2D and 3D

Which technique suits the project best?  

* 3D

Pencil sketches, watercolour paintings, pen and ink drawings, ... are just a few examples from the vast range of possible media to create illustrations.

Computer software can mimic those techniques well these days and adds even more options to create the illustration we need.

Apart from using 2D illustration software to create vector or bitmap illustrations, we can use 3D software to get the job done.

Indeed, when you need different images of an object or scene, 3D opens a whole new world ...

When an object or scene is created, the result is rendered into a regular 2D bitmap image and can be used in print or on a website as any other 2D image.

If we need a new illustration of the same object - but say, in a different colour or in another view - we do not need to restart the process of creating the model, but only change the colour, lighting, position or whatever and render it into a new bitmap image.

The examples shown here, are made using a single 3D model of a car to illustrate some possible uses.

The rendered image can be manipulated like any other bitmap image, using filters etc. to create the illustration that suits our needs.

*  2D 

In other cases a fully 3D modelled object isn't necessary. And a bitmap or vector image or a combination of both can also have the appearance of 3D which can be a compromise for certain projects.

For more examples, take a look at Peter's portfolio's.