Is 3D in Higher Demand Nowadays?

The short answer is: yes. While 2D is still a very popular art style and animation technique, it is also now considered more “traditional”. But across all sectors of the media industry from gaming to animation to advertising to films, the demand for 3D is increasing. Not only in the media industry, 3D modeling skills has become indispensable in architecture and construction, civil engineering, interior design, automobile, fashion, and so much more. As virtual reality and immersion becomes more mainstream, 3D skills will undoubtedly be essential in all sectors across the globe.

The main reason behind the demand for 3D skills is how effective it is in portraying movement in our physical world. In terms of visual appeal, it is more realistic and exciting, with many styles to explore. In terms of texture, there are many options to experiment with, achieving all the way from Lego boxy, cartoony, to realistic. Even if you wanted to render it in 2D style, it’s also possible.

For the actual animation, these days we can use “mocap”: motion capture technology. Mocap is basically a method of capturing an actor/actress physical movements and facial gestures so it can be translated to a CGI character with all the visual effects. The result is a seamless visual display where the audience won’t be able to tell the difference between a real object or a CGI. Some examples in popular films would be Thanos in Avengers, or the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit.

Another reason why 3D is in higher demand is because 3D assets are reusable. A 3D model is basically a digital representation of a real world object (or creature, or human). This 3D model is captured as a digital file, and this file can be reused forever. 3D models of props and environments can be used in various scenes with alteration of color, texture, size, and many more exciting combinations.

To sum it up: yes, the global demand for 3D skills across all industry will keep rising, so if you’re thinking of career options, then 3D is a great field to go into.