2D is like a drawing, 3D is like a sculpture - it is the easiest way to explain the distinction between 2D and 3D. 2D as well as 3D icons have their own positive and negative sides which are explained below. As you will see in most cases 3D web icons win.
Basic differences between 2D and 3D icons design
Speaking about 3d Icons we should point out that the source of light plays an extremely important role for creating authentic three-dimensional images. It's appropriate and even recommended to use several light sources in website design today however they should follow basic rules of physics and be truthful. A few lights generally make 3D icons look softer and much more realistic.
The aim of 2D and 3D icons is to represent the volume found in the three-dimensional world but 2D and 3D icons achieve this illusion by using different means. Without any doubt the volume can be represented by 3D Icons to more extent than 2D Icons. One of the minuses of 2D Icons are flat images that present just one perspective. Detailed highlights and imperceptible soft shadows are missing as a rule. Also the shades usage is really limited.
3D web Icons have all these functions instead. But 3D is mathematical replication of the data which anyway limits its usage. In some cases you can effortlessly replace 3D Icons by 2D ones or by the videos with the sounds - but all this depends on situation. The sounds give additional dimensionality to the videos that actually use 2D images.Software used for 3D modeling enables to make that 3D dimension. It is important to depict 3D icons in correlation with the other objects in the neighborhood and the environment they are placed into.
Artistic or realistic?
However sometimes positive aspects can be change into negatives. For example the thoroughness as well as truthfulness of the picture may be the disadvantage of 3D web Icons. Put simply while drawing some object you are much more free to use artistic vision. Let's take a mobile-phone as an example. So its possible to draw it rather similar to a real one but eliminate additional details, shades and highlights. In some cases schematic drawings are much more better than 3D models. You should analyze each particular case. High-quality 3d icons need to repeat each detail and line thoroughly, make the object seem closer to reality. So to answer the question we can say it's more like a kind of technical representation than a piece of art. Though some illustrators manage to create abstract 3D web icons that involve creative thought and look like true works of art. Nowadays accurate and realistic modeling is anyway the most famous trend of 3D design.Speaking about realism, if you are planning to use some characters as icons, we can definitely say that 3D icons are much more realistic than 2D ones. The characters may remain cartoonish that will add some humor and zest to your website (especially if it is associated with the goods and services your company provides).
Let's enumerate the technical issues you may face while using 3D icons.
Creating the icons design for your website please keep in mind the following hardships:
- It is not possible to display all the glory and details of 3d icons with very poor resolution of the viewers displays; - for the reason that the display screen is 2D device we cant see the true three-dimensional object as we see it in reall life. - 3D space is harder to be manipulated and controlled in comparison with 2D one; - sometimes users have to download and install some extra software that is required for correct viewing of 3D web Icons.
To sum up we can say that both 2D and 3D icons are based on geometric data but 3D objects are the sculpture models, they are more complex items. And the requirements for creating the high quality 3D web Icons are much severer. No doubt you can claim that 3D Icons may lack creativity and abstract air, nevertheless the facts of depth and volume that are created with a help of 3D technology are incontestable.
Author Resource:
Stan Lem is not a beginner in writing for the web - he started about 5 years ago and took special involvement in the niche of web design and web development - more specifically 3D icons and 3D web icons .
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