Task 6: Constraints

Constraints

Constraints are restrictions or limitations within 3D animation, a 3D animation artist must consider may constraints such as polygon count, render count and file size.

Polygon count:
Polygon count is the number of faces used to construct a shape, the higher the polygon count is, the higher quality of the image is however it will also take longer to render. Games consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 can render 5000,000,000 polygons per second in comparison to Sony's PS3 which can manage just over half that at 275,000,000 polygons per second. These consoles allow users to play games however they need to render at 30 frames every second at minimum and consequently the on screen polygon count drops to 16.6 million for the Xbox 360 and 9.1 million for the PS3.
As you can see below this is the process of adding more faces to a 3D model, the blue mugs are simply coloured and rendered images of the skeleton model above, the last model on the right is very smooth and most realistic as it has the most faces and therefore would take the longest time to render, I will explain more about this in the paragraph below.

Render time:
Render time is how long it takes to generate an image from a 2D or 3D image. As I mentioned before the higher the polygon count, the longer an image will take to render. To give you a perspective of how long rendering takes, a single second from Toy Story 3 would have taken 384 hours to render! This is due to the fact it has a high polygon count. It is important to ensure the frame rate is high as the higher the frame rate the better the quality. In gaming anything under 30 frames per second is noticeable to the player meaning the will have a negative experience of the game.

This image shows a model before and after it has been rendered.

File size:
File size is a restraint from many reasons, one being the file must be saved somewhere and if it is a very large file such as a game or video. An alternative would be saving it to a disk or even to the cloud however if the file were to big it would not be able to be played on the devices it was created for. Some games come as two disks, one for downloading content the other to play. To continue the quality of the game also relies on the space available on the ram. This is because the content of disk one of two is stored on the ram for easy access. The more space on the ram the better quality the gaming experience is as features such are draw distances will be of a high quality. Below are two images of game play in which the full content has not downloaded, this is often known as lagging and is caused by the size of the file and therefore it takes longer to be processed and then displayed on the screen.

Task 5: 3D Development software

Different softwares 
Maya

Maya is a 3D modelling and animation software program that allows the user to create full-motion effects. This software is know for its realistic laws of physics and the effects and actions on the characters. Also Maya is one of the most user friendly programs that allows the user to create very realistic videos, another strength is that effects such as smoke and falling water that looks as if it were real can be created in Maya. To add to the realism of the software characters created can also be given emotions that are portrayed through body language and facial expressions. Being such good software companies such as Tata. PK and General Compression have used it to create games and characters.  

   

3D Studio Max 

3D Studio Max was created by Autodesk and it is software that allows the users to create 3D designs such as cars and games/film backgrounds. This software is used mainly by film makers, game developers and graphic designers. 3D Studio Max was used to make parts of the new Alice in Wonderland film and Assassins creed. This software is available to students for free however the actual company that makes 3D Studio Max are looking for people with experience of using the software so they can design things for them. 

SketchUp

SketchUp is also a 3D modelling software however SketchUp specialises in architecture, interior design games and film. This software was designed with simplicity in mind, it is easy to use and the software its self is £469 (for the pro edition) other wise you can get the standard SketchUp Make for free.

Lightwave 3D

Lightwave is again 3D modelling software however this was first created 20 years ago meaning it was one of the first 3D modelling software ever. Lightwave specialises in static and animated 3D models. This software is aimed at dedicated major studios as it is so advance from all the other 3D modelling software due to the face it has a custom pipeline. Lightwave is $995 per copy, it was used to model the Aston Martin DB5 and helped create scenes in the 2012 James bond movie Skyfall.   

Cinema 4D 

Finally cinema 4D is also 3D modelling software, know for its animation and rendering abilities this software can reflect life like details into models with a user friendly interface with a little practice can be used by all. It is also know for realist collisions between objects and its quick rendering speed due to the face it uses the computers network efficiently. This software was used to help create the film Prometheus.  

Task 4 Mesh Construction

 This presentation is about mesh construction, it explains 2 different forms of modelling, describes what primitives are and gives a brief overview of mesh construction.

Here is also the link to the presentation as the embedded presentation sometimes disappears:
http://prezi.com/tz5gg0etyp_b/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Task 3: Geometric Theory

Geometric theory: 
A geometric polygon is a shape or model that covers all X, Y and Z coordinates, this means the shape or model will have: vertices, edges and faces. NURBS and polygonal models are the two main geometric theories used in 3D modelling. 

NURBS surfaces:

These are created by the software generating a smooth face joining two or more curves, these curves are very accurate and therefore used in the development of automotive design and also engineering. 

Polygonal models:
This form of modelling is created with vertices, edges and faces, It is mainly used in games, film and animation, this is because these models are easy to manipulate and have a high quality end result.

Meshes:
A mesh is is what makes the model, when all the vertices, edges and faces are joined up a mesh is formed, the mesh is a surface created by joining these three up. 

Vertices:
Vertices (plural of a vertex) are practically the corner of a shape or surface, at this point a coordinate is given to later plot and be joined by edges and faces creating a shape.

Edges:
These are used to join vertices together, once these has been added the skeleton of the model is made. 

Faces:
Finally faces are what turn a skeleton model to an actual model, these join the edges together and they can have their colour or transparency changes to suit the models design or function. 

Cartesian co-ordinate system:
The Cartesian co-ordinate system works using the X, Y and Z axis, it allows 3D models to be created by giving each vertex a 3D co-ordinate as shows in the image below. 

Task 2: Displaying 3D polygon animations

This Prezi presentation displays the 9 steps of the graphics pipeline, these steps include: modelling, lighting, viewing, projection, clipping, viewport transformation,  scan conversion, texturing and shading and display.

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Here is task two of displaying 3D polygons and animations, this presentation will describe the following processes: Rendering, Rasterisation, ray tracing and radiosity.

Task 1: Applications in 3D

Applications of 3D

There are many ways the uses of 3D technology can be applied to every day life and through this blog I will explain further into the science behind 3D and how it is adapted to suit and benefit different industries. 3D technology is an image or model being displayed over 3 dimensions hence 3D meaning the user can see depth, this effect is to make the model look as if were real.

Film industry

3D is used to create images that appear to be “coming out of the screen” 3D films are very common now. For a 3D image/film to be made, each eye has to see a slightly different image which the brain then interprets and merges it so we see an image with depth. As shows below the 3D image is made when wearing glasses as each eye of the glasses only lets an image through if its either vertical or horizontal ( one eye lets in one or the other ) Lenticular works the same however it is in black and white as it is a red and blue. One example of one of the most iconic 3D films is Avatar, this film at the time was the most expensive film to make and creatively used 3D to make box office record breaking film.   

  

Gaming industry

Many modern games that are released are now 3D. The science behind it is very similar to films however there are device made such as the Nintendo 3DS the first handheld 3D gaming device that does not require glasses however this trend has not continued. Many games are now in 3D such as: Need for Speed: Shift, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Tomb Raider Underworld. Super Mario is a game that displays a transition from 2D to 3D gaming, this can be seen in early Mario games with 2D backgrounds and a 2D Mario to the modern day Mario games with far more complex 3D backgrounds and characters. Another feature that has changed is the interaction required from the player to complete the game, due to consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and games such as Mario Kart a 3D background comes as standard on almost every game now. A visual example of this can be seen below, this image displays the first Mario and the most recent Mario and the evolution of the graphics, detail and the added dimension.   

TV Industry 

Samsung is the most common manufacturer in 3D televisions. 3d TV’s are very expensive pricing in at over £850 for a 55” TV. According to statistics in the UK only 1 in 10 people us their 3D TV. Company's such as sky have a whole channel dedicated to 3D however there is a limited choice as it only shows football matches, documentary's and films. One example of a 3D TV show is Darren Brown's 3D magic spectacular.

Product design industry
3D design is useful in the modern as it can be used to save time, this is because before 3D design software was invented a 3D prototyped wound have been hand crafted which is very time consuming however with 3D software, minor adjustments can simply be changed in a matter of seconds rather than having to reconstruct a whole new model. After the model has been designed it can be 3D printed, from there final last touches and adjustments can be made before a product is produced.

3D in web design

3D can be used in web design in many different ways, one of a 3D feature is holographic text. This effect is created by adding depth to the 2D text after the user scrolls over it, this is a very effective/interactive feature that could attract more users to the website.

Applications of 3D in medicine 
3D has had a big impact on medicine in many ways, one way is false limbs, by using 3D technology 3D limbs can be constructed using 3D technology and also can be 3D printed. Also procedures such as mammogram can produce a 3D image used to diagnose patients with cysts and lumps, the 3D image will allow the doctor to see the size and therefore severity of the cyst.

3D applications in Education 

3D has had a big impact on learning in education, through the use of DLP (digital light processing) technology 3D projectors can be used to enhance students learning. 3D enables students to see images such as cells in different ways. Typically a 2D image would be shown however being a cell this is an object that many people will never see in real life and this is why 3D is important. The student will be able to view a cell from all angles enhancing their learning experience. This can have a big impact on learning and education as the image will be precise and enhance their learning as it will be a more realistic experience.