3D graphics technology goes beyond video games
By James Lee
http://leejay16.tripod.com
April 2, 2002 - Metro

The scope of three-dimensional (3D) graphics has come a long way since its origins some 30 years ago.

The 3D era began with Douglas Engelbart's invention of the mouse in 1970. The mouse device was used for a graphics application that ran on a mainframe computer.

Decades later, 3D applications such as AUTOCAD were available on personal computers. In the 1990s, the 3D Studio series revolutionized 3D graphics by adding animation and rendering features.

This affordable software was widely used for developing games. The 3D game revolution began. The game development process became simpler because of code and graphic re-usage, and transition from text-based to object-based programming.

Moreover, 3D graphics added dimension in the game play so that the game characters broke free from their side-scrolling confinement.

3D animation
Today 3D graphics applications are not only for games.

For example, Maya - a powerful software produced by Toronto based company Alias|Wavefront - is able to create phenomenal 3D animation for movies and games using an easy-to-use user interface. Recent samples of its capabilities are evident in the following movies: Shrek, Ice Age and Lord of the Rings.

Last Thursday, Bill Buxton, the chief scientist at Alias|Wavefront, conducted a demo tour of Maya version 4. Some of the features that were demonstrated included subdivision surface modeling, additional text-effect plug-ins and the new Hypershade window.

These features aim to ease the rendering and illustrating process for designers, as well as to allow easy incorporation into game code. To learn more about Maya and 3D technology, visit the company's Web site at www.aliaswavefront.com.