2D vs 3D

General Forums Blender and CG Discussions
1

Hi Everyone!

I’m a new user of blender and other 3d software programs, in line with this I would like to ask some questions regarding 3D and 2D because I’m also conducting research regarding this topic.

I would like to know the (1) differences between 2d and 3d, (2) advantages and disadvantages of using 3d and (3) objectives of 3d.

Thank you and God Bless!

2
  1. seriously, have you ever played a 2D game? Super mario? The difference is, that 3D has one more dimention. So it’s XYZ, while 2D is only XY. Sometimes 2D can fake the third dimention with isometric images.
    Compare these two images and tell me which one is 2D and which one is 3D:
    http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll171/Debugger_2008/Conq1.jpg
    http://www.freedownloadsplace.com/screenshots/Age-of-Empires-3-8.png
  2. You have an extra dimantion to work with. For example, A square is a 2D object and has only two sides front ant back, a Cube is a 3D object - 6 sides.
  3. Objectives for 3D? To make everything look more realistic, i guess.
3

2d= drawing, painting, photos
3d= building, modeling, sculpting

Isn’t that obvious?:eyebrowlift:

4

You’ve asked a pretty broad question. I’ll answer the part that I may know something about because I’ve worked both with 2D media (Pen and ink drawing, mostly) and 3D.

Both 2D and 3D are, to my mind anyway, both trying to represent a three dimensional world. If you’re working in a 3D modeling program then you have the advantage of using that third dimension (Depth in this case) to place the various components of your work in an approximation of their real world relationship to each other. In other words; you can place a vase in front of a window, or the “sun” behind some clouds. In 2D, you fake the spatial relationships. You draw only those parts of the window (From the previous example) that aren’t covered by the vase, or you use lighter shades on the clouds as if they were illuminated by the sun behind them.
The only disadvantage that I can see to working in a 3D program compared to, say, painting or drawing, is the emphasis on literal representation in the work. You’ll get kudos for modeling a door that looks exactly like a real door down to the patina on the doorknob rather than creating something with far less detail that nonetheless makes your brain recognize it as a door. Moreover, only a small percentage of 3D artists do works that could be considered as abstract art, cubism or pointillism among others.
That’s not to denigrate 3D. I wouldn’t be here if that was my attitude. Some people do very compelling, evocative work in 3D while others take the same delight that model railroaders do in exactly representing some aspect of the real world.
The objectives of 3D are those of the person working in it. Some people are attempting to do art, others are working at accurate modeling, and most of us fall somewhere in between.