For years, developers faced hardware limitations that forced them to ration the amount of 3D they used in their work. High-end 3D creation required a UNIX workstation. While computers designed specifically for 3D development are still more powerful than any PC on the market, that gap is closing. Demand for 3D is so great that a whole new level of hardware and operating system choices are emerging to accommodate it. Users can now achieve near-workstation-level performance by moving to Power PC, Pentium, and Pentium Pro processors, as well as to the Windows NT platform, which opens up a whole new market for design animation software. And the turbo-charged, 3D-ready PCs due in 1997 will make 3D as accessible as desktop publishing. Or should we say more accessible: real-time 3D is now available on the consumer player level with Nintendo 64, Sony Playstation, and Sega Saturn--machines that range from $200 to $300 and are equipped with optimized 3D chips to render 32- and even 64-bit graphics and animation on-the-fly.
These developments have made the 3D experience more popular than ever. And why not? We live, move, and dwell in 3D space; it is a natural orientation that mirrors the way we see and absorb information. While the enabling technologies of true virtual reality have yet to emerge, it is clear that the ultimate destination of 3D technology is artificial worlds that are as believable as our own.
Whatever sort of 3D development you have done, planned, or even dreamed about--using 3D to create cool-looking buttons, using 3D authoring tools to create interactive 3D environments in real-time, or somewhere in between--chances are you'll be doing more of it soon.
But the fact is, once your beautiful 3D object leaves the 3D package and is composited into a 2D multimedia application, you're no longer in 3D, you're in 2D. Users are limited to the part of the model they can see and explore by what has already been rendered. In the ever-popular adventure title Myst, for example, users explore elaborate 3D environments that are simulated with a series of pre-rendered images. Each file is saved at particular grid coordinates so that when you move from scene to scene, you are simply displaying the appropriate saved image.
In the real-time world, the computer actually generates the environment on the fly based on pre-programmed parameters set by the developer. What's making real-time games like Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem 3D so popular today is that they move, running 3D interactive images at about 20 to 30 frames per second (fps)--fast enough to fool the human eye into perceiving the events before them as live action. This kind of frame rate, however, takes a huge amount of processing power, so it wasn't until recently that personal computers could handle the job. Models have to be smaller and the resolution lower, so the real-time games don't look as pretty as pre-rendered games. But for the most part, users seem to be willing to make the trade-off in looking for the fast frame rate that gets their blood pumping.
The skills required to create a real-time 3D game are not the same as those for pre-rendered 3D development. First, the modeling, animation, and programming processes are tightly integrated in a real-time game, so developers need to be well-versed in all of these areas. In addition, to play in real-time, 3D models must be sleek and low-resolution, using no more than a few hundred polygons at a time.
While it is possible to use traditional 3D tools to create the models for real-time playback, many real-time developers opt to create and program their applications within a 3D authoring tool. 3D authoring tools are to real-time 3D what standard authoring tools are to multimedia development. Most of the software released to date is proprietary. However, MultiGen recently introduced GameGen II, a real-time authoring tool that runs on Windows NT. Other real-time developers use products like 3D Studio from Kinetix or form&149;Z from auto&149;des&149;sys for modeling, and handle the real-time programming separately.
| Many game and title developers see 1997 as the window of opportunity for producing and releasing real-time 3D games. |
In real-time authoring, instead of creating a flowchart-like series of sequences and interactivities, as you would in a typical authoring program, you optimize your model so that it can run in real-time. "Most models created with 3D software are beautiful, but also very fat from a computer's point of view," Fantuzzi explains. "In a real-time game, you can only use 2,000 polygons in any given frame in order for it to run in real-time. The models that are created by a good 3D developer may have 10,000 or 20,000 polygons in them. GameGen II enables people to optimize their models so that there are only 200 to 500 polygons per frame, and they still look good."
Once you've optimized a model in real-time, the imaginative use of textures is a key strategy that many developers use to improve the look of real-time games. By reusing texture maps wherever possible--like on walls--you can optimize your scene even more. For instance, while a hallway with doors may be modeled in great detail in a pre-rendered game, in a real-time game that hallway would be simulated by tiling, by reusing a small texture map of a door over and over again. "Real-time doesn't look like the computer-generated animation from Terminator 2, but it is live," says Dan Meblin, 3D technical director at Pulse Entertainment. "I'm much more excited about flying wherever I choose in an environment I create than I am in navigating a pre-rendered fly-through that I can't expand upon. In real-time you have total control; it is the difference between watching a movie and living life."
Many game and title developers see 1997 as the window of opportunity for producing and releasing real-time 3D games. "Clearly the technology of the future is real-time 3D," explains Vinny Carella, producer and creative director at Pulse Entertainment. "Every major game developer in this industry is working with a real-time engine, and anyone who's thinking about getting into this industry and is not investigating real-time 3D and working with it now is going to miss the boat."
Fantuzzi echoed that urgency at the July introduction of GameGen II for Microsoft Windows NT, the first off-the-shelf real-time 3D authoring tool for Windows. "To catch the real-time 3D PC wave," Fantuzzi said, "game developers and Web masters have about a year to create their magic, and MultiGen is ready today with the tools they need."
The source of this urgency is mounting consumer demand for high-end 3D, which has led PC developers to deliver the hardware to run it. In 1997, according to many conservative estimates, more than five million 3D-optimized PCs will hit the market. "That's when real-time 3D is really going to take off," Fantuzzi says.
Designer Tom Marlin, of Marlin Studios, sees it differently. "For the small shops, designing a real-time 3D game right now is a real risk," Marlin says. "There's plenty of technology out there, but there are many, many end-users with 386 and 486 computers," which he says are ill-equipped to handle the latest 3D applications. "If you're just aiming at the high-end, that's one thing, but to reach the mass market, you still have to design within certain limitations."
So before you set aside your traditional 3D software, it is important to recognize that pre-rendered 3D still has its place. The real-time games can't match the beauty of pre-rendered 3D just yet. "Some of the titles we're working on rely entirely on a real-time 3D engine, so we're not using the traditional tools as much for them," says Carella. "But others are hybrid titles, where there are real-time modes and pre-rendered modes. Our thinking is that we should not throw all that stuff we've worked so long and hard to perfect out the window." Besides, as computers become increasingly powerful, computer users may soon be able to navigate in real-time through a 10,000-polygon model, which means that the ultimate 3D experience--what many have called "true VR"--isn't far away.
But how much is that experience going to cost? Actually, the new 3D technologies could end up being less expensive than the traditional route. "Imagine the rendering time required to show someone walk across a room and take a drink using traditional 3D technology," Carella says. "Real-time technology could cut weeks and weeks off of the production time of our titles."
In addition to considering the specific features of a software program, you may also want to consider whether or not the application is extensible through third-party plug-ins. More and more software programs have open architectures that make plug-ins possible, enabling users to customize their programs to meet their particular needs. Want to add particle systems to your application? Perhaps a plug-in will do. Need a motion-capture interface? In many applications, you can plug it right in.
But even an array of plug-ins can't meet all of a designer's needs. If you're doing serious 3D production work, you'll probably need more than one software package. In order to pick the package or packages best suited to your work, first define what kind of 3D projects you'll be tackling. Will you be creating simple 3D objects like buttons and logos to spice up your CD-ROM, or complex large-scale pre-rendered worlds? Are your models going to be organic like people, or will they contain more hard edges like buildings? Are you considering real-time 3D or delivery online with VRML? Once your objectives are clear, it is easier to sift through the products, choose one, and get to work.
| In 1997, according to many conservative estimates, more than five million 3D-optimized PCs will hit the market. |
A polygonal modeler defines shapes through straight lines that are connected through X, Y, and Z coordinates to make up polygons. By putting a bunch of polygons together, you can create a representation of just about any object. The advantage of using a polygonal-based modeler is that the straight-edged polygons are usually easier to manipulate than splines. The disadvantage is that any curved or rounded shape has to be constructed of straight lines, so when you go in close, you can see the rough edges of the polygons. And because the only way to increase the resolution of a model is to increase the number of polygons that are used to create it, polygonal-based models get very large at high resolutions.
A spline is a line--usually a curved line--that is defined by a mathematical formula, making it resolution-independent, which means that you can get as close as you want to a spline-based object and never see any roughness. Consequently, spline-based modelers excel at handling rounded, organic shapes. Because spline-based math is much more complex than polygon-based math, spline technology is less common, with fewer applications to choose from than polygonal modelers.
Essentially, if you need to create flowing shapes and organic models, a spline-based application is your best choice. For more general-purpose modeling, a polygonal modeler is best, and you'll find a large selection of polygonal modelers to choose from. Many developers prefer polygonal modelers because they are generally easy to use, but you need to plan before you build because once you start, you're stuck with the resolution.
Once you've decided on what type of modeler you plan to use, you'll need to decide what features you want and what features you'll be using in your everyday production work. All of the modeling packages offer the basic tools, such as lathe and extrude; other essential features include primitives, sweep along a path, twist, taper, bevel, skin, loft, and boolean subtraction. You'll also want to consider what programs and file formats you'll be working with and be sure that you have appropriate importing and exporting options for easy file exchange.
The learning curve for modeling is the steepest out of the entire 3D process, and each application works a little bit differently. Effective 3D modeling combines skill and creativity, and once you've mastered an application, the creativity becomes much more important. "It's helpful to have a modeler that lets you edit things quickly," Meblin says. "That way you can try a lot of different things." Meblin uses form&149;Z and Extreme 3D on the Macintosh to create 3D environments for CD-ROM titles like Bad Mojo from Acclaim.
If you're creating very complex objects, one of the fastest and most accurate modeling techniques to consider is 3D digitizing--a way to scan any object including people, three-dimensionally. There are many digitizers available that range in cost from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars or more. Or, if you prefer, some companies will digitize objects for you on a per-hour rate, then hand you the files on disk.
"By far, my favorite part of the 3D process is modeling," Meblin says. "You can literally take a blank screen and create something from it. And you never run out of supplies--you just run out of memory."
From the different layers in your model (which are essentially mini-models), you will establish a hierarchy structure, which is the relationship between each model, the light sources, and any other parameter that can be animated. From this hierarchy, you can create complex animations. Nearly every animation package uses a timeline-based interface to help manage all this information. Because of the similarity among packages, it is usually easier to learn a new animation program than it is to learn a new modeling application.
The process of creating a simple animation is relatively straightforward in most programs. First you select an object's beginning point and end point (and sometimes middle points as well), and thereby create a path. These paths are called keyframes. The software then uses these keyframes to generate the frames between them. On playback, the object appears to move smoothly through the keyframes and across the screen.
More advanced animation features to look for in a potential 3D animation package include support for behaviors, linking, morphing, deformations, particle systems, explosions, inverse kinematics, velocity curves, and auto rotation, among others. Some applications also support motion-capture, which records a person's actual movement, for example, in order to translate that movement for computer animation quickly and realistically. It is important to remember that if a particular application does not have a popular feature built in but does accept third-party plug-ins, chances are you will be able to expand its toolset to include it.
In real-time 3D, the animation process is a little different. Instead of setting set up a single large animation, you set up many small, loopable behaviors, giving the users animation options that can be rendered on the fly. For instance, instead of animating a character as it walks across the screen in a pre-rendered world, you would animate a walk cycle that repeats at the user's direction and is not limited to a pre-determined path.
| How would you like to visit that hotel in Paris before you actually book the room? |
Most 3D products use two main types of rendering technology: raytracing or phong shading. Raytracing provides extremely precise rendering and is used for high-end 3D. However, because of its precision, it is extremely slow. Most multimedia developers usually have thousands of rendered images in a single CD-ROM, and don't have the time or the need to be so precise. There are a lot of ways to fake raytracing, such as through defining object qualities like reflection in advance.
Even using phong shading, rendering leaves a lot of wait time--from minutes to even days for complex scenes. The more lights, texture maps, and complex model geometry that make up an object, the longer it will take to render.
The first step to rendering a model is choosing a material. Many times, designers use files from a paint program like Photoshop for the most realistic-looking materials. Texture mapping, then, refers to the process of wrapping the material onto the 3D object, much like shrink wrap. Most 3D programs include a library of materials to get you started; CD-ROM texture libraries come in very handy for texture mapping.
Lighting follows a similar trial-and-error procedure, enabling you to set the mood and create atmosphere. The color, angle, and intensity of light vary dramatically from situation to situation, so while the fundamentals of setting up lights are fairly simple, most designers find themselves spending a lot of time creating the right look and feel.
For instance, to create a realistic brick building, you could find a brick wall and take a high-resolution photograph of it, scan it in and touch it up using your paint program, and apply it to your building using your rendering program. Adjust the lights to create either a sunny day with shadows or a dark, stormy one without. Begin rendering. Assuming you have a simple model and a fast computer, a version of a realistic brick building will be rendered a few minutes later. Not quite right? Make a few adjustments and try again.
Finally, a 3D project isn't complete until it has made its way to its final destination. Whether you're saving your 3D project as a QuickTime movie, incorporating it as a background or other object in a 2D authoring package, optimizing a 3D model for playback in real time, or exporting to VRML, each delivery option is unique. What is certain is that the age of 3D is upon us. Multimedia developers who haven't jumped on the 3D bandwagon should take note, because high-quality pre-rendered 3D and real-time 3D animation are technologies whose presence in the consumer marketplace is growing daily.
"When I first became serious about computer graphics, I had a strong interest in 3D. But it was inaccessible to me because of the stiff hardware and software requirements. I just couldn't afford it," explains Robert Saint John, administer of VRML development for Integrated Data Systems and chief architect of Yahoo!3D. "The great thing about VRML is that for as low as $100, anyone who has an interest in 3D can get involved--you don't need the most powerful computer anymore to be a part of the 3D revolution. To me, that's the biggest breakthrough of VRML."
Viewing 3D scenes on the Web requires a VRML-capable browser, and many are available on the Web as freeware, shareware, or payware, including Caligari Pioneer, Intervista WorldView, TGS WebSpace, or a plug-in like Live3D for Netscape Navigator. You'll want to be sure to browse before you build your own 3D worlds to get a really good idea of what you are capable of doing online today. But remember, while VRML is a standard, some sites go beyond the standard and not every world is viewable with every browser.
While you navigate to VRML pages in the same way that you navigate to HTML pages--either through links or by typing the URL and hitting return--the experience is quite different. In a VRML world, you can walk into a room, pick up objects and inspect them, and seek out topics or objects that interest you. While navigating 3D space is a new experience on the Web, it seems to be attractive to many people because three-dimensionality is a human being's most natural orientation; many believe that 3D worlds are the natural evolution of 2D pages.
"The 3D metaphor for navigating through space is more in tune with the whole idea of navigating through cyberspace--the Internet," Saint John says. "It takes you into a totally different world, so it's a bit more fun and really encourages the browsing process that is at the heart of the World Wide Web."
While most of the VRML sites online now are simply built for fun, more and more practical sites are coming online. For instance, in the new VRML version of Yahoo!, users enter a 3D world that is laid out like a town, with different buildings, objects, and structures representing the main Yahoo categories--a movie theater for entertainment, an arena for recreation and sports, a computer building for computers, and a museum for art. As you explore, you can click on one of those objects, such as the computer building, to be transported into a totally different world. In the case of the computer building, the user is taken to the inside of a computer that features 3D statues that represent the next level to explore. Clicking upon one of these objects would take you to the HTML version of that list of topics.
While VRML files are relatively small, you'll get the best experiences with a 28.8 connection or faster. And since your computer has to do the work of reconstructing the 3D environment from the text-based VRML code, viewing larger files requires more power from your CPU and more memory as well.
To create your own 3D site online, you'll probably want to use a VRML authoring package. VRML sites are not quite as simple to create as HTML sites, and VRML authoring packages like IDS V-Realm Builder, Caligari Pioneer, Virtus Corporation's 3-D Website Builder, and ParaGraph International's Internet3D Space Builder enable you to set up whole environments without writing code.
However, because the built-in modelers may be limited in these authoring packages, you may want to use a traditional 3D modeling application to create more complex objects. Many of these applications like Lightwave3D Modeler by NewTek, StudioPro Blitz by Strata, and Extreme 3D by Macromedia, enable you to save your files as VRML. If you choose this route, be sure that your VRML authoring tool can import VRML objects. Do keep in mind that if you are not an experienced 3D artist, the limited modelers may actually be a blessing, since they force you to keep your objects simple and streamlined--two key enablers for easy online delivery.
So what's the big deal about VRML and where is it all going? VRML opens up the vision of cyberspace as a place where people can explore information and experiences without boundaries. Online 3D worlds open up new possibilities in experiential learning: instead of reading about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, you could participate--perhaps even sign the document yourself. VRML enables anyone in the world to be your teammate or opponent in the latest 3D game, introducing a new kind of social interaction. And it enables a whole new style of marketing where consumers can really try before they buy: how would you like to visit that hotel in Paris before you actually book the room? --Donna Hefner
![[LiveLink]](/file/36067/SIGCAT 97 - Conference on Convergence.ISO/Docs/webcd.gif "[LiveLink]"){kind=small}
Caligari Corporation
1933 Landings Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043;
415/390-9600;
Fax 415/390-9755;
http:www.caligari.com
Corel Corporation
The Corel Building,
1600 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Z 8R7;
613/728-8200;
Fax 613/761-9177
Electric Image, Inc.
117 E. Colorado Boulevard, Suite 300, Pasadena, CA 91105;
818/577-1627;
Fax 818/577-2426;
http://www.electric.img.com
Fractal Design Corporation
P.O. Box 66959, Scotts Valley, CA 95067;
408/430-4000;
Fax 408/688-8836
Kinetix, a division of Autodesk
111 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, CA 94903;
415/507-5000;
800/879-4233;
Fax 415/507-6112
Macromedia
600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103;
415/252-2000;
Fax 415/626-1502
Marlin Studios
P.O. Box 120096, Arlington, TX 76012-120096;
817/860-0596;
Fax 817/860-0596;
http://www.marlinstudios.com/studio
MultiGen
550 S. Winchester Boulevard, Suite 500, San Jose, CA 95128;
408/261-4100;
Fax 408/261-4101;
http://www.multigen.com
Pulse Entertainment
1920 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405;
310/581-6413;
Fax 310/581-6440;
http://www.badmojo.com
Softimage
One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052;
800/576-3846;
Fax 206/936-7329;
http:// www.softimage.com
Specular
7 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst, MA 01002;
413/253-3100;
Fax 413/253-0540;
http://www.specular.com
Strata, Inc.
2 West St. George Boulevard,
Ancestor Square, Suite 2100, St. George, UT 84770;
801/628-5218;
Fax 801/628-9756;
http://strata3d.com
Donna Hefner is a freelance writer based in Southern California.
 Home Page |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Copyright © 1997, Online Inc. All rights reserved.
info@onlineinc.com
[This site created for best results under Netscape.]