Differences Between 3D & 2D Art

In 2D art, its basically, what you see is what you get; you are directly designing the final image as you work in Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other program. In 3D, the work flow is very different, you start designing or building each element that make up the final artwork or animation, but the final image itself doesn't come together until the end of the process. Working in 3D takes a longer process of planning. If not you may end up wasting too much time working on parts that contribute very little to the final image.

Another big difference between 2D and 3D is the tools; the tools in 3D are more abstract and advanced than the ones in 2D programs. For example, in Photoshop there are tools that can be used, to coorespond directly to the finished image (a brush, pen tool, clone tool...etc...) so there is a logical relationship between the tools and artwork. In 3D the tools can seem weird and don't always make sense or relate to the finished image in any way.

This is what so many 2D artists struggle with when they first start designing in 3D, I know this was a problem for me at first. However it was something I had to get use to. In 3D you must think ahead and imagine how what you are working on will work in the finished image, this skill is learned with practice.

The other problem I faced as a 2D artist working in 3D for the first time, was how to transfer from a flat world of two-dimensions to the infinite three-dimensional world. Thankfully most 3D work is done on flat planes, too, even when working in a full 3D enviroment.

3D Lighting & Illumination

Lighting is important to any 3D scene, no matter it its a realistic photo or not. Lighting helps convey a mood and time of day, it illuminates the form of objects within a scene. If a scene is lit poorly it will never look convincing, no matter how great the animation, or modeling.

Lights have a few basic properties, it's very important to understand each one independently. These properties are Intensity, Color, Spread, and Direction. You can look at any photo and evaluate the lighting using these properties.

Lights can be set to reflect negative illumination. This is usually available in most 3D Programs, it causes light not to be illuminated onto the scene, but it allows it to be sucked out of the scene. 3D lights can also be set so that they decrease naturally, preventing their illumination from overflowing too far into the scene. This is very useful , it allows you control over the spread of light, helping to distribute only where it's needed.

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3D Modeling/Animation Internet Resources

I recently discovered, that the mighty-all powerful internet is also a great resource for a 3D artist. There's so many websites and blogs around the world, focused on this subject; such as tutorials, tips, giving great advice, and even 3D Models, Meshes, and Textures that can be downloaded and used. A number of well-known websites are dedicated to news and current 3D trends, and a tremendous number of individual home sites provide 3D eye candy galore. Some of these sites are well worth the visit and will truly inspire you.

Many commercial websites sell 3D content, in a variety of formats suitable for many 3D applications. This is a very good use, if you are in a hurry and need a model quickly. There is a awesome 3D marketplace where you can search and buy 3D models, textures, materials, and scene files for all the popular 3D packages, which is TurboSquid.com. The great thing about this site is that you can also sell your work on there. Even though TurboSquid takes roughly 50 % of the sale price, its still great if you already make models, it allows you to make a few extra bucks.

* cgchannel.com is a great pro-oriented 3D site featuring daily news updates, interesting feature stories, galleries, forums, and more.

* 3dtotal.com is another news and features site, but it also has some useful tutorials too.

* 3dark.com & 3DBuzz.com are good sites for newcomers in 3D designing. 3DBuzz.com offers free training and even used cds with tutorial videos to anyone who ask.

Some Other Good Sites:
- www.flay.com
- www.xsibase.com
- www.creativecrash.com
- www.3dluvr.com
- www.3dlinks.com

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