3D animation software is extensively used to create graphics for special effects sequences in live-action films, in animated feature film production and for the generation of computer games and virtual reality content. It is a commonly held view within the computer graphics community that 3D animation software is ―just another tool‖ for self-expression. This research questions that view by examining the inherent nature of the tool itself. In doing so, some of the philosophical assumptions embedded in the design of the new digital tool are revealed. 3D software assumes that vision is a mechanical process independent of any context, and thus reduces the world to mathematical principles. This research posits that no tool is neutral; all tools orient our behavior and contribute to the way we perceive the world. |