Advantages

The Advantages of Using 3D Over Other Graphic Formats

3D is cost-effective, versatile and provocative. It offers high quality, flexible options for illustration, from photo-realistic images of products still under development, to cartoons, fantastic environments and impossible realities.

From Prototype to Branding

Since the advent of digital technologies we have become familiar with bread rolls that talk,  images of car engines in wireframe, explosions that take place on foreign planets ,and other special effects. What makes all of these effects possible is that they are 3D models built in a digital 3D environment.

• Architects use 3D to render tours of buildings still under construction.
• Industrial designers use it to train their sales force and customers on products still in development.
• Doctors use 3D to demonstrate surgical techniques.
• Lawyers and insurance agents use it to reconstruct crime scenes and accidents.
• Engineers use 3D to help prototype products and present their designs to funding agencies.

At C.R.Visuals we work in all of these areas and we can help you wow your customer base with 3D illustrations of products, processes, and brands.

In 3D, Opportunities Abound

Rotate heavy machinery to show how it looks from all angles. Shift heavy pieces out of the way. Bend metal. Cut windows through the earth. Defy gravity. Hide patented features from view or zoom in to see them in detail.   Shoot characters down a pipe to explore the interior of an object.

How 3D Works

The artist begins with specifications for the overall design, then models the forms in a mathematically 3 dimensional environment, and adds textures. A camera is positioned to film the scene and finally, the image(s) is rendered.

Long-term Advantage and Versatility

3D models are versatile and reliable.

• Objects, even objects that only exist on spec sheets, can be rendered to look like photos.
• Once rendered, objects in a scene can be updated, added or removed without the frustration of trying to match old and new footage.
• Details on any object or part of the object can be blurred or removed to protect patents, or added or enhanced to test alternate models

A Few Other Advantages 3D Offers

• Render the scene from any angle including the inside or take crane shots from on high.
• Change the background setting or remove it altogether.
• Replace one texture with another: give your client a realistic impression of how the product or building looks in brick or marble, chrome or glass, black, blue, or red.
• Scale your product to suit a new environment or use camera matching to illustrate how the product meshes with your client’s equipment.
• Add new elements to the set, or remove one: keep your graphics up to date without re-shooting an entire sequence.
• Avoid video-related issues of changing light and backgrounds. No need either, to remove overhead planes, wires and unwanted elements.
• Render the scene at any size from a product catalogue to a billboard, then render it again to prevent degradation of the image caused by manipulating it in other graphics packages.

Let us answer your questions. Contact us at info@crvisuals.com.

How 3D Works

How 3D Works

Computer-based 3D models exist in 3 mathematical dimensions and are displayed on a 2 dimensional screen. To explain the technology, let’s back up to look at 2D computer graphics in black and white.

This article begins with cathode ray tubes and ends up discussing point clouds, light and colour.

In the old days, your computer monitor or TV was a cathode ray tube (CRT) coated in phosphors. Phosphors glow when excited and one way to get them excited is to hit them with a beam of electrons. More electrons make the phosphors glow brighter. The phosphors are arranged as a series of dots (pixels) that the computer locates based on their distance from the left and bottom (x,y co-ordinates).

An electron gun (a ray gun) shoots electrons at the phosphors. The beam travels back and forth across the screen in a fixed pattern 60 times per second (the refresh).

In a colour monitor for every pixel, there are 3 phosphor dots, which, when excited glow in red, green or blue, depending on the phosphor. These dots act independent of each other and depending on how excited they are, they emit brighter reds, blues and greens which our eye mixes to create millions of colours.

The computer stores information in a frame buffer that records how many electrons (how much energy) to shoot at each phosphor at each co-ordinate. Your computer then directs the electron gun to fire away with the result that your monitor displays a two-dimensional array of brightly coloured dots so close together that they look like something real.

3D Modeling

To create 2D images the computer starts at point (0,0) or the bottom left of the screen. To create a 3D world, the computer needs to add depth.

2D recognizes left to right and up & down. 3D adds near & far. Mathematically, the computer creates a world that has 3 dimensions. Every modeled object has volume and a location that includes left-right, up-down, near-far. The screen shows the scene rendered in two dimension, as seen from a vantage point but the computer recognizes the space as having depth.

This is different from quasi-3D effects where a series of 2D paintings are layered one on top of the other like leaves in a book. In the true 3D computer world each object has depth and is positioned relative to other objects in the scene and the world as a whole.

The extra depth information is stored in a z-buffer (z for depth). If the modeled world was created pixel by pixel, the saved file would be enormous, but fortunately, 3D modeling has a simplified method for creating 3 dimensional objects. Essentially, the corners of each object are located in space and mathematical lines connect these vertices to create polygons.

Each object consists of a cloud of points that outline its surface with linking lines creating a wireframe where the polygons are transparent. By default, all the lines and vertices are visible, which is very pretty, but confusing. To simplify the scene, the computer needs a starting vantage point and from there is blanks out any line or polygon that hides behind another object or face. The backs of objects are hidden behind the fronts, objects in the back are hidden behind objects in front of them. The hidden polys are culled.

The next step is to colour the visible polys, essentially flooding them with colour. This is done using a z-buffer algorithm (mathematical formula) that sets all the pixels in the frame buffer to the background colour, and all the co-ordinates in the z-buffer to a value that represents a place so far away that nothing could be there.  Next:

1. Every polygon  is evaluated to determine which vertices form its boundaries and which vertices lie within it.
2. Each vertex is evaluated to see if there is another vertex already recorded for that  (x,y) co-ordinate that is closer.The (x,y) value takes the colour of the nearer poly and the other is hidden.

Greater realism is provided by skinning them with textures and by adding raytracing to create shadows. It’s a bit like siding a house then tracing each ray of light that bounces off each object to see where it goes and what it illuminates.

A variety of shading algorithms can be used to create anything from flat cartoon like flood fills to smoothed transitions of light to dark that give an impression of fullness or roundness. The first shows each object as a silhouette,  the latter looks more photorealistic. When the computer tries to model colour, it begins with light which it approximates using red, green and blue in varying quantities. Remember that RGB in full strength will provide white light and their absence creates darkness. As long as they are rendered in equal amounts they will provide a greyscale of luminance. The human eye is more aware of the quality of light to dark than it is to colour, so this part of the rendering process is important.

Light

Day to day, objects absorb light waves. Different parts of the light spectrum contain different levels of energy and objects absorb those parts of it that they can, turning light into heat and reflecting back those parts of the spectrum they cannot absorb. The light that is turned away is the colour we see. It is the colour that we assign to the object. Apples don’t absorb the red light, they reflect it back to our eye. White objects reflect back most of the light; dark objects absorb it.

On the computer we simulate the hue (colour) of the light reflected back to the eye by combing percentages of red, green and blue.  But light also sparkles off some objects so we try to represent how the light is reflected back.  On dull or greasy surfaces, light travels along the surface and is reflected back in many directions, at a low angle to create diffuse light. On glassy surfaces, light bounces tightly off the object at sharp angles creating specularity. The elements that affect the degree to which light is diffuse or specular include

• the amount of ambient (all-over) light versus light aimed at the object from a single source
• the strength of the light source, and
• the position of the light relative to the surface
• the colour of the surface
• the texture of the surface
• the position of the viewer or camera (are you in line to see the reflections)

When does it get tricky? As if this wasn’t complicated enough, raytracing off a highly reflective transparent surface like glass can really send the computer into complicated calculations.

Fortunately one can sometimes cheat by using texture maps that have “burned in” the lighting to speed up processing.

These then are some of the basic concepts behind a digital 3D model.

Process

9 Steps to a Successful Model

Step 1 – Define the Objects

Definition of the objectives and the scope of the project. Do you want a high or low resolution model. What parts need to be precisely modeled and what needs to be obscured as trade secrets? Will the model be animated at a later stage and if so, which parts move?

Step 2 – Collect Reference Materials

Client collects any reference materials such as spec sheets, drawings and photographs and forwards them to CRV.

Step 3 – Devise a Strategy for  Modeling and Animation

CRV reviews the information provided and devises a strategy for completing the project. Generally we will have a few additional questions at this stage and may ask to take photos to clarify images and to collect textures.

Step 4 – Develop the Mesh Model(s)

As per the drawings, photos and state objectives, CRV develops a mesh model which we will render using a basic texture.

Step 5 – Submit the Model to the Client for Review

We submit the mesh for your review.

Step 6 – Update the Model

We update the model based on your remarks.

Step 7 – Apply Textures and Lights

CRV applies textures and lighting effects and renders a small version of the file for your review. In the case of still images we can also enhance using special effects in Photoshop.

Step 8 – 3D Renders of Various Views for Review

3D Rendering of the different angles of the developed model as per the original scope of the project.

Step 9 – Final Render and Delivery

Final render for delivery on selected media, usually CD or video.

3D Scanner

The 3D Scanner

Our 3D scanner is the faster way to model. Our portable 3D laser scanner creates accurate 3D models and we can set up in almost any environment including your workspace, or you can bring your collectibles, prototypes, or maquettes to us.  Here are a handful of ideas:

• Clay and plasticine maquettes (models ) are scanned into 3d models for 3d animation
• Prototypes are scanned into 3d for presentation on the Internet
• Historical and collectibles are archived as a digital 3d record for future reference without further damage.
• 3D models are digitized for cutting on CNC machines.

There are just a few things to remember ….

• Shiny objects are hard to scan, so if possible, coat the object in chalk powder or some equivalent.
• Make sure that the object to be scanned is as clean as possible, so that the scanner can capture a quality image which is then mapped onto the 3D model.
• The scanner is portable, so it is possible to scan the objects at your location.

Note: The scanner can only scan to within a few inches of the ground, so object should be displayed on a raised pedestal to get the most complete scan possible.

Approximate charges per model made using the scanner

Prices are based on an object under 4″ x 4″ x 6″. A detailed scan takes approximately 1 hour to complete. Models then need “clean up” to patch occluded areas and to add textures. The quality of the scans may be affected by the colours and textures of the original object. Please ask for an estimate.

Fine (high poly) model: $500
Rough (low poly) Model: $250

Travel Costs outside of Waterloo Region

Services

What we offer

• 3D scanning of objects
• Hand modeling in a variety of formats
• Textures developed for your product or derived from our extensive texture library, from photos, or developed for your unique circumstance.
• Renders that reflect your company’s style and brand from hyper realism to cartoon shading.
• Output to CD or DVD for demo reels, trade show presentations, marketing, sales training, or streaming video.
• Formats including 3ds, max, flv, swf, mov, and more.

Resources