Applications of 3D Design

3D animation is probably the most popular usage of 3D graphics. In the world of 3D animation, creating a realistic portrayal of a scene or character is crucial. To achieve this, artists use special software that projects scenes and characters into the two-dimensional surface through a process called "rendering." After the release of Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature film, the popularity of 3D animation has only grown. Now, it's almost impossible to imagine a large-budget movie without such animation. Using specialized techniques, 3D lighting can manipulate light sources, shadows, and reflections to create an illusion of depth and dimension in the rendered images. Overall, 3D animation can enhance the visual impact of a scene, bringing it to life in ways that 2D animation simply can't match.

Even before 3D animation became a part of our life, 3D video games like Wolfenstein 3D or Doom, were incredibly popular. The engine of these games used 2D sprites for enemies, but technologies along with players' expectations have made a huge step forward since then. Now, all game models must look good from all angles. Plus, some of them — like player characters — are constantly moved and manipulated, which can be computationally expensive. Shortcuts help keep the processing running in real-time, reducing the quality but making games feel fast and snappy.

Video games' share of the US entertainment market grew from 5% to 13% in the last 30 years. It's a booming business for any aspiring designer.[1]

Unlike video games, virtual reality, or VR, allows people to feel as if they are active participants of the environment. Special headsets track users' head and eye movements, and each side of the headset renders an image from a slightly different angle, producing a sense of depth. The use of VR is not limited to games but also in training simulators for soldiers, pilots, and doctors.

Augmented reality, or AR, overlays virtual objects on top of the real world, whether it is 2D or 3D. Examples of 3D AR include Snapchat filters, games like Pokemon Go, and many more. For instance, AR is already used in navigation systems, industrial design, architecture, military — you name it. Needless to say, AR is quickly developing and becoming even more popular. For example, MarketsAndMarkets projects that the AR market will grow 7 times in the next 5 years.^[1]

3D glasses work by using two sets of slightly offset images — one for each eye. In turn, our brain perceives those separate images as a single whole one, just like we see things naturally.^[2] Older anaglyph glasses — usually with red & cyan lenses — filter images for each eye by color. In turn, when the 3d movie is projected on the screen, two images are displayed — one in red, one in blue. However, it often distorts movie colors. Fortunately, newer polarized glasses don't have this drawback as they filter images by wavelength. They gained popularity after James Cameron's Avatar and became the best pick for 3D movies.

3D recognition allows identifying 3D information of chosen objects in a photograph. It's widely used in facial recognition software — you can run an image through the database to find a match and identify the person in the picture. While, in theory, surveillance technology should be reserved for the greatest risks — like dealing with violent crimes, terrorist threats, and human trafficking, facial recognition can also be used for controlling citizens’ behavior.

3D scanning is similar to 3D recognition – a sensor or device can detect the volume of a shape from the real world and create a 3D model in a digital space. 3D body scanning, especially combined with 3D printing, is used in healthcare to make perfectly fitted prosthetics, dental implants, casts, and many other things.

3D printers are used to print 3D models made in special simulation software by layering materials, like plastics, composites, or bio-materials, to create virtually any kind of object. Its use varies from producing prosthetics to actual houses, and its application is growing exponentially.

3D sound allows us to experience sounds the way we perceive them in the real world — by interpreting sounds as movable objects rather than static channels. There are various technologies to achieve the same. For example, you are probably familiar with surround sound — an audio system where speakers are positioned around the listener, and the audio signal is split into multiple channels.

3D is widely used in architecture and industrial design. Engineers create models of products for mass production or buildings and other structures, and they use these models to test their potential safety and design. UI design is also embracing 3D, as spatial communication technologies require us to solve problems in the third dimension. Besides knowing their area of expertise, 3D artists in these fields need to understand modeling, animation, and rendering in the digital space.^[3]

The skill that allows us to manipulate 3D objects mentally is called spatial intelligence. Everyone can and does think spatially, but not everyone does so with confidence and success. The good news is — practice makes one perfect!^[4] Using 3D modeling software allows you to develop extensive spatial thinking skills needed to become a great 3D designer.