This is the age of digitization that has proved to be a game changer the way information is conceived, designed, produced, distributed and consumed. The revolution that began with the development of the PC in the 1970s – those were still bulky and not easily portable – has reached a peak of convenience 50 years later. The latest smartphone has at least a thousand times more memory, storage and processing power than the first PC – plus the advantage of global connectivity – and it can do a million things. One can also do animations on commonly available free software platforms, not just for fun but also for business use, though these would be just the basic stuff.

Post-Pandemic Surge in Utility of Virtual Platforms

The pandemic did not give rise to digital platforms which had started in the 1990s and grew phenomenally with the internet, in tandem with the growing bandwidth. Digital marketing started flourishing with virtual platforms. What the pandemic did is cause a tremendous surge as the lockdown forced people indoors bringing normal activity to a halt. But even as regular activities were curtailed, virtual delivery platforms could reach people anywhere around the world with emergency services. This is how most enterprises felt the pinch of their absence from the virtual space as their digitally savvy competitors started grabbing the market share based on the wider reach thanks to their online presence across virtual platforms. The pandemic has also changed the viewing habits of people in general with video content becoming very popular.

The rise in Virtual Events and Exhibitions

One of the first and significant casualties of the lockdown from business perspective was the shutting down of physical exhibitions due to the large crowds these events attract, as also due to severe restrictions on travel services. Even after the initial stringent lockdowns were relaxed progressively, with periodic outbreaks of new strains, most organizers are still not able to hold their shows. This is evident when IMTEX 2022 scheduled for January was postponed to June, and Hannover Messe 2022 scheduled for April postponed to the last week of May. However, during the last 2 years all major exhibitions have made their digital appearance, along with webinars and online conferences. These virtual trade shows are also becoming popular as exhibitors are spending just a fraction of the cost on virtual events and visitors too find them convenient to check it from anywhere without having to travel. Of course exhibitors have to meticulously plan and prepare the 3D engineering animations to replicate the ambience and experience of the physical event to ensure the correct dissemination of information. Going digital helps, obviously.

How can Businesses Incorporate 3D Engineering Animation?  

3D engineering animations combine the advantages of graphical information contained in brochures and manuals with the convenience of the video format, compressing a lot more graphical content for viewing than what is physically impossible to reproduce in printed format. The audio commentary can explain the graphics at length in finer details, with the facility of moving back and forth for easy understanding. In these animation videos, machines can be dismantled and assembled, showing how exactly they work. Different versions of the 3D animations can be made as required, to serve the desired purpose, so for example, a Marketing/Sales Presentation will be different than what is meant for Online Advertising. Similarly animation videos can be made to give a Virtual Tour or a Factory Walk-Through, and Explainer Videos made for Virtual Events to give the look and feel of a visit to a physical exhibition. What companies need to do is plan their 3D engineering animations with expert help, with great attention to detail, so as the make the experience not only relevant with detailed information, but also aesthetically a visual delight.

The Future of 3D Engineering Animation

Technology is constantly evolving. Like the Formula One racing is fine tuning many technologies for the automotive industry, the animation industry is doing similar cutting-edge work that benefits the 3D animation technologies. Good quality engineering animations require high tech and sophisticated hardware and software and storage to work at high speed without interruption with several team members working simultaneously. The traditional central processing unit (CPU) is now supplemented by the graphics processing unit (GPU) and cloud computing that has vastly improved the rendering process, which is the foundation of 3D animations. Cloud computing in particular not only enables efficient storage but is also more software friendly and less prone to bugs and glitches. Soon 5G will expand the bandwidth exponentially making the future of 3D engineering animations even more exciting and effective, the scope limited only by human imagination or the lack of it!

Conclusion

Engineering companies are usually good at manufacturing – that is their forte. But often they are lacking in marketing savvy which in the digital age is a great disadvantage. A poor product cannot be propped up digitally for long but a quality product will not find its rightful place if it is not propagated effectively. 3D engineering animations can help, but it is very important to first understand the role of 3D engineering animation in today’s age of digitization. As seen earlier, 3D animation is a very versatile medium and can be tailored to specific needs like creating a buzz, sounding out an idea, test marketing a product, running a full scale marketing campaign, as an indispensable tool for Marketing & Sales, an installation and commissioning guide, or a maintenance and repair manual.

Today a lot of companies specialise in creating high quality 3D engineering animations. Pune-based EAXPRTS is one such professional enterprise specialising in hard-core engineering work. With its experienced team of professionals and well equipped facilities, it has delivered results to a global clientele.

Need quick assistance? Talk to us today! Reach us on sales@eaxprts.com