How To Add An Animated 3D WPF Splash Screen - CodeProject

Image via WikipediaIntro to Article:

This article is based on Visual Studio 2010. The target .NET Framework for the build is 4.0 so your computer should have all the required software to build and run the project.
Microsoft WPF offers 3D content that you can add to desktop applications or browser-based applications. But what to do with 3D content? What is it really useful for? If you are making games or 3D modeling applications, the answer is obvious. But for most people who are building ordinary applications, it's difficult to figure out a place to fit in 3D content.
One use for 3D models might be as a splash screen. This article explains how to add a splash screen to the beginning of a WinForms application. The splash screen fades into view and contains animated 3D content. It then fades out to reveal your application.
It might seem that this is an oddball example that nobody really needs. But it's a way to add some flash and visual interest to an ordinary looking program. And for those who want to get their hands on doing some 3D coding, it's a simple way to start. Also, there are a few basic things the article teaches. It will show how to integrate WPF controls into an ordinary Windows Forms application. It shows how to include XAML code in your application as an embedded resource. And it includes a couple of other simple but useful techniques, like how to get the screen working area and how to accomplish some simple opacity animation using timers.
To begin, open Visual Studio 2010 and start a WinForms project.

How To Add An Animated 3D WPF Splash Screen - CodeProject