Popular Posts

Interactive 3D Animations

By mayavfx on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 with

3D animations are the current craze in visual communication technology. Loads of research and developments are being made in the ways of creating and displaying better 3D visuals. Ranging from anaglyph glasses to 3D screens, all efforts are being made to make 3D viewing more pleasing and more accessible to every person. People like to manipulate visuals. Interactive 3D visuals are attracting more and more audiences. Being of the latest visual communication technology which gives a deeper sense of realism, interactive visuals and animations, as the term implies, allows the audience to interact with the animations or the visuals through clicks on the mouse, tracking, keyboard buttons, joysticks, etc. The audiences are able to control the visuals, develop a way of communicating with them and as result, these 3D visuals and animations enrich their experience.

There are different types of 3D visuals. Computer generated imagery is very popular and is used to create virtual characters and worlds for animated films, video games and cartoons. One example is the 3D animated film Monsters versus Aliens. Such visuals do not need glasses or any other special accessories for viewing. These types of visuals are called 3D visuals or 3D graphics because they have been created using a 3-dimensional representation of data through 3 processes: 3D modeling, Layout and Animation, and Rendering. These 3D animations require creating a mesh and giving it a digital skeletal structure which can be modeled and manipulated by an animator. Such 3D animations can be highly interactive in the form of video games. 3D visuals in video games allow the players to control each of their character's movements and see the result of their actions. Fans and lovers of video games find 3D video games more pleasant to play as the actions resemble real life more closely than 2D video games.

Another type of 3D visuals is the anaglyph visuals. Anaglyph visuals create the illusion of depth in an image by displaying two offset images to the right and left eye respectively. Both 2D images then combine together in the rain to give a 3D perception of the image. This effect is called stereoscopy, also known as 3-D imaging. To view anaglyph visuals properly, there are three options: the viewer has to wear anaglyph glasses to combine the two offset images, or the viewer has to wear anaglyph glasses to filter offset images from a single source separate to each eye, or have a lightsource split the images directionally into the viewer's eyes (no anaglyph glasses required). Stereoscopic or anaglyph images can be produced using digital photos, drawings, computer generated graphics and even graphics made using 3-dimensional representation can be converted into stereoscopic visuals. The illusion of depth caused by stereoscopic or anaglyph images/visuals create an impressive 3D effect on a 2D screen which appeals greatly to viewers. If used as interactive animations or visuals, for example in video games again, it has great impact on players who receives enormous delight with the visuals.

Other types of interactive 3D animations and visuals are on ecommerce sites where product visuals are being displayed in 3D using interactive Flash animations. Clients enrich their experience through the opportunity of being able to view the products in different angles. Normally, a product is photographed by changing its positions through different angles and an animation is generated using the appropriate software, Flash for instance. The animations can be an interactive rotation in 90°, 180°, 270° or 360°. It can also be an impressive interactive 3D animation where the product can be viewed in all angles. Such 3D animations generated from combining HD photos of products in different angles form part of stop motion animation. It is rendered into an interactive Flash animation in 3D, where the client or viewer can control the visual and move it in any direction or position to view the product. This type of interactive Flash animations in 3D helps a lot in commerce, especially in ecommerce, where the client can easily view the product online as if he is actually holding it in his hands and assess it more accurately.

Interactive 3D animations can be in a various forms nowadays. There is more than one type of visual which can be accepted as being 3D visual. Interactive 3D animations are the craze of fans of technology and video games. Whatever says 3D says awesome and attracts lots of people. Interactive 3D animations are even becoming the tools of businessmen who use them to attract people and clients and hence boost their sales and corporate image. For the public, 3D animations and visuals, interactive or non-interactive, are a very attractive source of entertainment. On the commercial level, interactive 3D animations help people shop online from any shop found in any part of the world without actually going there. Being able to view the concerned products from all angles, the interactive 3D animations not only help the online client assess the product but also enriches his/her experience. Having various forms and uses, 3D animations are becoming more and more ubiquitous in the society, not only as an art, or entertainment but also as a convenience for people.

Working as Copywriter at PackshotCreator, the international provider of interactive product photo solutions including high definition photos, 360 degree animations and 3D animations. For more info, click on: PackshotCreator

Category: Animation