It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computersimulation of physical phenomena. The model can also be physically created using 3D Printing devices.
3D models represent a 3D object using a collection of points in 3D space, connected by various geometric entities such as triangles, lines, curved surfaces, etc
3D models are widely used anywhere in 3D graphics. Actually, their use predates the widespread use of 3D graphics on personal computers. Many computer games used pre-rendered images of 3D models as sprites before computers could render them in real-time.
Solid - These models define the volume of the object they represent (like a rock).
Shell/boundary - these models represent the surface, e.g. the boundary of the object, not its volume (like an infinitesimally thin eggshell).
Scene setup involves arranging virtual objects, lights, cameras and other entities on a scene which will later be used to produce a still image or an animation.
Lighting is an important aspect of scene setup
it can be a difficult art to master
how difficult?
often how models are colored by the modeling software while the model is being created. The most common method of adding color information to a 3D model is by applying a 2D texture image to the model's surface through a process called texture
what is texture mapping? does this do the coloring of the 3D image?
Other effects, beyond texturing and lighting, can be done to 3D models to add to their realism. For example, the surface normals can be tweaked to affect how they are lit, certain surfaces can have bump mapping applied and any other number of 3D rendering tricks can be applied.