What I Learned: 3D as Universal Communication

What I learned this week … came from
a blog
post from Richard on 3D Perspectives that started an
interesting conversation about languages and whether 3D is, in
fact, a new language. I really enjoyed the blog (and the comments,
which are available from the link as well), so I am weighing in
with some of my own thoughts as well as what I think it means to
manufacturers today.

Overview
The post compares 3D images with a language, and makes the
excellent
point that a language it linked tightly to history and the culture
of the people. Richard points out how people will draw (even using
3D “in the air” gestures to communicate when communicating. I think
he hits on the key point here - 3D is a natural way to
communicate. Read his post - and the comments afterward -
for more perspective.

My Thoughts - What is a Language - and Does it Really
Matter? 
I was interested in the comments on languages (a little passion for
Esperanto even shows up). It made me think of another example. I
was taking “Suzuki Method” classes with my daughter when she was 5
years old to teach her piano “like a language, learning
from her parents.” I am not a scholar in regards to these things,
but to put it into practical use let’s drop the discussion
of whether it is a “language” and agree that it is a valuable form
of communication between people. In fact, I would say it
is one of the most powerful, intuitive forms along with touch (and
you could probably make the argument for the rest of the
senses).

If you think about the point Richard was making in this way, it
becomes very clear that 3D is a very natural way to communicate.
Despite all of our language - even for people that speak the same
language - how many times have you said “let me just show
you.” Why is 3D a good way for humans to communicate? Ages
of evolution. We live in a 3D world and interact with it every day.
You might argue we hear sound in the womb earlier than we can see -
but we experience the existence of our bodies in 3D early even
before birth and sight. We are physical creatures in a physical
world.

3D as Communication
3D is not new. What is new - much like the
invention of the printing press or the telegraph - is the
practical
ability to use 3D communication across large distances.
What is also new (and not surprising given that 3D Perspectives is
a Dassault Systemes site) is the ability to render more and
more realistic 3D models of things that exist - and just
as importantly things that exist only in our minds eye. See my
previous post on Design
Collaboration on the Star Trek Holodeck for more on that
topic.

Implications for Manufacturers?
What does these mean for those of us in the manufacturing
industry? 

• Communicating Innovation - it’s hard to
  explain a concept for a new product or technology. “Let me just
  show you” translates into costly prototypes or explanations that
  try to represent 3D in perspective sketches
• Validating Innovation - despite being able to
  see a perspective sketch, you can’t do anything with it. You can
  pick up the drawing, but you can’t pick up the represented
  object, turn it, see if it fits with other objects, etc. Again,
  physical prototypes can help, but are costly in regards to
  time and money.
• Communication with the Plant and
  Suppliers - sharing ideas verbally is useful, but is
  hard when there is a language barrier and often leaves the quality
  of the communication up to the skills of both the person describing
  something and the person interpreting. Drawings can help, but
  they take specialized skills to develop and interpret and also lead
  to ambiguity.
• Showing it in Action - the fourth
  dimension perhaps is time. 3D extended by animation moves to a
  virtual, digital prototype that displays more than what it
  looks like sitting still, but what it does and how it interacts
  with the environment around it.

I am sure there is more to be said as well. What is it
missing? The rest of the senses, particularly touch. There
are breakthroughs being developed that will help people experience
the mass and texture of an object in a digital representation.
But for today, a nice 3D model (say of an product moving
down an assembly line) is a huge step forward.

So that is what I learned this week, I hope you found it
interesting. Let me know what you think.