Texturing

Texturing is used with 3D modelling. its the name given to the process of adding colour, surface texture and details to a model. The most effective way of texturing is by using texture maps. this is were the mesh of the object you are texturing , gets flattened out so that every polygon is visible. from here you can then transfer the mesh into a program like Photoshop , and add the texture and detail to the areas you need. When the basic texture map is complete you can also create a Normal and speculator map.

example of a UV map for a chair

Normal mapping is a technique used for faking the light of bumps and dents. it is used to add details to models without using anymore polygons.

Example of a Normal map

Specular maps are used to define a surface's shininess and highlight colour. the lighter the specular map , the shinier the colour will be.

example of a specular map

2D and 3D Animation

2D animation is creating the illusion of movement trough a series of still images. it can be done traditionally by hand which is known as Cel animation, or digitally using programs such as Flash. the sequence of images are normally put at a rate of 24 frames per second or faster. A example of a popular 2D animated cartoon is The Simpson's which was originally created using traditional Cel animation.

3D animation and modelling  is were 3D object meshes are created which can then be moved and manipulated to create a animation. the objects are created in 3D to give them a sense of depth and to make them appear to be real and living. there are several different 3D modelling programs available, for example Cinema 4D , MAYA, and 3DS MAX.

Another form of 3D modelling is sculpting. this is were the artist starts of with a virtual ball of clay, and can then sculpt it to form a object.this form of modelling can be done using programs such as Mudbox and Zbrush.

3D and 2D animation can both be used in a wide variety of industries including, entertainment , medical , industrial and retail.