NOVEDGE Newsletter - January 2010

Latest Articles in this Channel:

01/01/10--12:58: Best User Review: Take a Quick Step Into 3D Modeling (chan 1200561)

Rating:
Reviewer: Ishwara Saraswati
 
Review: “Do your attempts at 3D modeling keep falling back into 2D drawing? Then this is the manual for you, a quick path into 3D modeling. The package is a manual and disc with exercises to work through. Start with simple 3D views and move through solids, NURBS, 3D primitives and create surface from curves. This will have you drawing in 3D but wait, this is not all. There is a section on Architectural modeling and then a neat project to wet your appetite for more. When I first drew on a drawing board over 30 years ago it was called Technical drawing. Then I spent most of that 30 years on the tools. Working drawings that are as clear as day to me often mean not much to a client. I worked through this manual twice then went and buried a client in 3D concept drawings. Quick effective concept drawings are a great asset in enhancing communication with client.”


01/01/10--12:58: Images Gallery: iRender Brings Professional Rendering to SketchUp (chan 1200561)

iRender nXt for SketchUp is a rendering system that allows you to enjoy the AccuRender Ray Trace engine directly from Google SketchUp. Materials, lights, reflections and scene settings are all stored in the SketchUp model so that the model can be rendered as a photorealistic image without having to redefine the scene after the 3D Export.
iRender nXt for SketchUp also expands these capabilities by adding fractal plants, solid materials, radiosity, and other advanced rendering settings.
This interactive gallery shows various architectural models rendered using iRender nXt for SketchUp


01/01/10--12:58: Product of the Month: VSR Realtime Renderer: New Life for Rhino (chan 1200561)

VSR Realtime Renderer 3.0 is a real-time renderer plug-in which is totally embedded into the 3D-graphics of Rhino, allowing the user to switch from the modeling mode to a photo-realistic environment at any time.
VSR Realtime Renderer 3.0 can be combined with other Rhino plug-ins such as Bongo or with new VSR modeling and analysis plug-ins currently under development.
VSR Realtime Renderer 3.0 can be active even during modeling allowing the user to assess at any time the effects of the applied geometry modifications in real-time.
With the support provided by the VSR Realtime Renderer 3.0 working on the CAD model has become a lot easier. In addition, the time-consuming creation of static images via batch renderer and conversion of the data for use in other visualization tools are things of the past, as a high-resolution hardcopy can be generated at any time simply by taking a snapshot of the desired image.


01/01/10--12:58: Latest arrivals: What's New (chan 1200561)

is a real-time renderer plug-in which is totally embedded into the 3D-graphics of Rhinoceros, allowing the user to switch from the modeling mode to a photo-realistic environment at any time.

Vue 9 Studio -- DVD Version is the advanced Digital Nature application with powerful vegetation and rendering features for dedicated 3D Artists. Focused on enhanced natural vegetation capabilities, advanced rendering features and extended Poser integration it provides comprehensive control over the creation of complex scenes, while maintaining an intuitive workflow.

3DS Export for Inventor is a 3D Studio 3DS file export add-in for Inventor. This add-in gives Inventor the ability to export 3D solid and surface data from a Inventor geometry to meshes in a 3DS file.

AutoCAD 2010 delivers the power and flexibility needed to take documentation and design further. Speed documentation, share ideas seamlessly, and explore ideas more intuitively in 3D. With thousands of available add-ons, AutoCAD software provides the ultimate in flexibility, customized for your specific needs.

DWG DXF Converter is a software to convert between AutoCAD DWG, DXF and DXB (Binary DXF) file formats without the need of AutoCAD. This utility is capable of reading and writing all versions of DWG, DXF and DXB files, from AutoCAD Release 2.5 all the way up to AutoCAD 2008.




01/01/10--12:58: Selected Book: The HDRI Handbook (chan 1200561)



by


The HDRI Handbook reveals the secrets behind High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI). This cutting-edge imaging technology is a method to digitally capture and edit all light in a scene. It represents a quantum leap in imaging technology, as revolutionary as the leap from Black & White to Color imaging. If you are serious about photography, you will find that HDRI is the final step that places digital ahead of analog. The old problem of over- and underexposure in analog photography, which was never fully solved, is elegantly bypassed here. A huge variety of subjects can now be photographed for the first time ever. HDRI emerged from the movie industry, and was once Hollywood's best kept secret. It is now a mature technology available to everyone. The only problem was that it was poorly documented until now. The HDRI Handbook is the manual that was missing. Many questions remain open even for the computer graphics gurus that have been using HDRI for years. This is where The HDRI Handbook comes in. Included here is everything you need to build a comprehensive knowledge base that will enable you to become really creative with HDRI. This book is packed with practical hints and tips, software evaluations, workshops, and hands-on tutorials. Whether you are a photographer, 3D artist, compositor, or cinematographer, this book is sure to enlighten you.


01/01/10--12:58: Novedge Tutorial: Three Methods for Interior Lighting with Brazil for Rhino (chan 1200561)

With Brazil, Rhino users can now use the same rendering technology as the world's most demanding CG artists without leaving Rhino. Top production CG artists from every facet of the industry and around the world rely on Brazil for their most demanding work. Brazil is the industry standard for high-end quality, flexibility, reliability, and artist-friendly workflow in Rhino.
This video tutorial shows several methods to setup interior lighting using Brazil from within Rhino and adjust all the rendering parameters for best visual results.


01/01/10--12:58: Case Study: Are 3D Mice a Smart Buy? (chan 1200561)

In the product development chain, a key element to delivering high-quality, defect-free products quickly to market are the performance of CAD design engineers. If engineers can improve their product designs, and do all this in less time, they can significantly contribute to their companies’ market performance.
Fundamental user interface research by GE Research, IBM, the University of Toronto and others has documented the performance improvements resulting from user interface 3D devices that enable the CAD design engineer to work with both hand simultaneously. But no specific research has been done to determine just how much difference these 3D mice make among current 3D CAD users and the economic payback of 3D mice. Technology Assessment Group designed the CAD user survey and created an economic payback model to answer these questions.