Advances in 3D design software have brought about new possibilities in the health care industry. Technologies like 3D medical animations have allowed doctors, patients, and students to visualize complex procedures and medical devices better.
This advanced technology helps medical sales teams, pharmaceutical developers, and other emerging technologies better achieve their goals. This all results in better health services and products for patients.
When Animations are Useful
Not every medical product requires an animation to showcase its intended functionality. For example, no one is going to have a lightbulb moment after watching an animation of how to apply a Band-Aid. The real benefits of 3D medical animations are realized with more complex devices, new devices, or re-designed devices.
Research & Development
New medical devices often require millions in research and development. This often requires companies to seek outside funding before they’re financially able to develop prototypes. Realistic, detailed, and technically accurate animations of a design can help attract investors initially.
This helps get new advancements in the healthcare industry to market faster, more effectively, and with fewer financial hurdles. An animation of an inferior product isn’t going to fix anything—products still have to represent a useful purpose of reaching consumers. However, smart companies are coming ahead to provide powerful deep learning workstations that can fast track research & development immensely.
Patient Education
Another powerful application of medical animations is in educating patients. For many, procedures like hip or knee replacement, stinting, or back surgery represent one of the most involved medical procedures in their life.
These procedures, while well-developed and regarded as relatively safe, can still cause anxiety. Cooler heads can prevail by helping patients to understand precisely how the procedure will take place, what’s involved, and how their body will be impacted.
Medical Device Sales
Sales teams often dictate the successes of companies. For medical devices, this can be doubly so. Even the most educated of salespeople can face hurdles when not provided adequate marketing materials. They say that an image is worth 1000 words. What’s that mean for a realistic animation? 3D animations showcase products and their applications in a way that no other sales tools are able.
Real-world video is often visually disturbing, given the nature of many of these products. 3D animations of medical devices can illustrate their exact placements, adjustments, and surgical procedures to get them in place—all in a clear, clean, and concise manner.
Working with Animation Studios
Knowing 3D animations can help sell products, educate patients, and reduce time-to-market is only half the battle. The first major hurdle is finding creative talent, software, and resources to develop these animations. For many companies, hiring an in-house animation team is out of the question. Contracting with 3D animation studies is generally a cost-effective approach, but there are several key considerations to make before jumping in:
- Cost vs. Quality: Like anything artistic, you tend to get what you pay for with a 3D animation studio. Make sure you review their previous work samples and, if you get competitive quotes, be sure to use the quality level in their samples to guide you on how their price stacks up.”
- Do you want a voiceover? Or just on-screen text? The end-use for your video (for example, primarily at trade shows or primarily on your website) should help the animation studio guide you on whether you want a voiceover or not. The cost of the voiceover may be an additional factor.
- Know your timeline: High quality 3D animations aren’t done overnight. You may need several months of lead time to get the project as you want it, so factor that in to when you start reaching out to a 3D animation company.
Final Thoughts
3D medical animations can provide invaluable insight for patients, doctors, and investors. Using them as intended—communicating details of features, functions, and benefits—will ensure all parties involved are on the same page, so-to-speak. 3D animation technology has come a long way in recent years and is now more cost-effective than ever.
The tips for finding an animation studio can help ensure that final products meet the goals of sales and marketing teams. While that may seem inconsequential, successful sales teams help ensure long product lifespans and better patient access to emerging technologies.
