ANYONE CAN CREATE 3D GRAPHICS as hardware and software tools have become more affordable. 3D can now become part of mainstream educational content. Individual virtual objects or entire environments can be created in 3D for simulations, games and other uses. This article outlines the basic steps used to create 3D images.
3D in 5 easy steps

1. Create the shape(s)

Every shape in 3D consists of a wire mesh -- an "outline" of sorts. 3D software includes basic, or "primitive" meshes such as cubes, spheres or cones as a starting point for more complex shapes. You can also create your own shapes from scratch.



A wireframe mesh


2. Define the materials

This is like putting "skin" on the wire mesh. An object's material is a major factor in determining how real it looks. In addition to basic attributes such as color, reflectivity and opacity, other 2D graphic images can also be applied like decals to affect many other attributes.


3. Set the lights

Next to materials, lighting is the most critical factor in making a scene look real. The benefit of a virtual scene is that you can create lighting arrangements that would be impossible in real life. You can set any number of lights in any location, but they won't be seen by the camera. They can be "omni-directional" lights (like a light bulb), spot lights, or sunlight.






Click on the switches to see effects of different lights



4. Choose your point of view

When creating a scene, most work is done with the screen split into four panes. Three of these are usually from right angles (front or back, top or bottom, right or left). The fourth pane can be set to a camera view to see how the scene will look in its final form. Like lights, any number of cameras can be set at any position, so there are no limits on the point of view or perspective of the final image.






Three views, plus a camera


5. Rendering the scene

Rendering an image is the final step of the process, in which an image is made from the viewpoint of the selected camera. The rendering process calculates the color value of each pixel of an image based on what the camera "sees." These images can then be used in other types of media such as a CD-ROM, the Web or even motion pictures.






A finished scene


Conclusion

Extremely powerful 3D hardware and software tools are now available at a reasonable cost and can add unsurpassed realism to training content that would be otherwise uneconomical or impossible to create. With a growing number of 3D graphic enthusiasts, there are more free resources than ever before. The flexibility, reusability and realism make 3D graphics one of the Instructional Designer's most effective teaching tools.

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Tracy Kreckman
Graduate Student
SDSU Educational Technology