Inside The Basics Of 3D Animation Software

The 3D Animation Software Insider

Being normally right-brained in the way I look at most things, I had tossed around the idea of scraping any posts addressing 3D Animation Software. I had thought it more beneficial to dive into the details of modeling or fundamentals of animation but figured, hey, fresh blood is always dying to be drowned with more information when they start learning something new, why should 3D Animation be any different?!

As for the rest of you out there, stay with me as contrary to your own opinions of what could possibly bore you more, learning a little more about what makes these dream machines tick will only broaden your knowledge in the field of 3D Animation. And we all want that!

To sum up what 3D Animation Software is it’s basically an application that calculates the geometric value of data as it exists in a 3D Environment. The information is manipulated through a process of functions and computations, until it is ready to be rendered. The rendered 2D images are then edited for use in still or animations. Let me explain further.

When 3D Animation slowly stepped out onto the stage, it stood as a culmination of multiple mediums and methods that had been used in animation before. It was the computers’ answer to stop motion animation and did away with the infuriating (yes, I once did stop motion animation too) need to tirelessly animate at what is now considered unnervingly slow speed. 3D Animation also took advantage of vector graphics in the way assets were displayed in the 3D Animation Software’s viewport. And finally, raster graphics were used in order to capture the data as 2D rendered displays.

Then, of course, it was simply a matter of editing the3D rendered images in a compositing program for animations, or 2D editing software if it was for a still.

Now, I know I may have laid it on ya a little thick but if you approach it from the angle that no matter what 3D Animation Software you choose to use, you are always simply dealing with data at the end of the day, allowing distinctions to become clearer (and this is where the know-it-all-geek in all of us rears its pimply head). Remember, although we may view a 3D model in software’s viewport, it is simply a vector graphic representation of the stored data. The catch is, the same 3D model isn’t technically considered a graphic until it is rendered. It’s all data till the fat lady renders it!

Another thing to note is that the method in which 3D Animation packages receive data is not limited to manual entry by a3D Animator. Motion Capture data is one example. Another is 3D Scanning via a 3D Scan capable camera. Also, with advances in textile software programs, you are now able to export your models into applications which can produce 3D prints. Could it be the extinction of Marquette’s, I hear you say?

Well, whatever the case, realizing what the engine looks like under the hood of any 3D Animation Software will only help you in understanding its capabilities and limitations. Thankfully as technology continues to improve, we will undoubtedly see less limitations and a lot more capabilities developed for 3D Animation Software.

Now, as this was a brief lead-in to how 3D Animation Software processes data into the final project, future posts will cover the fields of modeling, texturing, animation, lighting and rendering. If you didn’t fall asleep in this post, then stick around for more info on 3D Animation Basics!

-Morph