3D art has come along way in a few years thanks to programs such as Poser, Vue, Autodesk 3DS MAX, etc. who continue to push the limits with their application expertise. However such programs are but tools to the artist - it is true that with very little knowledge anyone can produce surpisingly life-like figures - the programs are now good enough to achieve that on their own with very little user input - however the artists featured above are those that really learn how to use these tools and apply them to achieve a standard of "art" that surpasses our expectations. These artists are not just looking to create life-like artificial 3D people - that is not their only goal - the fact that they do achieve this in search of their goals is testament to their own skills and knowledge of both anatomy and their knowledge in the use and application of these software tools.
Of the figures depicted above, there are several that you would have trouble identifying as just a 3D model - Numbers 1, 3, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 19 break the boundaries and are in a class of their own. Are these girls beautiful? Some yes, some, no, but that is not really the point for many of these 3D artists - they look to develop a 3D model with character and personality - it is not just the fact that the eyes, nose, skin, and hair look real, but when you can see the girls character and personality shining out - it is only then that these artists are achieving their goals.
For those of you interested there is a free program available by DAZ called DAZ Studio which is like a slimmed down version of POSER - you can download DAZ Studio from their web site HERE. Even with DAZ STUDIO, spectacular results can be achieved.
PS: DAZ are one of the top pioneers of these kinds of 3D programs - they offer not only the main program but hundreds of accessories, backgrounds, textures, figures, etc. Their free 3D program is NOT a lame buggy software - it is a stable, competant and professional tool.
3D Dolls
Perhaps for many people these 3D programs are considered a grown-ups version of playing around with Barbie Dolls - you get to dress up the figures, apply makeup and clothe them and then pose them in your favourite positions (obviously many fall into the sexy poses, etc) and that might be as far as it goes. It is true that you can spend days playing with your favourite girl or guy and really produce nothing useful - HINT: these programs are great for bored-stuck-at-home kids - in place of playing MyScene Online I gave my 9 year old daughter POSER 6 to play with. For her this was playing with dolls like nothing else (just keep an eye on the kids that they don't get into any adult figues or poses). Just a few months later she was creating short animated films with anime dolls and had learned more about computation than she truly realizes.
So yes - maybe for some beginers this is all about playing with 3D dolls, but from these early beginings some seriously talented artists emerge that look beyond the doll mentality and begin to use these 3D programs as a tool to create truly amazing scenes and figures - both static and animated - and for them there are awaiting many lucrative contracts in the realms of advertsing or film.
Animation
These 3D programs such as POSER, VUE, etc. also come with animation options included - it is complicated to use the in-built animation options - but it is certainly an exhileration watching your 3D model come to life with movement. Fortunately these programs also include another interesting method of applying animation to your figure with the use of BVH files, many of which are free. These files apply pre-recorded MOCAP (MOtion CAPture) sessions to your 3D figure, which makes animation that much easier. Animazoo are established experts in this field of motion capture.
Animazoo Free BVH files produced from MOCAP Sessions
Animazoo - Gypsy MOCAP Suit
Animazoo - IGS-190 Light Weight MOCAP Suit
A little further up the line is the renting or purchase of a MOCAP suit - such as those illustrated above. These suits place detectors on your limbs and your own movements are directly passed to your 3D model - anyone remember Michael Jackson's short film GHOSTS? This technique was used even back then against a blue or green backdrop upon which is projected your desired scenery. Programs such as POSER coupled with another amazing program called ULTRA (now under ADOBE) put all this power into the hands of any domestic computer user.
There exists the possibility of using webcams to achieve what the MOCAP suits achieve - the technology is in it's infancy still, and several software offerings have come and gone, however you can be sure that someone somewhere is refining this technique, and this will certainly bring cheap 3D animation techniques to within the reach of anyone interested.
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