A Complete Guide to 3D Modeling for UX/UI Design
The world is now digital; we already know that. But while digital technology has made great strides in the last few years, you may have noticed that 2D images still dominate many UX/UI designs related to design, applications, and other media, but 3D modeling is also becoming popular. Domination by 2D isn’t a bad thing at all, as it is still one of the fastest ways to communicate visually and is one that most people are familiar with. 3D modeling is now closely associated with high-quality models used not only in engineering and architectural design but also in UX/UI design.
What is 3D Modeling for UX/UI Design?
3D modeling for UX/UI design is where assets for UX/UI designs are prepared in a 3D modeling software. Sometimes some websites or apps require 3D designs and preparing them using a 2D program takes much time and hence using a 3D modeling program is the most appropriate method. There are a lot of 3D modeling software available that one can use to prepare 3D designs for UXbeing used in creating 3D designs for UX/UI designs and the one that is best for you depends on your budget and your level of experience.
SelfCAD, a powerful 3D modeling software is one of the most popular 3D design software for UX/UI design. With SelfCAD, UX/UI designers can be able to prepare both simple and complex models with ease. There are a lot of interactive tutorials available that can help you get started quickly.
Advantages of 3D Modeling in UX/UI Design
1) Extend Your Design Vocabulary
Some design features and options are difficult or impossible to make or compose in 2D design. You don’t have to try and make your 2D design look like 3D, but you can use 3D.
2) 3D Creates More Real Experience
Image Containing 3D Models. Image Source: Pinterest
The 2D design may look very close to real life, but it can’t be compared to the authentic look and feel of 3D models. Having things like Pokemon come out of the market shows how a 3D model can ignite people’s love for a game that has been around for a long time. SelfCAD is another proof of how intelligent people want their digital knowledge thorough.
Another good example is IKEA, a popular Swedish type of furniture. They created a real app that lets you see what their products will look like in your home.
3) Opens New Creative Flow
There is no need to give up the world of 2D design as a study has shown that design is one of the habits of businesses experiencing hypergrowth. Once you have learned 3D modeling, you can model and combine in any way you see fit to improve the user experience for your customers or users and it can help ignite business growth. One of the most exciting thing about 3D modeling is to combine it with 2D techniques to improve the quality and efficiency of the work. Or integrating hand-drawn drawings with 3D rendering elements in the same image will allow you to give a new look and feel to your work.
4) Better Communication with Other UX Team Members and Customers
The ability to draw on paper (or on a digital page) what you imagine is one thing, but the ability to display what you think in-depth and length is much better. It will allow your team members and customers to understand better what you want to show them.
5) Various Ways
Learning how to model 3D models will allow you to deal with problems in more than just a way, not just because you can think of 2D and 3D ways to solve them. But because there are a variety of modeling techniques and methods such as NURBS, polygonal, SubD, solid feature-based, digital drawing, etc. One can also use a mixed workflow that combines two or more types of 3D design. Yes, there is another side to each of these possibilities: the difficulty of deciding which method/system to use. The good news is that you can have more and solve the problem in the best possible way, even if that means making difficult decisions.
On the positive side, UX designers often benefit from licensed discounts – and sometimes even free versions. However, there are still affordable versions available.
6) Multiple Internet Resources
Despite sounding complex, learning how to create 3D modeling is much easier than you might think, thanks to the abundance of resources you can find online. With a 2D design, having solid foundations and understanding how it works is necessary, and some free and good-quality payouts are available online. Even if you decide to invest in your study program, it will be a profitable investment in the long run.
7) Expand Your Job Opportunities
Thanks to the recently introduced 3D design techniques we discussed earlier, such as polygonal/Sub modeling, the increasing use of parametric and all new emerging tools based on Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D printing technology, the design capabilities of 3D are even more relevant today. These skills have become invaluable in the design world and the UI / UX design industry. Thus, acquiring this skill will boost your market as a UX designer and open your doors to many other options if you want. And that number will only grow as the world becomes more familiar with 3D images.
Here are some of the leading tools used in the 3D modeling for UX/UI design industry:
Best tools for 3D UX/UI Design
1) SelfCAD
SelfCAD is a 3D modeling software for creating 3D assets for UX/UI design. It has been designed for users of all levels. That is, from beginners who have never tried designing any model before to professional UX/UI designers who have interacted with CAD software. UX/UI designers can easily prepare 3D designs, render them in the program as well as prepare simple animations without the need for an additional software.
2) Zeplin
As a UI designer, it’s essential to communicate your designs with a team of developers — and Zeplin makes this easy. All you need to do is load your designs, and Zeplin will automatically generate details and guidelines accordingly. For advanced engineers, it reduces the time and effort required to modify your designs by generating field-related code snippets. Similarly, you can join Zeplin through Slack channels and enhance developer records straight to the stage through the horizontal combination.
3)Balsamiq
When it comes to fast wireframing, Balsamiq is the most popular tool in the design industry. Available as a desktop or Cloud application, it is marketed as a complete “intermediate” tool for designers, product managers, and developers. Possibly one of the most significant structures for UI creators is the User Interface public library — you can choose after a list of dissimilar UI rudiments and just drag and drop them hooked on the wireframe. You can print it out or do online usability tests before passing it on to developers when your prototype is ready.
4) Sketch
The digital design app required by every UI expert: Sketch. This is a vector-based tool, so you can easily change the size of anything you draw without losing sharpness. However, this is more than just a drawing tool — Sketch is also good at wireframing and prototyping.
Available on Mac only, you pay for the app once, and you can use it for as long as you want, but you will need to renew your license every year to get updates. You can discover all you need to see around receiving an ongoing Draft right now. And for starters, here are 5 common mistakes you should avoid when learning Sketch as a UI designer.
5) Figma
Get your first tool for designing a browser-based interface, Figma. Through influential excision tools and several valuable features, Figma is a one-stop workshop for scheming, execution prototyping, and collection to response. It is effortless to reuse elements in all your designs with the component aspect. To find out more about how Figma works, check out their blog to learn more. Also, if you are wondering if Sketch or Figma is better for you, you might want to read our comparisons!
6) Flinto
Flinto is an interactive Mac prototyping app that provides almost everything you need to live up to your designs. Create minimal interactions with screen changes, add video layers by dragging video or GIF files directly to your designs, combine UI sound effects with customized scrolling — the list goes on. You can also import your files from Sketch and, finally, preview your designs using the free iOS viewer.
7) Adobe XD
Adobe XD is the vector-based tool for designing and executing prototyping. It is user-friendly on the net, mobile, with smooth speech! When you become acquainted with the Adobe Original Cloud suite, you will texture at home in Adobe XD. This multipurpose instrument offers an extensive range of project topographies, prototyping, sharing, and creating a complete design program.
XD supports native Windows 10 and macOS and is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS.
Conclusion
Over the past few years, the emergence of 3D design tools, applications, and techniques has proved to be stable and increasing, and will be here for a long time. 3D images can be second-hand to connect your design thoughts healthier, endorse products, and submerge your users in an additional truthful texture. It is so powerful that the effect of 3D-created graphics brings a higher conversion rate than conventional 2D images. With 3D modeling, you will transfer more to your user and leave a lasting impression of their experience with your website, app, or product than any other 2D design you can accomplish.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.