3D modelling is used in a broad range of fields.

In this report, Im going to discuss

why 3D modelling is so important and what It can be used for. I have researched the
history of CGI and 3D model based visual effects and create a timeline of key
moments in history and outline what
happened at this time.

In the beginning a 30 second vector

animation was created, it was of a car
travelling down a planned highway at
110km/h. It was made using the BESK
computer which is a Binary Electronic
Sequence Calculator, was Swedens first
electronic computer, using vacuum tubes
instead of relays. The animation was broadcasted on the 9 th of November, 1961 on
national television, the short animation was called Rendering of a planned highway.

After Rendering of a planned highway was made a film called humming bird was the
next key moment. Hummingbird is A ten-minute computer animated film by Charles
Csuri and James Shaffer. Awarded a prize at the 4th International Experimental Film
Competition, Brussels, Belgium, 1967 and in the collection of The Museum of
Modern Art, New York City. The subject was a line drawing of a hummingbird for
which a sequence of movements appropriate to the bird were programmed. Over
30,000 images comprising some 25 motion sequences were generated by the
computer. In November 1973, this was a first experiment of CGI in a significant
feature film. It was for a film called Westworld which was the first feature film to use
digital image processing. It was made using 2D computer animation. each frame of
footage was color-separated and scanned so it could be converted into rectangular
blocks, then color was added to make a coarse pixel matrix that could be output back
to film. Presto, infra-red androidvision.

The next key moment in the history of CGI was in 1976. This
is when the first use of 3D computer graphics for animated
hand and face it was called Future World. No glasses were
required to watch the film. It
used 2D digital compositing to
materialize characters over a
background.

Shortly after future world, 1977

Starwars was made which was
the first global phenomenon in
CGI. It had animated 3D wireframe graphic for the trench
run briefing sequence.

The first CGI human character that looks slightly realistic

was 1981 Cindy. In a film called Looker It was the first film
to create three dimensional (3D) shading with a
computer, months before the release of the betterknown Tron

Another very important moment in CGI was in 1986 Luxo Jr. First use of shadows in
CGI, made with special developed software Renderman. s proprietary photorealistic
3D rendering software produced by Pixar Animation Studio. RenderMan is used by
Pixar to render all of their in-house 3D animated movie productions and is also
available as a commercial product licensed to third parties. First CGI film to be
nominated for an Academy Award.
The next key thing to happen was Pixar to create Toy story. First CGI feature-length
animation. First G-rated CGI film. Added to the National Film Registry
in 2005.

Avatar was a crucial moment in CGI, first full length

movie made using performance-capture to create
photo-realistic 3D characters and to feature a fully
CG 3D photo-realistic world.

3D modelling is the development of a mathematical representation of any threedimensional surface of a physical object using software such as; cinema 4D, Maya,
Inventor and 123D. What you produce using this software is called a 3D model.
When creating 3D models, you use simple polygon based shapes for example;

pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders and cones. The 3D models you create you can
render for simulation of physical
phenomena. The process of preparing
geometric data for 3D computer graphics
you can compare it to sculpting. They
connect by various geometric entities such
as triangles, lines, and curved surfaces the
objects surfaces may be further defined with
texture mapping.
Global illumination is used in 3D moddeling
to add more realistic lighting to 3D scenes.
Scenes rendered using global illumination algorithms often appear more
photorealistic than those using only direct illumination algorithms.
There are three main ways of representing 3D models these are polygonal modeling,
curve modeling and digital sculpting. Polygonal modeling; This is to do with points in
3D space called vertices which use line segments to form a polygon mesh.
Polygonal models have a really fast render time because theyre flexible and built as
textures. Curve modeling; Surfaces are characterized by curves, that are determined
by weighted control points. Expanding the weight for a
point will pull the curve closer to that point. There
are different curse types including; NURBS,
Splines, patches and geormetric primitives.
Digital sculpting; a very new and widely used method,
generated by subdivisional surface of a polygon control
mesh, and stores. There are various tools to use with
digital sculpting.

3D modelling is used all the time in Film and TV this may be for characters and
objects for animated and real-life motion pictures. There are lots of advantages and
disadvantages for using 3D modelling in film and TV; an advantage would be that it
reduces human error, you can modify existing ideas, which saves time, the 3D data

you have is easy to share with others, regardless of whether they are in the same
office or the other end of the country. However, a disadvantage would be that the
software itself can be expensive so initial costs are high.
In film Jurassic Park was the first featured film to use photorealistic 3D modelled
creates. Another film is Titanic this was the first wide-release feature film with major
elements rendered under the opensource Linux operating system. Also,
included a number of advances,
specifically in the rendering of
flowing water. 3D animation can take
you to the future where everything is
chrome and filled with lens flares.
A good example of where it has
been used in TV would be in Game
of Thrones. Game of Thrones visual
effects green screens and software were used to bring George R. R Martin's fantasy
Game of Thrones books to life. Game of thrones use 3D modelling because allot of
the props and objects they need cant be captured on location so they use the green
screens to add in details that the location is missing for example a bridge. Also, if a
prop is difficult or too expensive to make they will create a 3D model of it. When
making a film or a TV series 3D modelling can help you with any limitations you may
have.
Over the past 30 years video games have changed so dramatically due to 3D
graphics, the first game to use 3D graphics and was mass produced released on a
commercial games machine was 1981 3D Monster Maze. It was developed by
Malcolm Evans for the Sinclair ZX81 platform. Games back then consisted of a twodimensional bitmap graphics, these games used points, lines and curves to
represent images in computer graphics. 2D games consist of two categories top
down perspective and side roll perspective. To achieve computer graphics there are
various methods compared to just placing it within a movie. When animating a movie,
you just have to worry about what the camera sees, meaning you do not have to
animate everything. This is not the case within games, where the players can look
around freely. The user can pan the camera therefore the 3D graphics need to be
designed so they work for the user to look at it from all angles. An advantage of 3D
gaming is the user feels more free and in control of the 3D environment, less like
theyre playing a computer game. However, a disadvantage would be perhaps its

simulating reality too far that is loses artistic flair. In order for the games to get their
storylines across there are short intervals where it cuts to a movie scene which often
the player has no control over. This enables video game creators to put detail in one
specific camera
angle comparatively
than having to make
sure the entire level
is detailed enough.
3D modeling can
also be used for
educational
purposes for
example you can
create detailed
models of organs for
medical students to
study this can be
from an MRI or a CT
scan. Students can create things and then can interact with the finished product and
experience it ways not previously possible. 3D printing can also help when teaching
geography, this is by using intractive 3D maps. Also creating and displaying highly
deatil chemical compounds in science.
Producing light effects involves essentially pushing light into the 3D world and pulling
it back to the pixels of the final image.
3D Printing came about in the late 1980s, the early development of 3D printing was
called rapid prototyping RP for short. In 1986 the first patent for rapid protoyping, its
mission was to reduce the lead time and cost of developing prototypes of new parts
and devices. 3D printing basically means the method of synthesize a three
dimentional object. 3D printable models are made with computer aided design
(CAD). How 3D printing works is it turns a whole objects that you have digitally
desinged into thousands of tiny layers. Then it establishes each layers starting from
the bottom. Those layers stick together and form a solid object. Layers can be
complicated, 3D printers can create wheels and hinges as part of the same object.
3D printing is so important in design because it makes the production of prototypes
quicker; it facilitates fast production and can help desingers identify any defects or

flaws the design of the object might have. Another advatage is that there is virtually
no storage cost, the only
storage you need is for the
printer and it costs less than
mass manufacturing.3D
printing is a very useful tool
however it does have its
disadvatages. 3D printing can
easily have problems with
intellectual property. The
availibilty of blueprints of other
peoples work online makes can raise issues over intellectual property rights. Lastly,
printers can be costly and you need different types of printers inorder to create
different objects. Now you can even print monochrome objects. "3D printing is
already shaking our age-old notions of what can and can't be made." Hod Lipson
3D virtual reality was first thought about in the 1950s by a man called Morton Heilig,
it was called the Experience
Theatre. This encompassed all
the sense in an effective
manner and drawing the viewer
into the onscreen activity.
Virtual reality means computer
generated realistic images,
sounds and senses that imitate
real environments. The user
wears glasses and can interact
with this virtual world. These glasses enable the user to see three dimensional
images which give an illusion of depth of perception. For example, if the user is using
virtual reality for architectural purposes then they will be able to view a building at
different angles, and walk through or around it.
A texture is an image added to the face of a 3D model. It can give life to an object or
character by giving them light, color and depth. Textures can be used when creating
models, textures make your models look a lot more realistic, these can be modified
by creating different layers of different textures and you can work in and build apon
your model. Adding textures you can use a technique called flat mapping, this makes
the texture frontally mapped. To use your own texture, you just have to click on the

small arrow next to the grey bar and

browse until you find the file you
want. To apply the texture to the
model, all you have to do is drag the
texture from the tab onto the model
and it will update automatically then
you can start painting the texture
maps.
Shading is a technique designers use
in order to add more structure, there
are 3 main types of shading the first
one is flat shading this entails
generating one colour for each polygon for example take a sphere flat shading will
look like its made up from squared
pololygons like a disco ball very
unrealistic however very quick at
rendering. The second technique for
shading is gouraud shading this is similar
to flat shanding, its basically a method
that is used to display and simulate
differing effects of light across the
surface of a 3d object. This technique is fast however it can still miss effects leading
to slight unrealism or not the highest quality. Concluding the last shading technique is
phong shading this technique is the best one to use as it will shade a lot more
accurate and create a lot more realism curves nonetheless this means its rendering
time is a lot slower.
When dealing with adding colors you just need to add new materials. Applying
materials to your model is pretty simple: Select a face or faces and then select your
desired material. If youre painting groups or components, check out the tips at the
end of this section, which can make applying materials even easier.

Plan view is very useful when lining things up and getting objects in an exact
position.

3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of automatically converting 3D

wire frame models into 2D images with 3D photorealistic effects or non-photorealistic
rendering on a computer. How rendering works in simple terms is that calculations
performed by 3D software engines translate the scene from a mathematical code to
a 2D image. The process takes the whole scene, textural and lighting this then
determines the color value of each pixel in the flattered image.
There are two main types of rendering real time rendering and offline or prerendering. Real time rendering consists of interactive graphics where images must
be computed from 3D information at an incredibly rapid pace. Offline rendering,
speed is less of an issue the calculations are typically performed using multicore
CPUs.
There are lots of different render engines for example LuxRender, Maxwell, Ray
Casting, Mental Ray and V Ray. Mental Ray works alongside auto desk Maya, it uses
a combination of raytracing and "global illumination" (radiosity). V Ray this render
engine works alongside 3DS Max. V Ray is a popular render engine because of its
lighting tools and extensive materials library for arch-viz. Ray Casting considers the
scene as being observed from a specific point of view, meaning it will render
anything that is seen. Its a very fast render engine and saves a lot of time if you are
only making a 3D image and not a sequence.

Geometric theory is a concept that 3D models can be made out of multitude of 2D

polygons. Polygons are a shape with at least three straight sides and angles, and
typically five or more.
The basic object
used in mesh
modeling is a vertex,
a point in threedimensional space.
Two vertices
connected by a
straight line become
an edge. Three
vertices, connected to each other by three edges, define a triangle, which is the
simplest polygon. When the object is planned to move, either a multitude of small
quad polygons are used. However, this can result in a large file size, so often triangle
polygons are used instead. Polygons are made up of 5 different things; vertices
(points in 3D space, which the lines connect), edges (edge is any point on the
surface of a 3D model where two polygonal faces meet. Edges are used to join
vertices together), Primitive (these are basic 3D shapes a cube, sphere or a
pyramid), Splines (A spline is a curve in 3D space defined by at least two control
points) Faces (The face of an object is basically the complete side of the object
and is a closed set of edges. Used to fill the space between vertices and edges)
Also, worth mentioning are nurbs. Nurbs are nulls created basis spline used in 3D
modeling for representing curves and surfaces. Similar to the ones used to create
vector graphics.
A spline is a curve that connects two or more specific points, or that is defined by two
or more points. The term can also refer to the mathematical equation that defines
such a curve. You use a Spline to create lathes, a lathe is a 3D object model whose
vertex geometry is produced by rotating the points of a spline or other point set
around a fixed axis.
Mesh construction is a modelling method that uses primitive shapes to make a rough
version of the final model. This method of designing involves extruding and scaling
faces pulling them, they are flat planes. Your original objects faces are modified.
Primitives are a basic building block 3D geometry curves sheres and cylinders.
Propertise can be easisly changed to allow desingers to use extra subdivisions. Can
be used effectively to create detail. Although it is possible to construct a mesh by
manually specifying vertices and faces, it is much more common to build meshes

using a variety of tools and

techniques. A wide variety of 3d
graphics software packages are
available for use in constructing
polygon meshes. This approach
allows users to create entire
complicated designs from
something as simplistic as a cube.
There are two simple tools used in
mesh construction; Subdivisional
and Extrude.
The subdivisional tool divides faces
and edges into smaller pieces by
adding new vertices. This is a
modeling technique for making high-poly hard-surface models, by manipulating a
lower-resolution "cage" model and using software to subdivide for a smoother
surface. It enables your models to look more organic looking and smooth.
The extrude tool divides faces. It constructs a new face of the same size and shape
which is connected to each of the existing edges by a face. Thus, performing the
extrude operation on a square face would create a cube connected to the surface at
the location of the face.
3D modeling software is a class of 3D computer graphics software used to produce
3D models. Individual programs of this class are called modeling applications or
modelers. The first piece of developement software im going to

be

talking about is Cinema 4D, which is a 3D modeling, animation

and

rendering program developed by a German software company

MAXON Computer GmbH. Cinema 4D was created by
christian and Philp Losch the software was originally called FastRay and was first
released on the Amiga in 1991. Then in 1993 the name was changed to Cinema 4D.
The Industries that use cinema 4D the most is motion graphics, medical , Television
and architecture. For cinema 4D the best file formats to use is obj and c4d.
The second piece of development software is 3D Studio Max which is a 3D computer
graphics program for making 3D animations models games and images. The
programme is developed and produced by Autodesk. The industries and people that

use the software are video game developers, TV commerical studios and
architectual visalization studios. Originally the
software was called 3D studio and was
created to run on the DOS platform. Gary Yost
was the creator of 3D studio, the software was
then edited to run on windows NT platform. At
this time its name was officlilly changed to to 3D Studio max. The file format you
should use is SHP.

The last developement software im going to talk about is Maya. Maya is a 3D

computer graphics software also developed by Autodesk
however it was originally developed by ailas systems
corperation. Maya runs on Windows OS X and Linux. Maya
was originally developed to be a next generation animation
programme from the Advance Visualizer by wavefront
technologies. Walt Disney Feature Animation collaborated
closely with Maya's development during its production of
Dinosaur. The industries that uses maya are; motion graphics, interactive 3D
applications, including video games, animated film, TV series, and visual effects. The
most efficient format to use with Maya is IFF, using this format enables no data loss
occurance. All other file formats are translated from the Maya IFF format.
Although 3D modeling is very important across various industries something so
useful does come with its constraints. The first main issue Im going to discuss is
polygon counts 2D has images that are made up of pixels, since the creation of
displays they render more pixels than the human eye can detect 2D animation has
reached a near peak in quality. However 3D animation isnt quite there yet and this is
due to polygon counts,wistfully more polygons means better quality and the average
market PC cannot run a high enough polycount in software to function properly and
render keeping most people from pursuing the career, the other issue that leads onto
is rendering times, on average taking hours for a single scene making it a time
consuming. Sometimes performance can suffer due to a low polygon count. The
more detail that goes into it increases the render time further and can even take days
at a time to render a long scene. File size is something you need to consider when
sending or saving your work. and thats where overly heavy 3D files can be a pain.
For example, imaterialise has an upload size limit of 100 MB. Also, most of those
very heavy files have a level of detail that are just way beyond what the eye can see

or what any 3D printer can print. Reducing the number of triangles will reduce the
smoothness of the surfaces, but also the file size. Rendering can take various
amounts of time from fractions of a second to days for a single image/frame.
Different methods are better suited for either photo-realistic rendering, or real- time
randering. If you try and speed the render time up too much it will ultimately affect
the look of the render. There are various ways of speeding up your render time one
way is to
turn down
or off antialiasing
this
basically
smoothens the
model so
you don't get
jagged edges in the rendered image.