3D computer graphics or 3D modeling (or three-dimensional modeling)
is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any
three-dimensional surface of an object (either inanimate or living)
via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. It can
be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D
rendering or used in a computer simulation of physical phenomena.
The model can also be physically created using 3D printing devices.
Models may be created automatically or manually. The manual modeling
process of preparing geometric data for 3D computer graphics is
similar to plastic arts such as sculpting.
3D modeling software is a class of 3D computer graphics software
used to produce 3D models. Individual programs of this class are
called modeling applications or modelers.
BLENDER 3D is one of these software.
3d models
Three-dimensional (3D) models represent a physical body using a
collection of points in 3D space, connected by various geometric
entities such as triangles, lines, curved surfaces, etc. Being a
collection of data (points and other information), 3D models can be
created by hand, algorithmically (procedural modeling), or scanned.
Their surfaces may be further defined with texture mapping.
3D models are widely used anywhere in 3D graphics and CAD.
Actually, their use predates the widespread use of 3D graphics on
personal computers. Many computer games used pre-rendered images of
3D models as sprites before computers could render them in
real-time.
Today, 3D models are used in a wide variety of fields.
The medical industry uses detailed models of organs; these may be
created with multiple 2-D image slices from an MRI or CT scan.
The movie industry uses them as characters and objects for animated
and real-life motion pictures.
The video game industry uses them as assets for computer and video
games.
The science sector uses them as highly detailed models of chemical
compounds.
The architecture industry uses them to demonstrate proposed
buildings and landscapes in lieu of traditional, physical
architectural models.
The engineering community uses them as designs of new devices,
vehicles and structures as well as a host of other uses.
In recent decades the earth science community has started to
construct 3D geological models as a standard practice.
3D models can also be the basis for physical devices that are built
with 3D printers or CNC machines.
BLENDER
Blender is a professional free and open-source 3D computer graphics
software product used for creating animated films, visual effects,
art, 3D printed models, interactive 3D applications and video games.
Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing,
raster graphics editing, rigging and skinning, fluid and smoke
simulation, particle simulation, soft body simulation, sculpting,
animating, match moving, camera tracking, rendering, video editing
and compositing. It further features an integrated game engine.
The Dutch animation studio Neo Geo
developed Blender as an in-house application in January 1995, with the
primary author being software developer Ton Roosendaal. The name
Blender was inspired by a song by Yello, from the album Baby. When Neo
Geo was acquired by another company, Ton Roosendaal and Frank van Beek
founded Not a Number Technologies (NaN) in June 1998 to further
develop Blender, initially distributing it as shareware until NaN went
bankrupt in 2002.
On July 18, 2002, Roosendaal started the "Free Blender" campaign, a
crowdfunding precursor. The campaign aimed for open-sourcing Blender
for a one-time payment of €100,000 (US$100,670 at the time) collected
from the community. On September 7, 2002, it was announced that they
had collected enough funds and would release the Blender source code.
Today, Blender is free, open-source software that is—apart from the
Blender Institute's two full-time and two part-time
employees—developed by the community.
The Blender Foundation initially reserved the right to use dual
licensing, so that, in addition to GPLv2, Blender would have been
available also under the Blender License that did not require
disclosing source code but required payments to the Blender
Foundation. However, they never exercised this option and suspended it
indefinitely in 2005. Blender is solely available under "GNU GPLv2 or
any later" and was not updated to the GPLv3, as "no evident benefits"
were seen.
