1. Applications of 3D today:
3D in Games:
3D in games has come a long way in recent years. It all started in a game called 3D
Monster Maze. It was developed by Malcolm Evans in 1981 for the Sinclair ZX81
platform. The game awarded points for each step the player took without getting
caught by the Tyrannosaurus Rex that hunted them in the 16 by 16 cell, randomly
generated maze.
Then we got more advanced 3D graphics from games such as Spyro and Crash
Bandicoot:
This was when we started to realise the true potential of 3D in games for the future.
We were all amazed at what was possible as it was only 1996 and we were getting
these amazing graphics. Gaming was evolving at a rate unseen by any other form of
media before. The 3d aspect also opened up a lot of new avenues for games
designers to create new genres and build upon the tried and tested genres, like fps
games, with masterpieces such as Goldeneye.
Then we started to get even more updated and improved graphics from games like
the Grand Theft Auto series and the Elder Scrolls series.

2. This is when we were at the height of PS2 and Xbox gaming, but then Microsoft
unveiled their new console, the Xbox 360 which would revolutionise the future of
console gaming. This is now we how get the hyper realistic graphics of today in
games like Far Cry, Red Dead Redemption and Crysis.

3. 3D in Movies and TV
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the application of computer graphics to create
or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, films, television
programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally.
The visual scenes may be dynamic or static, and may be 2D, though the term "CGI"
is most commonly used to refer to 3D computer graphics used for creating scenes or
special effects in films and television. The term computer animation refers to
dynamic CGI rendered as a movie. The term virtual world refers to agent-based,
interactive environments. Computer graphics software is used to make computer-
generated imagery for movies, etc.
Recent availability of CGI software and increased computer speeds have allowed
individual artists and small companies to produce professional-grade films, games,
and fine art from their home computers. This has brought about an internet
subculture with its own set of global celebrities, clichés, and technical vocabulary.
Lots of very popular TV shows and movies, such as Doctor Who and Avengers
Assemble have used CGI to create things in the movie which could not be done by
humans and they are usually mixed in with live action to make it look more authentic.

4. They can create a real impact as they almost seem real if they are done
professionally, like in the background of the Avengers Assemble poster how the city
is burning and crumbling it really looks real and adds to the story and setting. Other
popular examples of shows that use CGI are Primeval and 24.

5. 3D in Animations
With the technology behind creating 3D animations, it’s possible to make
photorealistic 3D content that can’t be distinguished from a real photograph or video.
3D animation also provides a high level of control and flexibility which makes the
artistic freedom endless. Disney and Pixar are probably the most popular 3d
animation makers, but there are lots of freelancers and smaller companies that try to
create professional animations. Some examples include vr3 and kurodragon. Some
popular animations include A Bugs Life and Toy Story.
3D in Medicine
We brought you the first potentially negative use of 3D printers this morning with the
revelation that one can make rare handcuff keys with a simple 3D printer or laser
cutter. The technology is still really cool, but it must be used with great responsibility.
Well, there’s another use for 3D printers that has a lot of potential to be abused, but
also a lot of potential to save lives. The 3D printer revolution has taken hold of
Professor Lee Cronin at Glasgow University. He has many interests, but one of his
most ambitious involves 3D printers. In an interview with The Guardian, he talks up
3D printers and their potential for revolutionizing the medicine industry. His goal is to
create “downloadable chemistry” so that people can print their own medicine at
home. Of course, you can already see the problem here. Prescription drug abuse is
a major problem in many countries, especially in the U.S. Giving people easy access
to those drugs is a potential hazard that must be addressed. Cronin dismisses such
a scenario and instead focuses on the benefits such an innovation could have on
society.

6. 3D in Education
Gaia’s 3D Visual Learning Solutions provide an interactive learning experience
designed to make teaching easier and learning more fun. All of our 3D solutions are
designed to complement the school’s curriculum and improve the ability of students
to learn.

7. 3D in Architecture
3D architectural design is the final stage of design development that Architects and
Interior Designers favour in order to visualise their Architectural drawings and
creative design ideas. The emerging 3D images that our professional 3D Architects
create can be astonishingly photo-realistic. This 3d technology is used mostly (but
not exclusively) by architects, design studios and property developers for a variety of
projects and plans. This can include hotel and property redevelopment, home
improvements and commercial interior design. However, an increasing number of
product designers, Engineers, tradesmen and film studios are turning to 3D
professionals for their specialist help in order to bring dynamic solutions to a wide
range of situations.

9. Displaying 3D Polygon Animations
API
An application programming interface (API) is a protocol intended to be used as an
interface by software components to communicate with each other. An API may
include specifications for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables. An
API specification can take many forms, including an International Standard such as
POSIX, vendor documentation such as the Microsoft Windows API, the libraries of a
programming language, e.g. Standard Template Library in C++ or Java API. Garter
predicts that by 2014 75% of Fortune 500 enterprises will open an API.
Direct3D
Direct3D is a low-level API that you can use to draw triangles, lines, or points per
frame, or to start highly parallel operations on the GPU.
·Hides different GPU implementations behind a coherent abstraction. But you still need
to know how to draw 3D graphics.
·Is designed to drive a separate graphics-specific processor. Newer GPUs have
hundreds or thousands of parallel processors.
·Emphasizes parallel processing. You set up a bunch of rendering or compute state and
then start an operation. You don't wait for immediate feedback from the operation.
You don't mix CPU and GPU operations.

10. OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API for
rendering 2D and 3D computer graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a
GPU, to achieve hardware-accelerated rendering. OpenGL was developed by Silicon
Graphics Inc. in 1992[4] and is widely used in CAD, virtual reality, scientific
visualization, information visualization, flight simulation, and video games. OpenGL
is managed by the non-profit technology consortium Khronos Group.

11. Graphics Pipeline
In 3D computer graphics, the terms graphics pipeline or rendering pipeline most
commonly refer to the way in which the 3D mathematical information contained
within the objects and scenes are converted into images and video. The graphics
pipeline typically accepts some representation of a three-dimensional primitive as
input and results in a 2D raster image as output. OpenGL and Direct3D are two
notable 3d graphic standards, both describing very similar graphic pipelines.
Stages of the graphics pipeline
Per-vertex lighting and shading
Geometry in the complete 3D scene is lit according to the defined locations of light
sources, reflectance, and other surface properties. Some (mostly older) hardware
implementations of the graphics pipeline compute lighting only at the vertices of the
polygons being rendered. The lighting values between vertices are then interpolated
during rasterization. Per-fragment or per-pixel lighting, as well as other effects, can
be done on modern graphics hardware as a post-rasterization process by means of
a shader program. Modern graphics hardware also supports per-vertex shading
through the use of vertex shaders.
Clipping
Geometric primitives that now fall completely outside of the viewing frustum will not
be visible and are discarded at this stage.
Projection Transformation

12. In the case of a Perspective projection, objects which are distant from the camera
are made smaller. This is achieved by dividing the X and Y coordinates of each
vertex of each primitive by its Z coordinate (which represents its distance from the
camera). In an orthographic projection, objects retain their original size regardless of
distance from the camera.
Viewport Transformation
The post-clip vertices are transformed once again to be in window space. In practice,
this transform is very simple: applying a scale (multiplying by the width of the
window) and a bias (adding to the offset from the screen origin). At this point, the
vertices have coordinates which directly relate to pixels in a raster.
Scan Conversion or Rasterisation
Rasterisation is the process by which the 2D image space representation of the
scene is converted into raster format and the correct resulting pixel values are
determined. From now on, operations will be carried out on each single pixel. This
stage is rather complex, involving multiple steps often referred as a group under the
name of pixel pipeline.
Texturing, Fragment Shading
At this stage of the pipeline individual fragments (or pre-pixels) are assigned a color
based on values interpolated from the vertices during rasterization, from a texture in
memory, or from a shader program.
Display
The final colored pixels can then be displayed on a computer monitor or other
display.
Geometric Theory
Geometric theory:
(vertices; lines; curves; edge; polygons; element; face; primitives; meshes, eg
wireframe; coordinate geometry (two-dimensional, three-dimensional);
surfaces Mesh construction: box modelling; extrusion modelling; using
common primitives, eg cubes, pyramids,cylinders, spheres)
Cartesian Coordinates:
When working with a three dimensional software, we are making a 3D illusional
interpretation of something in a flat 2D screen and so every 3D software such as 3Ds
Max, Blender, Maya and any other software has a Catesian coordinate system to

13. represent a geometry in 3D space. Cartesian Coordinate is also used mathematics
as well.
Rene Discartes was a French mathematician who developed the Cartesian
Coordinate system (1637). He did it because he wanted to merge Algebra and
Euclidean Geometry together. His work was an important role in mathematics in the
development of analytic geometry, calculus and cartography.
2D and 3D Cartesian Coordinate system:
As usual in maths, when working with a 2D Cartesian Coordinate there are two axis,
X (across the axis) and Y (which goes down) and when the two meet together, it is
called a origin.
When using a 3D Cartesian coordinate system (you can find 3D catesian
coordinates in 3D softwares like 3DS Max) is that it consists of three axis which is
X,Y and Z.
Mesh Construction
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. A wide
variety of 3d graphics software packages are available for use in constructing
polygon meshes.
One of the more popular methods of constructing meshes is box modeling, which
uses two simple tools:

14. The subdivide tool splits faces and edges into smaller pieces by adding new
vertices. For example, a square would be subdivided by adding one vertex in the
center and one on each edge, creating four smaller squares.
The extrude tool is applied to a face or a group of faces. It creates 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.
A second common modeling method is sometimes referred to as inflation modeling
or extrusion modeling. In this method, the user creates a 2d shape which traces the
outline of an object from a photograph or a drawing. The user then uses a second
image of the subject from a different angle and extrudes the 2d shape into 3d, again
following the shape’s outline. This method is especially common for creating faces
and heads. In general, the artist will model half of the head and then duplicate the
vertices, invert their location relative to some plane, and connect the two pieces
together. This ensures that the model will be symmetrical.
Another common method of creating a polygonal mesh is by connecting together
various primitives, which are predefined polygonal meshes created by the modeling
environment. Common primitives include:
Cubes
Pyramids
Cylinders
2D primitives, such as squares, triangles, and disks
Specialized or esoteric primitives, such as the Utah Teapot or Suzanne, Blender's
monkey mascot.
Spheres - Spheres are commonly represented in one of two ways:
Icospheres are icosahedrons which possess a sufficient number of triangles to
resemble a sphere.
UV Spheres are composed of quads, and resemble the grid seen on some globes -
quads are larger near the "equator" of the sphere and smaller near the "poles,"
eventually terminating in a single vertex.
Finally, some specialized methods of constructing high or low detail meshes exist.
Sketch based modeling is a user-friendly interface for constructing low-detail models
quickly, while 3d scanners can be used to create high detail meshes based on
existing real-world objects in almost automatic way. These devices are very
expensive, and are generally only used by researchers and industry professionals
but can generate high accuracy sub-millimetric digital representations.
3D Development Software
Polygonal modeling - Points in 3D space, called vertices, are connected by line
segments to form a polygonal mesh. The vast majority of 3D models today are built

15. as textured polygonal models, because they are flexible and because computers can
render them so quickly. However, polygons are planar and can only approximate
curved surfaces using many polygons.
Curve modeling - Surfaces are defined by curves, which are influenced by weighted
control points. The curve follows (but does not necessarily interpolate) the points.
Increasing the weight for a point will pull the curve closer to that point. Curve types
include Nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS), Splines, Patches and geometric
primitives
Digital sculpting - Still a fairly new method of modeling, 3D sculpting has become
very popular in the few short years it has been around. There are currently 3 types of
digital sculpting: Displacement, which is the most widely used among applications at
this moment, volumetric and dynamic tessellation. Displacement uses a dense
model (often generated by Subdivision surfaces of a polygon control mesh) and

16. stores new locations for the vertex positions through use of a 32bit image map that
stores the adjusted locations. Volumetric which is based loosely on Voxels has
similar capabilities as displacement but does not suffer from polygon stretching when
there are not enough polygons in a region to achieve a deformation. Dynamic
tesselationIs similar to Voxel but divides the surface using triangulation to maintain a
smooth surface and allow finer details. These methods allow for very artistic
exploration as the model will have a new topology created over it once the models
form and possibly details have been sculpted. The new mesh will usually have the
original high resolution mesh information transferred into displacement data or
normal map data if for a game engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_modeling
Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio Max, is 3D computer graphics software for
making 3D animations, models, and images. It was developed and produced by
Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin
architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently
used by video game developers, TV commercial studios and architectural
visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization.
In addition to its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also
features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic
simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global
illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.

17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk_3ds_Max
Autodesk Maya, commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software
that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux, originally developed by Alias
Systems Corporation (formerly Alias|Wavefront) and currently owned and developed
by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3D applications, including video
games, animated film, TV series, or visual effects. The product is named after the
Sanskrit word Maya ( māyā), the Hindu concept of illusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk_Maya
CINEMA 4D is a 3D modeling, animation and rendering application developed by
MAXON Computer GmbH of Friedrichsdorf, Germany. It is capable of procedural
and polygonal/subdmodeling, animating, lighting, texturing, rendering, and common
features found in 3d modelling applications.

18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_4D
SketchUp is a 3D modeling program optimized for a broad range of applications
such as architectural, civil, mechanical, film as well as video game design — and
available in free as well as 'professional' versions. The program highlights its ease of
use, and an online repository of model assemblies (e.g., windows, doors,
automobiles, entourage, etc.) known as 3D Warehouse enables designers to locate,
download, use and contribute free models. The program includes a drawing layout
functionality, allows surface rendering in variable "styles," accommodates third-party
"plug-in" programs enabling other capabilities (e.g., near photo realistic rendering)
and enables placement of its models within Google Earth. In early 2012, Google, the
current owner of Sketchup, announced it will sell the program to Trimble, a company
formerly known for GPS location services.

19. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SketchUp
Polygon Count and File Size
The two common measurements of an object's 'cost’ or file size are the polygon
count and vertex count. For example, a game character may stretch anywhere from
200-300 polygons, to 40,000+ polygons. A high-end third-person console or PC
game may use many vertices or polygons per character, and an iOS tower defence
game might use very few per character.
Polygons Vs. Triangles
When a game artist talks about the poly count of a model, they really mean the
triangle count. Games almost always use triangles not polygons because most
modern graphic hardware is built to accelerate the rendering of triangles.
The polygon count that's reported in a modelling app is always misleading, because
a model's triangle count is higher. It's usually best therefore to switch the polygon
counter to a triangle counter in your modelling app, so you're using the same
counting method everyone else is using.
Polygons however do have a useful purpose in game development. A model made
of mostly four-sided polygons (quads) will work well with edge-loop selection &
transform methods that speed up modelling, make it easier to judge the "flow" of a
model, and make it easier to weight a skinned model to its bones. Artists usually
preserve these polygons in their models as long as possible. When a model is
exported to a game engine, the polygons are all converted into triangles
automatically. However different tools will create different triangle layouts within
those polygons. A quad can end up either as a "ridge" or as a "valley" depending on

20. how it's triangulated. Artists need to carefully examine a new model in the game
engine to see if the triangle edges are turned the way they wish. If not, specific
polygons can then be triangulated manually.
Triangle Count vs. Vertex Count
Vertex count is ultimately more important for performance and memory than the
triangle count, but for historical reasons artists more commonly use triangle count as
a performance measurement. On the most basic level, the triangle count and the
vertex count can be similar if the all the triangles are connected to one another. 1
triangle uses 3 vertices, 2 triangles use 4 vertices, 3 triangles use 5 vertices, and 4
triangles use 6 vertices and so on. However, seams in UVs, changes to
shading/smoothing groups, and material changes from triangle to triangle etc. are all
treated as a physical break in the model's surface, when the model is rendered by
the game. The vertices must be duplicated at these breaks, so the model can be
sent in renderable chunks to the graphics card.
Overuse of smoothing groups, over-splittage of UVs, too many material assignments
(and too much misalignment of these three properties), all of these lead to a much
larger vertex count. This can stress the transform stages for the model, slowing
performance. It can also increase the memory cost for the mesh because there are
more vertices to send and store.
http://wiki.polycount.net/PolygonCount
Rendering Time
Rendering is the final process of creating the actual 2D image or animation from the
prepared scene. This can be compared to taking a photo or filming the scene after
the setup is finished in real life. Several different, and often specialised, rendering
methods have been developed. These range from the distinctly non-realistic
wireframe rendering through polygon-based rendering, to more advanced techniques
such as: scanline rendering, ray tracing, or radiosity. Rendering may take from
fractions of a second to days for a single image/frame. In general, different methods
are better suited for either photo-realistic rendering, or real-time rendering.
Real-time
Rendering for interactive media, such as games and simulations, is calculated and
displayed in real time, at rates of approximately 20 to 120 frames per second. In real-
time rendering, the goal is to show as much information as possible as the eye can
process in a fraction of a second, i.e. one frame. The primary goal is to achieve an
as high as possible degree of photorealism at an acceptable minimum rendering
speed (usually 24 frames per second, as that is the minimum the human eye needs
to see to successfully create the illusion of movement). In fact, exploitations can be
applied in the way the eye 'perceives' the world, and as a result the final image
presented is not necessarily that of the real-world, but one close enough for the
human eye to tolerate. Rendering software may simulate such visual effects as lens
flares, depth of field or motion blur. These are attempts to simulate visual

21. phenomena resulting from the optical characteristics of cameras and of the human
eye. These effects can lend an element of realism to a scene, even if the effect is
merely a simulated artefact of a camera. This is the basic method employed in
games, interactive worlds and VRML. The rapid increase in computer processing
power has allowed a progressively higher degree of realism even for real-time
rendering, including techniques such as HDR rendering. Real-time rendering is often
polygonal and aided by the computer's GPU.
Non Real-time
Animations for non-interactive media, such as feature films and video, are rendered
much more slowly. Non-real time rendering enables the leveraging of limited
processing power in order to obtain higher image quality. Rendering times for
individual frames may vary from a few seconds to several days for complex scenes.
Rendered frames are stored on a hard disk then can be transferred to other media
such as motion picture film or optical disk. These frames are then displayed
sequentially at high frame rates, typically 24, 25, or 30 frames per second, to achieve
the illusion of movement.
When the goal is photo-realism, techniques such as ray tracing or radiosity are
employed. This is the basic method employed in digital media and artistic works.
Techniques have been developed for the purpose of simulating other naturally-
occurring effects, such as the interaction of light with various forms of matter.
Examples of such techniques include particle systems (which can simulate rain,
smoke, or fire), volumetric sampling (to simulate fog, dust and other spatial
atmospheric effects), caustics (to simulate light focusing by uneven light-refracting
surfaces, such as the light ripples seen on the bottom of a swimming pool), and
subsurface scattering (to simulate light reflecting inside the volumes of solid objects
such as human skin).
The rendering process is computationally expensive, given the complex variety of
physical processes being simulated. Computer processing power has increased
rapidly over the years, allowing for a progressively higher degree of realistic
rendering. Film studios that produce computer-generated animations typically make
use of a render farm to generate images in a timely manner. However, falling
hardware costs mean that it is entirely possible to create small amounts of 3D
animation on a home computer system. The output of the renderer is often used as
only one small part of a completed motion-picture scene. Many layers of material
may be rendered separately and integrated into the final shot using compositing
software.
Reflection/Scattering - How light interacts with the surface at a given point
Shading - How material properties vary across the surface
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_rendering