Research Topic Proposal

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Introduction/ Project Description:

This study focuses on the benefits of 3D rendering and animation with the Autodesk software 3ds Max. Through applying this software to my designs it will enable a clearer understanding of how the user can interact with the product. Currently the state of animation covers a range of different areas in the market, and it is not strictly centered on cartoons, “even the most realistic movies call on animations to simulate an ungettable shot or to make a moment just a smidge more perfect” (Brady, 2006).

Method:

There is the assumption that through introducing 3D animation to one of my designs it will communicate user interaction. But there are some possible constraints in implementation; these can include computing power, time to learn the software, and communicating how the user can interact through animation. In terms of computing power there may be a problem with the size of the file that is being loaded into the program. The larger and more complex the file size, the slower it will run, therefore there is the possibility that once rendering and animation is introduced, the file may be so large or complex it may have difficulty running properly. There is also an issue of time constrains in which to learn the software. In the time allotted, there is not a lot of time to do an in depth study to efficiently learn all of the capabilities of the software. Another issue with time is also the fact that learning the software is self guided, through tutorials found on Lynda.com and books on the subject. There will be a limited availability for help when troubleshooting problems that are encountered through the process. Lastly there are limitations in the software which can possibly keep the user from understanding their interaction with the product.

The tools that will be used to create and implement the design, rendering and animation of this project will include 3ds Max or Rhino for the design process and 3ds Max for the rendering and animation.

Results/ Outcome:

The results of this study will be a fully interactive system that shows different iterations of configurations as controlled by the user.

References:

Brady, M. (2006, March). Wired 14.03: How Digital Animation Conquered Hollywood. Wired. Retrieved February 7, 2011, from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.03/animation.html