3D Icons and 2D Icons Contest

2D and 3D web icons design - what's the difference?

As for the 3d Icons the light source plays essential role for creating authentic three-dimensional images. It is appropriate and even recommended to use several light sources in web page design nowadays however they should follow fundamental rules of physics and be truthful. If you would like to make 3D web icons look softer and much more realistic - use several lights.

The aim of 2D and 3D icons is to represent the volume found in the three-dimensional world but 2D and 3D icons get this illusion working with diverse means. Certainly the volume can be displayed by 3D Icons to more extent than 2D Icons. One of the minuses of 2D Icons are flat images that show just one perspective. Detailed highlights and imperceptible soft shadows are missing as a rule. The shades usage is restricted as well.

3D web icons can be proud of all these features instead. Nevertheless won't forget that 3D is nothing but mathematical replication of the data that however restricts its usage. Sometimes you can easily replace 3D Icons by 2D ones or by the videos with the sounds - but all this depends on situation. The sounds give additional dimensionality to the videos that actually use 2D images.Software used for 3D modeling enables to make that 3D dimension. It is very important depict 3D icons in correlation with the other objects in the neighborhood and the environment they are placed into.