(versione: July 30, 2007)
Although 3D has found its way into numerous areas, it is not always well-known because the systems work so well. Here is a basic list of where 3D applications have found success.
1. Engineering design.
Most engineering design these days takes place in 3D applications. Mock-ups and simulations are far cheaper this way, and changes are less costly. Back when I was taking computer science courses, delaying “binding time” was the big thing: postpone final decisions about the software and its function to as late as possible, and you will save money in bringing up a new system. The same applies for engineered products: that last tweak of the lines of the exterior of an automobile to give it the needed bravura may result in higher sales, and it costs less to do in software than in hard-tooled models. Other advantages: the design team can be distributed around the globe and include engineers and artists more easily, since 3D is their common parlance; equipment exists to cut a solid from a 3D design model so that you can still put small versions of the car of the future in showrooms.
2. Dentistry.
This is as old as the hills, maybe 15 years. Siemens pioneered dental imagery that allows the dentist to work from a photo of the problem tooth, resize, rescale and shape, then cut a porcelain blank in special noisy machines to become your replacement tooth cap.
3. Law Enforcement (Forensic Art and Animation)
Police sketch artists may not yet be a dying breed on television, but numerous law enforcement agencies have adopted products such as Poser which allow greater ease in creating a look-alike while interviewing the witness. In fact Poser was originally developed to assist police sketch artists.
4. Game Development.
Creating realistic figures for computer games, providing animations of figures, scenery and objects—cars, torpedoes, missiles. What may not be so well-known is that some game companies allow users to create their own character which can then be brought into the game in place of the traditional figure. That breeds brand loyalty, captivates fanatics, and helps achieve realism.
5. Avatars.
Look at the social networking sites to see to huge number of figures that members choose to represent themselves. The better of these have been designed in 3D and that allows adding shape and definition missing from the original.
6. Makeovers/Cosmetic Reconstruction.
Over the original the proposed changes can be superimposed and shown. It is far easier to understand the changes on a figure which can be viewed at all angles and under different lighting conditions.
7. Military Applications.
3D versions of targets and teams sent in for attack provide better training. It is possible to simulate large-scale operations in ways that were never possible on plywood. Interactive training courseware for the military is another major area.
8. Digital Elevation Mapping.
You can download for free digital elevation maps taken by satellites. These exist for every state and every country, and in some cases with detail down to the street, hill or building. A variety of 3D programs use this mapping to create a terrain (“the ground”) on which a scene is built. Thus, without traveling, you can simulate the physical geography of thousands of places.
9. Medicine.
You can walk through a 3D heart model while it is pumping blood, see the layers of skin and muscles one-by-one, and harm no animals or humans in the process. For around $50 you can purchase the complete muscle systems of youths, adults and beyond and see how they work together. Complete systems of the human body and of animals, for veterinarians and physicians. Disease in 3D is more understandable, because it can show the interactions with the whole body. Skeletal systems in 3D show more detail and cost considerably less.
10. Botany.
Many thousands of plants are available from a range of 3D modeling companies. 3D allows progressive refinements, so even if the model you purchase lacks all the detail needed, that can be added more easily than starting over from scratch. The educational implications are significant. This also serves to provide a digital record of a species that may not survive forever.
11. Textbook illustration.
When the same topic needs to be seen again from a new angle, 3D simplifies by allowing the object to turned, rotated, seen from below, and the lighting can change along with the model.
12. Fashion design.
Much of manufacturing is global, with marketers, designers and fabric suppliers in different areas of the world. By bringing them into the same stage, they can all make a better contribution. Additionally, changes can be seen immediately, which may allow postponing “binding time”.
13. Manga and Anime.
3D has entered the area here as well, providing significant arrays of tools for “comic” and “toon” characters and animations. Best yet, the models are all reusable in future editions. This is a huge industry and becoming more popular in the United States.
14. Product Illustration and Advertising.
Photographers, models and schedules are expensive. In the 3D program lighting can be controlled better and more precisely. That new product coming to market will appears in many situations as it is advertised. Design once and reuse many times.
15. Museum Distribution and Preservation.
TTU Museum dinosaur bones are preserved and could be available for better viewing. The user with the right plug-ins can manipulate the dinosaur bone himself, bring it up for closer inspection, and attend a showing that never made it to his country.
16. Geology.
Using a variety of techniques it is possible to map the geological contours underground, which can then viewed in 3D aboveground. The Grand Canyon is available from the USGS on CD. The TTU Geology Department has used TTU’s Leica Laser Scanning camera to build images of Texas geology to be used later in instruction.
17. Architectural Design.
Even remodeling your kitchen is possible on some Web sites in a virtual way.
18. Historical/Archeological Reconstruction.
The Statue of Liberty and a historic Vermont farm. For 6$ you can download a reconstruction of the World Trade Center from one Web site.
19. NASA, Space Travel, and Extraterrestrial Simulations.
The building of simulations and the study of how expensive machines millions of miles from the earth can function without humans close enough to make corrections, has made this technology indispensable.
20. Animation and Film Production.
This is obvious, but what may not be as obvious is the number of films and commercials which are blends of film and animation. It is quite easy to add scenes from real places in film to digital constructions. Look for places where there is no litter, where the light is perfect, and where you wonder how they did that.
21. Web Development
Several 3D packages have Web development tools to enable designing pages which are otherwise next to impossible. The result: more interesting Web sites that capture the consumer.
