When many hear the term, "3D animated creatures", we often think of the cartoony characters of Pixar or Dreamworks, or perhaps the fantasy or horrific monsters of live-action films, aka entertainment.

However, at the Digital Life Project we scan living 3D animals using photogrammetric processes. We then share animated versions of these scanned models for others to use for the sake of conservation, education & science. Working towards greater levels of interactivity and (we hope) fun.

How do we do this?

We utilize various open source softwares, with Blender as our core tool for the process of 3D scan evaluation, cleanup & animation, as well as other addons and open software packages. Models are shared online for anyone to download and study.

Why?

I will share a bit about the various processes we use as a group, while also give some perspective as to why I make the choices I make, when trying to “capture” these animals digitally.