Most people are familiar with animation as a form of cartoon entertainment. However, animation is also presented as a multimedia technology with great educational potential. Let’s see 3D animation as an educational tool.
In a detailed study “Animation as an Aid to Multimedia Learning” published by the “Educational Review Psychology“, the effectiveness of the animation in university students was shown, when it comes to memorizing, attending, storing and retrieving acquired information.
Advantages of 3D animation
From art, science and mathematics, animation in the classroom can promote a better understanding of the subjects, if we compare it with a verbal presentation format (dominant in classrooms) and provided it is used under certain conditions, as indicated by this study.
The statements are clear and simple. 3D animation improves learning when it is accompanied by an informal narrative and both narration and animation are presented simultaneously. On the other hand, music, sounds and written text seem to reduce learning by distracting the student’s mind. The impact on learning is also greater when the goal of the animation is to explain a complex subject that requires deep understanding.
What is scientific 3D animation
Scientific animation, as its name implies, is a mixture of Animation and Science. Nowadays, the advance of technology has contributed enormously to the construction, discovery and also invention of different objects or services to treat such complex problems as the substitution of extremities, 3D scans and illustrations of molecular processes that even with the most complex microscopes, are impossible to realize with quality as 3D animation allows to do it.
These technologies burst into the field of scientific drawing and illustration to complement the traditional ones and address, with a new language, the complexity inherent in the dissemination and learning of scientific content.
In the digital versions of some publishers have begun to support the possibility of embedding videos and interactive 3D models as a compliment to their scientific articles.
Such is the case of Elsevier, the largest publisher of medical books and scientific literature in the world, where they consider a 3D visualization is an important tool for the understanding of complex structures, dynamic simulations and numerous scientific discoveries, which traditionally have been presented in static 2D images.
In this type of two-dimensional image there is a significant reduction in the author’s analysis and the level of interaction by the reader, who can only capture a specific projection of a 3D object (Elsevier, 2016).
Why 3D animation
This new graphic language incorporates the possibility of illustrating any process including its temporal dimension by generating an animated infographic with which to describe any scientific phenomenon. Through 3D modeling and animation, it is possible to opt for mimesis of the processes, without loss of detail, instead of performing the usual exercise of synthesis of the traditional scientific illustrations.
Besides, with these tools there is the possibility of shaping processes or scientific realities, avoiding the difficulties of scale, context or biological, physical or chemical nature.
However, for these technologies to be used effectively in scientific popularization, dialogue between disciplines is necessary. Graphic and creative artists, making use of 3D modeling and animation, translate the explanations of scientific specialists, transforming them into three-dimensional scenes where virtual processes are developed to explain the real ones.
Summary
The technique of “3D Animation” allows approaching the creation of materials for the popularization and learning of scientific contents that, due to their complexity, are difficult to interpret with traditional procedures of illustration.
For an efficient implementation of these technologies it is necessary to establish new strategies of interdisciplinary work that combines the rigor of scientific knowledge with the skill and creativity in the use of these new graphic tools.
The 3DforScience team is composed of animators, illustrators and scientists. Mixing the knowledge of art with science, they create 3D animation video projects that provide value to explain your technology or product in a precise and attractive way.
3DforScience
3DforScience is a scientific communication company specialized in digital content for the pharma and biotech industries. Our passionate creative team works alongside an in-house scientific team to provide cutting-edge medical animations, scientific illustrations, virtual reality, etc.
Our extensive experience within the field ensures all the content we produce is scientifically accurate, innovative, engaging, and pitched at the right level for the target audience.
Would you like to bring your scientific messaging to life? Contact us. We would love to help you create something unique
