QB Times Issue #7

3D Graphics

So you want to include some awesome 3D graphics in your game/app/program?There are some things you'll need to know first of all.This "chapter" is an into to 3D graphics and raytracing, and talks about different software that you can use.

3D images are not made like regular drawn images.You don't sit down and paint things with brushes.Instead, you make objects in a "virtual" space, as if you were arranging those objects in front of you.You can make them any color you want, give them any shape, do anything you could do in real life, pretty much.Quite a bit of the skill in making good 3D artwork is in being able to properly do stuff to objects in this 3D space, to get the effect you want.

3D objects are made in what is usually called a "modeler".This modeler is usually part of an integrated package of tools, the other of which is a "raytracer".In the modeler, you create the different objects you want, and tell them what they're going to look like.Then you use a raytracer to make a final image.A raytracer basically simulates real life.It takes beams of light and bounces them from a "camera" (the place where the picture will be taken from) all around the scene.These beams of light (called rays) bounce around and hit objects.The objects will return points of color, and these points put together form the image.Since raytraced images do this, they can easily be much more realistic than even a good artist with a regular 2D program can make.

There are a lot of 3D packages and programs out there.A few are good.There are three things to take into consideration when you're choosing what software you want to use.The first is capability.What can this program do?The second is ease of use.A lot of people ignore this, and focus on capability, but with an easy to use program, you can really get things done much faster and more efficiently.Lastly, there is cost.Its an unfortunate fact that 3D software is EXPENSIVE.And by this I mean ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars for good software.So it's important to keep price in mind, since you probably won't be able to GET software if it is too expensive.

Capability among programs varies, but is generally the same.Most programs have about the same features.You can make 3D objects, and give them textures (what they look like).You can usually set some atmospheric effects, and have various things like transparency/translucency, reflections, etc.Stuff to make an image look real.Some programs are better in some areas than others, and some have more support from people writing plugins than others.Following is a description of all the programs that I've encountered, with my two favorite ones at the bottom.

• 3D Studio MAX - This is one of the most popular 3D software packages available.It was used to create most of the commercial games you see out there.In terms of capability, it can do a lot.It can make good organic/freeform objects, and supports pretty much everything that it is possible to support.It can take advantage of multiple processors, and render (the process of making a final image in a raytracer) over a network, so an animation can render faster.There are a huge number of plugins and extensions, allowing all sorts of things to be done.A popular plugin is Character Studio, which allows you to create realistic, well animated humans and other beings.Although most people would say this is the premier professional 3D program, my opinion is that it is too difficult to use.I figured out how to accomplish basic things pretty quickly, but the interface was poorly designed, and there were many options that are practically useless, but are there anyway, cluttering up the interface and making it difficult to do other things.Another downside is that it is one of the high priced software packages.3DS costs, if I remember correctly, about 4000 US$, which is quite high (could buy 2 computers for that much).Overall, it is an incredible piece of software, but difficult to use and out of most peoples' price range.

• LightWave - This is another commercial product that is of a very high class.It is often used in advertising and movies - it was, for example, used to create special effects in Star Trek Deep Space Nine.This package is very much like 3D studio in terms of features.It can create excellent organic and freeform shapes, and can do all the other standard things.One fairly unique thing is that the modeler (where you make objects) and the place where you move them around and modify them are separate.This is, in my opinion, very useful since you can then use models in any scene - it makes it easy to reuse objects.The program itself has a good renderer, and is thought especially good for space scenes.The interface is fairly good.Although not really "intuitive" it is definitely better than 3D Studio's, and buttons are well placed and easily accessed.I'm not sure how expensive it is - I believe less than 3D Studio, but I would estimate several thousand dollars also.So overall, it is a great program, better than 3D Studio MAX, but still a bit costly, and still a bit difficult to use.

• SoftImage 3D - I've never used this program, so I can't say much.It is used in many hollywood movies and films, and is the choice for movie creation.It supports practically everything the previous two software supported.I'm not sure what its interface is like, but it is easily the most expensive product that I'm going to mention - somewhere around 8000 US$ for a copy.

• POV-Ray - After mentioning the "top 3" commercial 3D software packages, I should mention this freeware one.POV-Ray is free for download at www.povray.org. However, this is not really a "3D package".It only comes with a renderer.In order to create objects and scenes, you have to literally Program them in a sort of scripting language, which is very difficult to do.So in terms of user interface, it is pretty much a 0.Luckily, there are several programs that provide object modelling tools, which are fairly easy to use.Overall, this one is hardest to use, because even with the external modeling tools, you still have to do a bunch of setting up and configuring.However, the up side is that if you're ready to use it, it can create near-professional images without having to pay anything to get it.

• Macromedia Extreme 3D - This is one of the tools that I use.I got into using it simply because it was available at the school I go to.It is a fairly old program (some years) but in terms of modeling, it is good.It can do a bunch of stuff, though not quite as advanced as the really professional programs.It is, however, great for practically anything you could want to do.In terms of user interface, it is not flashy, or really easy to use, but it is not over-complex, and functions are nicely arranged so that if you are advanced, you can do stuff easily, but beginners don't get bothered by a lot of strange options.The main downside is that the raytracer to convert the 3D objects into an actual picture is very bad.It doesn't support a LOT of the things that other raytracers do.It doesn't have reflections, doesn't have proper lights, and of course none of the light effects associated with that, its glass/transparency is pretty bad, and its materials aren't great either.It is, however, pretty cheap considering that it is good at modeling.You can get a copy for a few hundred dollars (or less now perhaps).I use it for creating objects, which I export into another program to use.

• Bryce 3D - This is the program I use for raytracing, and doing some modeling.In terms of capabilities, it is different from all the other programs.It is, in fact, designed for making landscapes and natural objects.So in terms of creating objects, it is pretty bad.You can't create good organic looking objects.You basically have to stick with presets like boxes and cones, make somewhat organic objects using Lattices (which force you to be symmetrical) OR you can import objects.That's what I do - I create objects in Extreme 3D and import them to Bryce. Although Bryce may be bad in terms of modeling capabilities, its renderer is very good.You can create very nice and realistic images.It is better than any other program at making "world" objects like skies and mountains.It also has the best texture capabilities of any program I've seen, able to easily do stuff like transparency and translucency.It is great for water or glass.Another good ability is that it is good with light.You can do very nice lighting effects.The one big downside is that to pay for the quality, you have a big speed drop.To render at best quality for a program like 3D Studio might take under a minute for a 640X480 image of normal complexity.In Bryce that might take from 10 minutes to half an hour. You can set the quality down in various ways, but then of course you sacrifice quality.The one perhaps best thing about the program is that its user interface beats any other program I've ever seen, and that is ANY program, not just 3D software.The user interface is VERY graphical, and is incredibly easy to use.You can see what things do with one look at it.At the same time, advanced options are cleverly hidden where they are easy to access, but don't confuse things.And lastly, the program costs something like 200 US$ which makes it the cheapest of the "big" commercial programs out there.I would highly recommend this for a beginner.

Well, I guess that concludes this article.It was a bit long, I know, but I think that you need a good intro before getting into 3D.From this you should be able to choose a program that suits you, and make an intelligent choice about what to get.If you already have a program like this (or not included on my mini-list), or want to learn some actual 3D, then my next topic will be 3D modeling basics.It'll cover all the basics of creating 3D images, using the two programs (Extreme 3D and Bryce).For people who don't have these programs, you can download demos on the net.These demos don't let you save your final images, but through using paintshop to do screen captures, you can somewhat annoyingly get around this.