3d graphic design

tool: Autodesk 3ds Max

Purpose: 

Autodesk 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio MAX) is an open source graphics software tool used by video game developers, motion picture studios and architectural visualisers for modelling and animation projects. One of the most advanced 3D modelling tools in the industry, 3ds Max has been utilised by many CGI-animated films such as Avatar and 2012 to generate computer graphics alongside live acting.

Features: 
  • Create parametric and organic objects with polygonal and freeform tools
  • Character Studio enables life-like virtual character animation
  • Scene Explorer provides hierarchical views of complex scene data and analysis
  • Wide range of creative textures, planar mapping and layering options
  • MAXScript built-in scripting language automates repetitive tasks and assists with new tool and interface development
  • Multiple user collaborations
  • Customisable and intutive user interface
A&H use case 1 description: 
The project created a highly detailed 3D computer reconstruction of the site of the Theatre of Pompey, linked to its extensive textual, photographic, and graphic documentation.
A&H use case 2 description: 
The project used 3ds Max to produce life-size 3D models of Greek and Roman comedy and tragedy masks from their original miniatures.
A&H use case 3 description: 
The project used traditional 3D modelling to reconstruct architect Labrouste's bridge, which was used in a pilot cinematic investigation digitally exploring architectural history.
Creator: 
Autodesk Inc
Practice-led research: 
Animation
3d graphic design
3d modelling - vector
Data structuring and enhancement: 
Animation
3d modelling - interactive
3d modelling - vector
lifecycleStage: 
creation
structuring
publishing
Data publishing and dissemination: 
Interface design
Resource sharing
Tags: 
Animation
3d graphic design
cgi
open source
3D Software
computer graphics
3d imaging
video_games
cinema
3d modelling
architecture
Alternate tool(s): 

Maya, Poser, Blender

Software/programming languages used: 
3D Studio Max
Autodesk 3ds Max
Platform: 
Microsoft Windows
Licence: 
Proprietary
Specifications: 
Autodesk Drawing eXchange Format (DXF)
Maya binary (.mb)
Maya ASCII (.ma)
Maya IFF (.iff)
Alias StudioTools (.wire)
OpenFlight (.flt)
Wavefront (.obj)
RenderMan (.rib)
RealTime Game format (.rtg)
Game Exchange 2 (.ge2)
STEP (.stp .step .ste)
IGES (.igs .iges)
VRML (.vrm .vrml)
By danafarra at Wed, 09/06/2010 - 17:11

tool: RivEx

Purpose: 

RivEx is a river network tool designed to run under ESRI ArcMap 9.1. It allows for quality control and analysis of the river network and creation of node layers.

Features: 

• Process connected river centre lines
• Generate new node layers for the nodes of the network
• Attribute your network including stream order
• Convert your network to a measured network
• Re-orientate (flip) network polylines
• Quality controlled snapping of sites to the river network
• Export river network data to KML (Google Earth) format

A&H use case 1 description: 
RivEx was used in conjunction with ESRI ArcMap on the North Sea Palaeolandscapes project to map the river network that was part of the prehistoric landscape stretching from the English Channel to the Norwegian coast line.
Publisher: 
RivEx
Creator: 
Duncan Hornby
Data publishing and dissemination: 
Desktop publishing and pre-press
Specifications: 
eXtensible Markup Language (XML)
C++
COM
Visual Basic
OWL
Communication and collaboration: 
Graphical interaction (asynchronous)
Data analysis: 
Visualisation
lifecycleStage: 
structuring
analysis
Discipline: 
Archaeology
History
Data capture: 
Use of existing digital data
Data structuring and enhancement: 
2d modelling - raster
2d modelling - vector
3d modelling - interactive
3d modelling - vector
Geo-referencing and projection
Graphical rendering
Tags: 
GIS
River mapping
habitat surveying
Strategy and project management: 
Documentation
Human factors analysis
Alternate tool(s): 

MotherPlanet

Practice-led research: 
2d graphic design
2d illustration
3d graphic design
3d modelling - vector
Texture design and mapping
Virtual world modelling
Platform: 
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows XP
Software/programming languages used: 
Rivex
Licence: 
commercial
By natalie.hutchinson at Fri, 19/03/2010 - 15:15

tool: Mercury Amira

Purpose: 

Mercury Amira is a multifaceted tool that allows for integration, manipulation, and visualisation of large sets of data. Automatic and interactive segmentation tools support processing of 3D image data.

Features: 

• One platform for visualizing, analyzing and presenting
• Very large data sets are easily accessible with specific readers
• C++ coding wizard for technical extension and customization

A&H use case 1 description: 
Amira was used on the North Sea Palaeolandscapes project to visualise and analyse the vast amounts of data that were collected.
Publisher: 
Visage Imaging GmbH
Creator: 
Mercury Software Systems
Data publishing and dissemination: 
Desktop publishing and pre-press
Specifications: 
C++
Communication and collaboration: 
Graphical interaction (asynchronous)
Data analysis: 
Content analysis
Image segmentation
Visualisation
Spatial data analysis
lifecycleStage: 
structuring
analysis
publishing
Discipline: 
Archaeology
History
Visual Arts
Data capture: 
2d scanning and photography
3d scanning
Geophysical survey
GPS and total station surveys
Data structuring and enhancement: 
2d modelling - raster
2d modelling - vector
3d modelling - interactive
3d modelling - vector
Geo-referencing and projection
Virtual world modelling
Tags: 
Visualisation
3d data capture
2d imaging
3d imaging
Strategy and project management: 
Documentation
Alternate tool(s): 

Avizo

Practice-led research: 
2d graphic design
2d illustration
3d graphic design
3d modelling - vector
Image manipulation
Platform: 
All major operating systems
Software/programming languages used: 
Mercury Amira
Licence: 
commercial
By natalie.hutchinson at Fri, 19/03/2010 - 12:21

tool: Adobe Photoshop

Purpose: 

Adobe Photoshop is an editor for still images. It is equipped with a diverse range of processing tools, enabling users to create or modify content through the use of drawing tools, filters, or other plug-ins.

Features: 

• Tightly integrated with other Adobe suite software
• Photoshop functionality can be extended by add-on programs called Photoshop plugins which act like mini-editors that modify the image.
• Can utilise the colour models RGB, lab, CMKY, Greyscale, binary bitmap and duotone.
• Reads and writes raster and vector image formats

A&H use case 1 description: 
“The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland” project has used Adobe Photoshop to edit digital images in both TIFF and high JPG formats of Romanesque sculpture in Britain.
Publisher: 
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Creator: 
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Specifications: 
JPEG
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Bitmap (BMP)
Adobe Illustrator (AI)
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Fireworks
Data analysis: 
Image feature measurement
Image segmentation
Visualisation
Data capture: 
2d scanning and photography
Communication and collaboration: 
Graphical interaction (asynchronous)
Software/programming languages used: 
Adobe Photoshop LE
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe photoshop Elements
Suite: 
Adobe
Data structuring and enhancement: 
2d modelling - raster
2d modelling - vector
3d modelling - interactive
3d modelling - vector
Graphical rendering
Image enhancement
Image restoration
Photogrammetry
Alternate tool(s): 

GraphicConverter, 36-image converter

Tags: 
Image enhancement
Image manipulation
Photoshop
Photo editing
Practice-led research: 
2d graphic design
2d illustration
3d graphic design
3d modelling - vector
3d scanning
Photography
Image manipulation
Photomontage
Platform: 
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Licence: 
commercial
lifecycleStage: 
creation
By Valentina Asciutti at Tue, 02/02/2010 - 17:32

tool: OpendTect

Purpose: 

A software application for analysing and visualising multi-volume seismic data. OpendTect may be used to analyse 2D, 3D and 4D pre- and post-stack seismic data.

Features: 
  • Visualization and analysis of 2D and 3D seismic data in a single survey
  • 2D and 3D horizon tracking including auto-tracking, plane-by-plane, line and manual tracking
  • On-the-fly calculation and visualization of various attributes and filters
  • Plug-in architecture
A&H use case 1 description: 
The North Sea Palaeolandscapes project used OpendTect to produce a 3D seismic model of the British continental shelf. The model was used to visualise landscapes that may have been populated by humans in the late Quaternary and Holocene period, but which are now submersed underwater.
Publisher: 
Freshmeat
Creator: 
OpendTect project
Specifications: 
Open Graphics Library (OpenGL)
Data capture: 
Geophysical survey
Data analysis: 
Content analysis
Software/programming languages used: 
OpendTect
Discipline: 
Archaeology
Data structuring and enhancement: 
Graphical rendering
Tags: 
geography
seismic
archaeology
Practice-led research: 
2d graphic design
3d graphic design
Platform: 
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Unix
POSIX
Licence: 
commercial
GNU General Public License
academic
lifecycleStage: 
creation
analysis
By garethknight at Mon, 25/01/2010 - 17:35

tool: Adobe After Effects

Purpose: 

After Effects is a digital motion graphics and compositing software. After Effects allows users to animate, alter, and composite media in 2d and 3d space with various built-in tools and third party plug-ins, as well as individual attention to variables like parallax and user-adjustable angle of observation.
The latest version, CS4 (9.0.2), is the eighteenth generation in the product line.

Features: 

• Tightly integrated with other Adobe suite software
• Searchable timelines and projects
• Independent keyframing of x, y, z values
• 3D compositing
• Cartoon effect
• layer-oriented

A&H use case 1 description: 
The Virtual Reconstruction of Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico project used After Effects for video production during the life of the project.
Creator: 
Company of Science and Art (v1-2), Adobe Systems Incorporated (v3+)
Publisher: 
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Data structuring and enhancement: 
Animation
Specifications: 
Macromedia Flash Video (FLV)
Software/programming languages used: 
Adobe After Effects
Suite: 
Adobe
Practice-led research: 
Animation
3d graphic design
Moving image capture
Image manipulation
Alternate tool(s): 

Autodesk Combustion, Flame, Inferno, Apple’s Shake, Boris RED, Pinnacle Commotion, eyeon Fusion, The Foundry's Nuke

Tags: 
Animation
Motion graphics
visual effects
Licence: 
commercial
lifecycleStage: 
publishing
Platform: 
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
By Valentina Asciutti at Wed, 20/01/2010 - 15:52

project: The body and mask in ancient theatre space

Grant Holder: Professor Richard Beacham
The project applies advanced 3 dimensional technologies to study the practice of ancient mask theatre. It produces 3D scans of Greek and Roman mask miniatures relating both to comedy and tragedy, and reproduces them at life-size by rapid prototyping. [read more]

project: Virtual Reconstruction of Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico

Grant Holder:
The Teatro Olimpico at Vicenza, Italy - still existent and well preserved - was built in 1580-85 for the local Accademia Olimpica (founded in 1556) on a plot provided by the city council. It was the first permanent theatre to be built in Europe since antiquity. The stage, which resembles a façade of a Renaissance palace, and the semi-oval sitting area were designed by the architect and founding member of the Accademia, Andrea Palladio (1508-80). He died soon after the work began; his son, Silla took over. [read more]

project: Virtual Recreation of Palladio’s Villa Rotonda

Grant Holder:
The Villa Rotonda, also known as Villa Capra or Villa Almerico-Valmarana, is one of the best known works by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (1508-80). It was built just outside Vicenza, Italy, in the countryside, as a retirement residence for the clergyman at the Vatican, Paolo Almerico. The work began in c. 1565/6. Although the villa was inhabited by 1569 it was still unfinished by the time of Almerico’s death in 1589. [read more]