Three-dimensional models are usually generated by special software such as three-dimensional modeling tools, but they can also be generated by other methods. As data and other information sets of points, 3D models can be generated manually or according to some algorithms. Although it usually exists in a virtual way in a computer or computer file, a similar model described on paper can also be considered as a three-dimensional model. Where three-dimensional graphics are used, three-dimensional models are widely used. In fact, their application predates the popularity of 3D graphics on personal computers. Many computer games use pre-rendered 3D model images as sprites for real-time computer rendering.
Now, three-dimensional models have been applied in various fields. Use them to make accurate models of organs in the medical industry; The film industry uses them to move people, objects and real movies; The video game industry regards them as resources in computers and video games; They are used as accurate models of compounds in the scientific field; The construction industry uses them to show the proposed buildings or landscape performances; They are used in engineering to design new equipment, vehicles, structures and other application fields. In recent decades, a three-dimensional geological model has been established in the field of earth science.
The 3D model itself is invisible and can be rendered at different levels of detail according to a simple wireframe, or colored in different ways. But many 3D models are covered by textures, and the process of putting textures on 3D models is called texture mapping. Texture is an image, but it can make the model more detailed and look more realistic. For example, if a person's three-dimensional model has the texture of skin and clothing, it looks more realistic than a simple monochrome model or wireframe model.
In addition to textures, other effects can be used in 3D models to increase the sense of reality. For example, surface normals can be adjusted to achieve lighting effects, and some surfaces can use convex-concave texture mapping method and other 3D rendering techniques.