In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object in three dimensions via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. Someone who works with 3D models may be referred to as a 3D artist or a 3D modeler. A 3D Model can also be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation of physical phenomena. The 3D model can be physically created using 3D printing devices that form 2D layers of the model with three-dimensional material, one layer at a time. In terms of game development, 3D modeling is merely a stage in the entire development process. Simply put, the source of the geometry for the shape of an object can be 1. A designer, industrial engineer or artist using a 3D-CAD system, 2. An existing object, reverse engineered or copied using a 3-D shape digitizer or scanner or 3. Mathematical data stored in memory based on an numerical description or calculation the object.
