characters in a game. To make any 3D shape you need to make a mesh. A mesh is made up of 2D shapes that are made up of vertices, edges and faces. A polygon is made when you connect two vertices together. When three vertices are connected it makes a triangle. You should only use three sided and four sided polygons when making a 3D model though because if you use bigger ones and you put your model in a game the lighting will mess up, although in some situations this is not the case.

Primitives
Primitives are the pre-made objects in a 3D modeling software that can be used to make models out of. A few examples of the shapes normally given to you are a cube, sphere, cones etc. These shapes are put in the software to be used as starting points for any model being made.

Surfaces
A surface is the outer layer of a mesh model.  Once polygons are created they can be made into surfaces, so they can be colored and textured to look how you want them to.
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HA7 Task 4 - Mesh Construction

Polygon Modeling
Polygon modeling is collection of edges, vertices and faces that all join together to create a object within 3D modeling. The mesh for any 3D model is made up of faces usually shaped as triangles or quadrilaterals.
http://www.tsplines.com/blog/2009/03/polygonal-modeling-and-t-splines/
Primitive Modeling
Primitive modeling is a easy and simple way to model, it is also one of the most used methods. This method consist of using different primitive shapes and connecting them together, for example a cube and a cylinder. This is a really quick and effective way to create what ever you are wanting to make.
Box Modeling
Box modeling is another popular method of modeling. When using this method you use primitive shapes to create a very rough version of your model, then you start to sculpt into it. You do this by using tools like subdivide and extrude.
Extrusion Modeling
Extrusion modelling is a quite simple but very effective way of modelling allowing you to make both simple and complex models. When using this type of modelling you end up with a nice clean model when you finish.
3D Scanners
For this method you use a 3D scanner to scan a real object, once you have scanned your object the computer will make a 3D mesh of what you just scanned, for example you could scan a person. 3D scanners are mostly used by professionals
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HA7 Task 5 - 3D Development Software

3D Studio Max
3D Studio Max is a piece of 3D modeling software developed by Autodesk, although its name has been changed to 3DS Max. This software allows the user to create many different things like: character animation and rigging tools, mesh and surface modeling, shader effects etc. 3DS Max is used by developers form all departments for example: TV studios, architectural studios and video game developers.
Maya
Maya is another 3D modeling software that Autodesk developed. It is used to create interactive 3D animations like video games, animated films, animated TV series and/or visual effects. Maya is one of the most popular 3D modeling software's used in the game and TV industry, this is because of all the features it includes, for example deformers, general animation tools, surface modeling and much more.
Lightwave
Lightwave is a 3D software that has 3D modeling and animation tools. This software is mostly used as a rendering engine because it supports a lot of things other software doesn't like, realistic reflection and refraction. This software has previously been used in TV and film to create the special effects, as well as being used in video games for motion graphics. It is also used in many other industry's like: product design, architectural visualizations, music videos, advertising and many more.
Blender
Blender is a 3D modeling software that is free to download and a open source 3D computer graphics software which is very good for things like models. Blender can be used for a lot of different things like, UV unwrapping , texturing, skinning, rendering and video editing. As well as the modeling blender the software comes with built-in game engine. Blender is the software I used to do all my 3D modeling on and it is pretty easy to use and navigate around in my opinion.
Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D is a 3D modelling software used for modelling, animating and rendering, and was developed by MAXON Computer GmbH. This software is capable of modelling, texturing, animating, lighting, rendering and a lot of other things other 3D modelling software gives you. Cinema 4D also has some advanced character tools, a physics engine and a unlimeted client network for rendering.
ZBrush
ZBrush is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D and 2.5D modelling, painting and texturing. This software uses 'pixol' technology which stores the data of the lighting, color, material and depth for all the objects on the screen. It is used as a digital sculpting tool and  to create high resolution models, that would be use in movies, animations or video games.
Sketchup
Sketchup, used to be called Google Sketchup, is a free downloadable 3D modelling software used mostly for architectural and interior design use, for games, movies and TV programs. It offers the free version and a professional version. In my opinion form using this software in high school it is easy to use and navigate.
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HA7 Task 6 – Constraints

Polygon Count and File Size

The polygon count is the number of polygon on a 3D model. A polygon is a face in 3D space with 3 edges and 3 vertices. A face can have up to 4 edges and verities before problems start to occur. If a Face has 5 vertices then it is classed as a "N-GON". A N-gon causes problems due to the computer not being able to calculate exactly how the lighting in the world effects the model and its textures. Artists must make sure to have all N-gons removed otherwise the development process will be slowed down dew to errors. 
The poly count must be kept to a minimum to stop the file being too large but at the same time it must not effect the overall look of the model. The process of cutting down a models poly count can be time consuming so planning ahead can stop large amounts of useless polygons from occurring thus saving time. Having a high amount of polygons also causes problems in the models animation and the rendering time will be increased dramatically. 


The file size of a model is one of the biggest issues when coming to export. The larger the file size the harsher it is on the users equipment. e.g. if a high poly model is used in a game and that game is used on a 4GB RAM PC then its likely the game could lag or even crash.


Rendering Time
Rendering is a massive time consumer and if a models file size is large then it can take hours just to render it once; this can slow down the production process quite a lot.

The two main render types are real time rendering and non real time rendering.
  • Real time rendering is used in such things as games where the render is not high quality but is fast enough to keep the frame rate above 24 frames per second so the game play looks smooth.
  • Non real time rendering is used for such things as animation, in this render technique each individual frame is rendered for the highest graphical quality. This render technique requires a much larger amount of time compared to real time rendering.
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HA6 Task 1 – Reference Research

Revolver
Holster
Cigarettes
Zippo Lighter
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