Most people know 3-dimensional (3D) effects mainly from ambitious special effects in movies, or from computer animation movies like Shrek. Also the marketing industry, architects and scientists are using 3D effects to visualize complex matters. These 3D effects are usually not only very appealing, but also relatively easy to create. Contrary to 2D pictures, 3D pictures can be used to visualize spatial objects. Programs that allow the creation of 3D pictures primarily use two kinds of techniques for that: Modeling and rendering. Both techniques are very difficult to explain, but very easy to apply with the right computer programs.
3D pictures can be created from many so-called polygons that are basically surfaces that can be placed in a certain space. Many of these polygons attached to each other then serve as the basis for a 3D model. Within this 3D model, the polygons can either be colored, or be filled with 2D pictures. Instead of polygons, Voxels can be used. Voxels are basically little spots, as big as a cubic pixel that can be used to create objects without real surfaces, such as clouds. Voxels also serve when creating volume models that are for instance used in medical appliances and for simulating car crashes. Thus, they do only help creating nice pictures, but also reducing costs.
This introduction was supposed to give a first taste of what 3D programs can do. More information can be obtained at www.fairclick.de.