The main motivation of studying 3D modeling is that in many aspects of visual media technology (particularly game technology), 3D visualization and interactions are inevitable. For instance, in many cases it is much more fun to play games in 3D than in flat 2D worlds. In 3D modeling, the processes of acquisition, representation and manipulation of 3D data are crucial. Acquisition of 3D data is delivered either by creating a model from scratch using a software package, or by directly scanning a real-world 3D object. The acquired data is normally in a raw form, such as 3D point clouds, voxels (volumetric data), or polygons. To be able to manipulate and display the raw data efficiently, we need to transform it to other forms like meshes or subdivision surfaces. Having more efficient representations, whenever necessary, we can animate the 3D objects virtually.

All these processes will be studied in the 3D Modeling course. We expect by passing the course, the students have the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for handling 3D spatial data. These knowledge and skills are vital when working in 3D aspects of game technology, computer graphics, computer vision, medical image analysis, robotics, etc.

To follow the course, students are required to have strong knowledge in:

linear algebra (i.e., matrices, vectors, rotations, translations, projections, etc.), basic mathematics, and programming skills (in C/C++). This implies, they have passed the computer graphics course.

Prior knowledge of a modeling package (such as MAYA or Blender), VRML or X3D, OpenGL, and OpenCV is useful, but not required.

http://www.cs.uu.nl/docs/vakken/ddm/index.htm