I was first introduced to interactive 3D models in my second semester of grad school. As a part of school I used photogrammetry to scan a 3D wax sculpture I had made on the facial nerve and upload the 3D model to Sketchfab. This exercise later led to the creation of a more detailed head and neck model on Erb’s point. Since then, I brought my interactive 3D skills with me into the workforce. As an intern at Novavax I created animated interactive 3D models depicting some of their vaccine molecules and since then I expanded my software use to Verge 3D so I could make simple offline interactive pieces for Bayer’s Scientific Congress booths. As I finish up my latest model, that will be put to use in the upcoming congress season, I have been reminded of the difference interactive media can make.

Interactive 3D	3D Animation
Requires audience engagement	Passive consumption
Better conversational presentations, natural pauses increase questions and engagement	Sometimes easier to distribute if someone is not present to facilitate a conversation on the subject matter
Active participation keeps attention longer	Allows for predictable user consumption paths
Tailored to the audience’s interest and pacing	Allows for visualization of more complex movements and animation
Technically more complex and prone to IT issues	Once rendered has less IT problems

Interactive 3D like 3D animation can be as applicable to explaining a mechanism of action or mechanism of disease. But as with all mediums, the use of 3D interactive versus 3D animation is context dependent. Some 3D interactive pieces are difficult to deploy or require specific hardware to run, interactive pieces can work better when paired with an expert on the subject to make engagement more enjoyable for an audience. Alternatively, 3D animation, allows audiences to see complex movements between objects in an environment. Several interactive 3D platforms limit the complexity of the animations they support and if the audience didn’t have the technical background or IT specifications they may be able to better access a 3D animation better.

The function you need is dependent on the medium you use.

When planning a piece, where the piece will be used or hosted, the hardware necessary, the timeline, and the audience all need to be taken into consideration. Deciding on 3D interactive or 3D animation has to be determined based on the communication goals of the piece.

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