The Importance of 3D Modeling & Animation: Why Use 3D?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of 3D? Is it those flimsy 3D glasses that came with DVDs? Maybe it’s the Nintendo 3DS. These are examples of 3D in entertainment, which has been the leading industry for the technology for decades. However, the importance of 3D spans many other industries.

3D plays a much bigger role in society than entertainment. In particular, the experience and benefits of 3D make it a very profitable avenue for businesses and organisations.

Today, we’re setting out to teach you that 3D isn’t just a fun experience at the cinema (although that’s a very valid purpose of 3D). Businesspeople, architects, and engineers will say the importance of 3D is so much more than that!

The importance of 3D for…

Viewer experience

‘I love bringing products and physical objects to life. There is a satisfaction in seeing something function the way it would in the real world, transporting it into the virtual where there is an endless amount of possibilities.’
Jacob, our 3D Generalist

3D enhances the experience of a product or design to other realms of immersive. With their extra dimension, 3D models can transform the viewer’s opinion of what they’re viewing in seconds.

Here are a few factors demonstrating the importance of 3D for viewer experience:

More immersive experience of a product

It’s simple: the more realistic an object looks on screen, the closer the viewer feels to it. As a result, this makes the image a lot more persuasive than a flat 2D equivalent.

The viewer will feel more connected to the design and will feel more inclined to take the next step.

More satisfying to the prospect

Similar to the above, creating a 3D model or animation will fulfil the prospect’s needs more successfully than 2D. They will be more satisfied because the 3D element eliminates a lot of waiting for the ‘real’ thing.

We enjoy 3D because it engages us whether we like it or not

3D overrides that ‘pretending’ process we go through when we look at a 2D object. Instead, rather than doing most of the heavy lifting, our brains can sit back and enjoy the realistic 3D experience. Resultingly, this cuts short the compensating we have to do with flat images.

Business efficiency

The continuous advancement of technology and business brings with it the need to become more efficient. Thankfully, 3D has this covered for a huge number of industries.

Here are a few things demonstrating the importance of 3D for business efficiency:

Saves time and money

You can alter 3D models easily, which means you will also save a lot of time and money. This is very important when considering the pace of today’s workplaces.

Flexibility in changes

3D models offer a lot more possibility for alterations. You can move, rotate, manipulate and colour 3D models to your heart’s content. Comparing this to 2D designs, it’s a no-brainer.

You get the overall vision in a much shorter time

Forget days or weeks waiting for the whole picture to become clear. With 3D, you can communicate your vision in a matter of hours. This is because, as we’ve already mentioned, 3D models represent a much more accurate representation of reality.

Fewer requests for information

As a result of the above, you won’t need to clarify as much as you would for a 2D drawing! As a result, your team will save a lot of time, which means you can focus on making the design as appealing as possible.

Customer communication

It’s crucial that your brand sustains quality communication with your customers. Unsurprisingly, 3D modeling and animation is one of the most effective ways to do this.

Here are a few things demonstrating the importance of 3D for customer communication:

A 3D model offers a more accurate representation of the object

And the more accurate your representation is, the happier your customers will be. There’s no chance of deception; instead, it’s a successful experience of what the product will be like in reality. This helps your brand-customer communication and builds brand trust.

More accurate portrayal of measurements and distance

If you’re showing something like a floor plan, 3D can enable accurate scale. For example, you can ensure furniture is in keeping with room sizes. Again, this gives viewers a lot of reassurance and avoids unpleasant surprises down the line.

3D speaks for itself

Often, the best kind of communication is that which never required a lot in the first place. You want to get your idea across immediately, and you want the only criticism to be ‘I wish I could see it in real life!’

What’s also great about 3D is that it often eliminates the need for translation. On 2D designs, there might need to be annotations — for example, on a floor plan. A 3D design can get across the vision without words, saving even more time.

Viewers feel more involved in what they’re looking at

A big appeal of 3D is that it is almost interactive. Because the image is closer to reality, we associate this with almost being able to see and hold it in real life.

Looking at the benefits above, it’s clear that the importance of 3D is becoming increasingly apparent in industries such as architecture, business and medicine.

How is 3D animation used in these industries? Find out here.

Dive further into how 3D animation can bring your marketing to life here, or why not learn how to create a 3D model?

However, if you’re just desperate to create a mind-blowing 3D visualisation or animation for your business, we don’t blame you. Let’s talk about your idea today and we can transform your brand’s communication for good.

We don’t just know about 3D — our blog is packed with insights and advice about all areas of video production. Have a look!