Creating the Virtual: The Role of 3D Models in the Product Development Process for Physical and Virtual Consumer Goods

The role of 3D models has substantially changed for companies that focus on the creation of consumer goods. For manufacturing and retail firms, virtual objects are today the predominant medium for product development and customization while virtual world and game developers not only build their entire products based on 3D models but found that selling virtual goods in games and virtual worlds can be more lucrative than selling the actual virtual environment. The objective of this study is to emphasize the role of 3D models in the product development processes and to identify similarities and differences between both domains based on a literature review. The results imply that 3D models are today prevalent in the entire value chain of both domains, while non-functional attributes of 3D models are of increasing value. A commonality is the growing importance of the user as source of knowledge for and creator of 3D models.