HA7 Task 1 - Applications of 3D

3D in Games

A long time ago, a handful of pixels made the space invaders. Graphics were iconic, not representative: a picture on a box or in a manual showed you what it was meant to look like, and your mind filled in the necessary gaps.

The 3D transition normally comes under two forms; a total upgrade and presentation upgrade, both of these changes only alter the graphics and leave the gameplay as it is because it tends to work in both views.
The leap from 2D gaming to 3D started to occur around the fifth generation of game consoles, however there were a few games before this change that used 3D graphics such as Star Fox and Virtual Racer.

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During this era many gamer designers began to move from 2D games to the new 3D style of gaming, Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon on the playstation are prime examples of the new trend. Also during this time 3D environments were widely marketed and the focus was no longer on side-scrollers and rail-style gaming titles and games like GoldenEye 007, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time etc, were nothing like the shoot-em-ups, RPGs or fighting games before them.

Now the majority of triple-A games are 3D, with most of the 2D games being made by indie developers. Many games these days strive for hyper-realism, and many of them are expected to have some realism in them.

A recent example of a hyper-realistic game is The Last of Us. In addition to improved graphics, many of the characters' movements were done with motion-capture.

3D in TV/Films

Many films now include a lot of 3D imagery and CGI, and the first major use of it was back in 1993, with the release of the film Jurassic Park. Where most of the dinosaurs were created using 3D models and CGI. More recent examples of CGI in films are Avatar, or Planet of The Apes, which contains a heavy amount of CGI within them.

Some films can be made up completely of 3D animations, like Toy Story and Monsters Inc.

Also many TV shows are solely made up of 3D animations and many of which are chilren programs such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and even the long lasting Sponge Bob Square Pants, other programs also use 3D CGI such as The BBreaking Bad etc.

3D in Education

In education a software called Gaia 3D helps people teach and learn. It contains 3D models that can be used in many different subjects such as biology, chemistry, geography, etc.

3D in Medicine 

In the Medical field doctors are able to use 3D models of any body part so it is more easily visible to see certain parts or damaged area.

3D in Engineering

In engineering 3D models can be used to view their machines they are currently working on and it helps them see if they any issues and how it will work when it is finally finished.

3D in Architecture

Architects can use specialist software to create 3D models of their building plans, so that it is easier for people to understand it.

3D in Product Design

3D models can be created to design products, or show them off before the actual product is made. Some products could be actually made using a 3D printer to produce the 3D model on the computer.