Monday, October 12, 2009

3D Medical Animation, 3D Medical Illustration, 3D Scientific Animation & Illustration



When UCLA Medical Center needed a 3D medical illustration to show a thyroid biopsy procedure they contacted DreamLight Interactive. DreamLight quickly created a 3D medical rendering that was exactly what they were looking for. It cleanly showed the larynx, trachea and thyroid biopsy procedure in a manner not possible with photography. DreamLight can easily create graphical 3D medical illustration and animation as well as photo-realistic 3D medical animation and illustration for a more realistic experience to help visualize difficult to photograph concepts and procedures.

And when the international pharmaceutical company, Cubist, needed to show the suspected mode of action (MOA) of their new super drug with a 3D cell animation, they turned to the award-winning 3D multimedia studio, DreamLight Interactive. DreamLight is quite experienced at turning difficult to communicate medical and scientific concepts into a readily tangible form through 3D rendering and 3D computer animation. Using advanced particle system animation software and our in-house render farm, DreamLight created a 3D animation that effectively communicates the super drug’s expected mode of action and interaction with the cell membrane.

Medical animation beware, Jellyfish are creeping into the waters.


Jellyfish Pictures, an independent visual effects, animation and motion graphics studio based in London, has been raking in the awards for their groundbreaking visual effects on the BBC’s “Fight for Life.” The 6-part series detailed the dramatic story of how the human body triumphs in crisis, told from both the inside and the outside.

So far, the prestigious awards given to Jellyfish include:

Winner of the Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding visual effects in a broadcast series
Winner of the 2007 Royal Television Society Award for best digital effects
Winner of the New York Festival Gold medal for outstanding special effects

Phil Dobree, director at Jellyfish, accepted the most recent VES award on February 10th, at the Kodak Theater Ballroom in Hollywood at the Visual Effects Society Awards hosted in honor of Steven Spielberg।

ellyfish faced a monumental task to create the photo real body interior shots of organs and babies, a believable microscopic world, and to seamlessly integrate the special x-ray “trauma vision” with real video.

Jellyfish faced a monumental task to overcome four different challenges when completing the animated shots for “Fight for Life.” First, they had to create photo real internal organ shots. This included buying and tweaking 3D models, studying and photographing pig hearts and livers, and developing new animation techniques for getting realistic movement.

Second, they had to create a believable microscopic world. By far one of the best microscopic animated worlds I’ve seen to date. What made the shots so effective were the added splats to the camera lenses, floating particles, and condensation. Everything combined effectively to make it feel as if you were submerged in the microscopic world.

Next, they needed to create the special x-ray “trauma vision” that had to be incorporated into live action shots of real patients and doctors. This required having 3D body models of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages.

HeartWorks: unsurpassed accuracy and realism


London’s Heart Hospital teamed up with the extremely talented visual effects studio, Glassworks, to create HeartWorks, the most anatomically accurate 3D beating human heart.

The massive project was led by a team of three cardiac anesthesiologists at London’s Heart Hospital who were dissapointed with the absence of an accurate model of the heart to use for teaching transesophageal echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound). The procedure provides important details on the condition of a patient’s heart prior to undergoing heart surgery. It entails passing an ultrasound probe through the patients mouth and down into the esophagus. The ultrasound signal has to pass through the esophageal wall to get to the heart, which is just millimeters away.

Students generally learn the procedure by practicing on plastic models or through hands-on training with real patients. This can take a lot of time as students often have difficulty learning to associate the 2D ultrasound image with a 3D image of the heart.

The HeartWorks project was developed to solve this problem by creating an animated 3D heart that beats in real-time to show the morphological changes during the cardiac cycle and could be synced with the use of an ultrasound probe.

HeartWorks ultrasound image with 3D heart model

Glassworks built the model using real imaging datasets and using the expertise of clinicians at the Heart Hospital. A mannequin simulator allows hands-on teaching for the cardiac transesophageal procedure, allowing students to form those crucial spatial and visual associations.

This isn’t just another 3D heart model. It really seems like an incredibly well thought out and in depth teaching tool. The model also has a textbook feature that allows students to click on structures in the heart and bring up the associated textbook description.

HeartWorks currently offers three different package options of the anatomical heart: an anatomy module, an ultrasound simulation package, and a mannequin simulator package. It’s been commercially available since September 2008.

medical help animation

Our medical animations provide a great way for you to learn more about your body, medical procedures and health conditions. These animations are not intended to substitute or replace the professional medical advice or instructions provided by your physician and medical team. Please consult your physician with any questions or concerns.

Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis can provide valuable information about the health of your baby before it is born. Amniocentesis is a procedure used to obtain a small sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus during pregnancy.

Launch Animation


Aneurysm

An aneurysm repair can save your life. An aneurysm is an abnormal widening or bulging in the wall of a blood vessel and occurs more often in arteries than in veins. Learn more in this animation.

Launch Animation


Arthroscopy

Has a physician recommended arthroscopy for your knee to help with the pain of your running injury? This simple surgical procedure can reduce pain and disability from a variety of joint conditions.

Launch Animation