Storybooks and graphic novels could soon be three dimensional.
A new software platform from small business Mental Canvas reimagines drawing in the digital age. The company has introduced a new concept of picture books and graphic novels which are not flat two dimensional but could let us spin the whole story in a three dimensional setup.
The company believes that digital illustration does not enhance the sketch value whereas if the image is presented in 3D, it acts as a communication tool and increases its value.
The technology allows you to draw like you would with pen and paper, except when you put the pen down, the sketch is viewable from multiple angles.
This tool could help in a variety of professions and businesses today. Architects could create a 3-D architectural image and students could gain a new perspectives on their building designs from it. Filmmakers too could find new ways to visualize storyboards.
This technology tries to fill the gap between sketching in two dimension, which is fast and fluid, and modeling in 3-D, which is slow and requires precise geometry. It incorporates elements of computer-aided design, 2-D and 3-D graphics, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.
In other systems, drawings or paintings are created on individual layers and those layers slide around in a single plane whereas this technology involves drawing in space and the underlying representation is 3-D rather than 2-D thus creating amazing visuals.
As a first demonstration of the capabilities of the software and new media type, Mental Canvas has applied the technology to an illustrated book called “The Other Side” by Istvan Banyai.
The book is a modern-day graphic novel, taking the reader on a complex, visual journey.
The company plans to make the drawing software itself available to consumers in the coming year and to follow shortly thereafter with versions for specific markets, such as storyboarding and industrial design, that require more computing power and functionality.
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