IMSI/Design has released its first version of software for Apple’s rival mobile platform, Google Android. The company, which spoke about such plans in executive interviews published here on Architosh, said, “It’s no secret that Android’s momentum has been astounding.” That state by Royal Farros, CEO and chairman of IMSI/Design added, “just as we did in the iPad and iPhone world, we’re the first to bring native 3D DWG viewing to the exploding Android platform.”

The free version of TurboViewer is now available for Android and can be found at the Android Marketplace. For more information on TurboViewer go here.

SketchUp News

Google’s SketchUp newsletter had some interesting tidbits of news. The makers of SU Podium, a rendering plugin for SketchUp for Mac and Windows has a new plugin called SketchUp Walk. The plugin is only available for Windows at the moment but allows users to easily create walk-thru rendering animations of their  SketchUp models.

In more apps news for SketchUp users, 3DOn ARchitecture is a new app for the iPad or iPhone for viewing SketchUp models on Apple’s popular mobile devices. There are three unique modes for viewing your models on this application, which was created just for architects. One of these modes lets you view your SketchUp model while it is superimposed over an image of the site taken from the camera on the iPad or iPhone. To learn more about this application, visit the website now.

Autodesk News

Autodesk has released 123D Make apps at Technology Preview. Autodesk 123D Make was previously only available on the Mac. Now Autodesk’s Technology Preview version is available through a Web browser. 123D Make is a modeler technology application that assists users in creating physical 3D models by creating a pattern of flat panels that be cut out and put together to create your model. You can learn more about 123D Make applications at Autodesk here.

Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD 15 won Construction Computing Magazine’s BIM Product of the Year in 2011 and now the company has released a white paper titled, “Get There Faster with ArchiCAD.” The white paper examines five critical areas to explore before making final BIM software selection. The sole purpose of the white paper is to provide accurate, reliable information about critical issues related to BIM and how ArchiCAD technology addresses these issues.

The key issue areas are:

• Improve profitability
• Enable agile and competitive workflow
• Provide real-time collaboration
• Easy-to-learn and simplfied 3D workflow
• Optimizes use of computer hardware power
• Keeps IT costs low
• Is a secure and proven BIM product

The white paper shares expertise from six design leaders. The company says, “we want to teach and educate in an effort to help architects make informed technology decisions.”

You can download the BIM white-paper here.

LumenRT 2 for SketchUp on Mac and Windows has an entirely new, state-of-the-art real-time rendering engine. The program boasts a complete physical simulation of light, physical and accurate reflections, time-of-day (TOD) real-time rendering adjustability, precise anti-aliasing and motion-blur, software shadows, superb water and underwater effects, realistic skies and advanced material rendering.

01 - LumenRT 2 has stunning real-time lighting rendering capability. (image courtesy of e-on Software)

Some specific new features in version 2 include:

• Standard quality mode generates fast lighting using global illumination
• Accelerated processing of scenes with visual feedback
• Export SketchUp time-lapse animations support
• LumenRT material editor lets you adjust materials directly inside SketchUp
• Create animations of unlimited length
• Low-quality real-time rendering mode for slower graphics boards

e-on Software said the product, currently compatible with SketchUp, is being ported to other 3D platforms, but did not announce which ones. For this major release the company is publishing a free trial version or LumenRT 2 for Mac and Windows, immediately available for download at: try.lumenrt.com

LumenRT is the only solution that combines real-time rendering with a full, physical simulation of light, letting architects and their clients accurately experience the true volume and lighting of their designs.

LumenRT 2 is a plugin application for SketchUp and works on both the free and Pro versions of SketchUp. The product retails for 295.USD with an introductory price of 195.USD. It is supported on SketchUp on Mac OS X platforms (10.6+) and Widnows XP, Vista and 7. Users of LumenRT are eligible for a free upgrade to LumenRT 2 until February 29, 2012. The free trial version is fully functional for up to 15 days. Output for the trial version is watermarked.

To learn more visit LumenRT here.

AutoDesSys will be hosting a Bonzai 3D webinar today at 1pm-2pm EST. The free webinar is an introduction to the SketchUp competitor, a conceptual modeling tool with a Class-A NURBS modeling engine and the power of formZ’s legendary modeling capabilities, packaged into an easy-to-use conceptual tool.

Like formZ, Bonzai 3D has the ability to plug into the power of AutoDesSys’ RenderZone rendering software for photo-realistic imagery making. To register for this seminar go here now. To view previous webinars online, on-demand, go here.

Vectorworks News

Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., has some good news on its global CAD/BIM product line. For starters Vectorworks 2012 is now available in Japan through its Tokyo-based distributor, A&A Co. Ltd.. You can learn more about that here.

There is also some news about Vectorworks-based design firms winning awards, as in Lukas Schweingruber und Rainer Zulauf from Schweingruber Zulauf Landschaftsarchitekten.

For French-based architects and designers CESYAM is launching a Vectorworks 2012 Tour Across France.

No Autodesk Vista Support

In a surprising twist Autodesk is ending formal support for Microsoft Vista operating system-based computers with its new and currently shipping versions of its software. The new policy goes into affect January 1, 2012.

Autodesk will continue to support Microsoft Windows XP operating systems. Based on the company’s research there are a large amount of customers currently utilizing XP-based systems, while the same research reveals little reason for support of Vista. The company reports that most Vista customers have migrated up to Windows 7.

More information on this topic can be found here.

There is no additional charge for French and German language options.

To learn more visit the e-on software website here.

The book is officially titled “Entertainment and Lighting Design with Vectorworks Spotlight: First Edition.” Kevin Lee Allen is an award-winning lighting and scenic designer whose work includes theater, film, television, museums an corporate environments.

The book explores the use of Vectorworks Spotlight, the leading CAD design program in entertainment lighting markets, with the use of the Renderworks program for producing final renderings. “It is definitely going to be my course texbook for this semester because, despite my students having different needs than entertainment designers, it specifically lists the most important tools, commands and workflows and talks a little about each one,” said Chris Dopher, Entertainment Design, Instructor, FIT.

The new manual is intended for use with Vectorworks 2012 software and is most applicable to Spotlight 2012. It is a part of the Nemetschek Vectorworks’ self-paced training options, designed for people who like to learn at their own pace. To see all the Vectorworks training options, including this book click on this link.

The new book provides solutions for setting up projects through the phases of Planning, Tender, Construction, Interiors and As-Built drawings. It is based on ArchiCAD 14 but can be adapted to suit older versions of the software as well.

Vaneshrie Sullivan has sold and trained ArchiCAD in the sub-saharan region of South Africa almost ten years ago and worked in interior design and architecture practices using ArchiCAD both in South Africa and the United Kingdom, as well as training architects in those countries as well as the US, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Kuwait and India.

01 - New ArchiCAD interactive training book by Sullivan.

The book sells for 195 British Pounds and can be ordered here. You can also preview the table of contents on this site.

formZ 7 Highlights

The whole program has been dramatically updated, including a streamlined user-interface (UI). formZ 7 has some new dramatic dynamic modeling tools with new parametric capabilities.

There is a new roof tool that quickly builds simple and complex roofs. And the parametric stairs tool has been updated as well. There is also a new Contour Doctor tool that helps clean up contour line data.

formZ 7 features non-destructive clipping planes (sectioning planes) just like SketchUp and you can model directly inside these clips. formZ 7 has a top class-A NURBS modeling engine and can produce dramatic shapes and forms. While SolidSmack remarks that formZ has always been a great architectural modeler the new formZ 7 will bring powerful new tools to the product design market.

This is significant for AutoDesSys because the “maker” market and digital prototyping are both powerful new trends in design. formZ 7 will feature tools helpful for digital fabrication makers.

To read the article and see some of those YouTube videos go here.

This week the company previewed Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac. As part of the Inventor product family, Inventor Fusion is primarily a 3D mechanical CAD modeler application designed to engage emerging young engineers and designers.

Kevin Schneider, Sr. Product Line Manager for Autodesk Design, Lifecycle and Simulation Product Group, noted that Inventor Fusion is the first dedicated mechanical CAD product from Autodesk that is a Mac product.

01 - Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac. A new Mac-native ground-up mCAD modeling program for emerging mechanical engineers and design professionals.

“When we look at the next generation of designers and engineers,” says Schneider “we see their expectations of choice and software is very different than the current generation.” Autodesk told Architosh that the company is adapting to trends that show that the future generation of engineers and designers are increasingly coming both to and out of college with an affinity for Apple’s platforms.

While Autodesk Inventor is the company’s Windows-only full-fledged professional mechanical CAD product, Inventor Fusion for Mac is a simplified entry-level product that has been written from the ground-up on Mac OS X. It has a ’state-of-the-art’ modern user-interface and advanced modeling functionality.

The formal release of the product is aimed for the first quarter of 2012. Professionals and students interested in the Mac-based Inventor Fusion can learn more at a special page on Facebook setup by Autodesk (http://www.facebook.com/InventorFusion)

Final pricing has also not been set but those who engage in the public technology preview can try out Fusion for the Mac for free. You can sign up here.

On the official website it says that DXF file are presently limited to 20MB. Anything larger will not open. Also, some complex objects like splines are also not read.

iPocketDraw

iPocketDraw 1.90 is a vector drawing program with comprehensive 2D CAD tools and commands. The tool can send out files via email in Eric Pousse’s RealCADD file format for those who utilize that CAD platform, as well as PDF, DXF and JPEG formats.

01 - iPocketDraw 1.90 reads DXF files and export them too, plus RealCADD support.

Drawing tools include all the basics plus spline, regular polygon, arrow tools and font choices. You can work fully to scale with dimensions. The drawing area is not limited and the objects are not limited in number either. iPocketDraw 1.90 lets you import images into your CAD files as well as PDF files.

iPocketDraw is 9.99.USD. and is available from the App Store. There is a Lite version which is free. To learn more visit the official website.

There are plugins for ArchiCAD 15, ArchiCAD 14, Vectorworks 2012 and Vectorworks 2011. There are also plugins for Autodesk Revit 2012 and Google SketchUp 8.

You can download your plugin today for access to Artlantis 4’s enhanced rendering engine and iVisit 3D technology, which simplifies the process of sharing virtual tours of models online and via mobile devices and tablets.

Integrated CADS Services (ICS) is an authorized distributor of Abvent products in New England and can answer questions about sales and services for such technology (800-383-5195).  You can learn more by visiting Abvent online.

There is also an update to Artlantis 4 itself, taking the version to 4.0.16. You can grab that here.

formZ 7 has a new modern user interface with a lot of new functionality and enhancements to existing formZ functionality. Many steps have been automated with the new UI. There is less picking and more doing, the company says.

01 - formZ 7 has bold new features and a modern interface

Discovering formZ 7 – Seminars

January 18, (which is today) there will be a new webinar titled: What’s new in formZ 7, Part 1: Parametric modeling in a modern fluid interface. This free event takes place at 1pm-2pm EST and you can register for it here.

Part 2: Visualization, rendering and fabrication and presentation, takes place on January 25, 2012, and is at 1pm – 2pm. EST. You ca register for it here.

There are also Webinars On Demand covering bonzai 3D and formZ. A full list is here.

The new ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is based on the robust BIM technology of ArchiCAD 15, but with a feature set and price tailored to the needs of small architectural practices, home builders, and building contractors.

ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is a full-featured BIM program, containing all the tools necessary to creating a building information model of your design and then documenting the project fully as well as generating a list of materials. The latest release features the core functionality of ArchiCAD 15 plus:

• Intelligent Element Connections – automatic connections between building structures and elements to help create the creation and maintenance of the BIM model while preserving the flexibility architects need
• 3D Design Space – 3D guidelines and editing planes to help the creation of the BIM model in the natural 3D environment including axonometric and perspective views
• Latest DWG-DXF file exchange capabilities with the 3rd party applications of consultants

ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is available in International English, German and Austrian versions. Other localized versions will follow during Q1, 2012. To learn more visit them online here.

The notice simply stated that development activities are taking longer than planned. The AIA has contracted with a third-party software developer for this new online version, just as the desktop version is third-party produced. The Alpha trials are now slated for a March, 2012 start.

This delay in no way affects the AIA’s current AIA Contract Documents software product. Those interested can send inquiries to: software@aia.org

Columbia Events

A course titled “Vectorworks Core Concepts Course” takes place on March 12-13, 2012. The company says, this is the best hands-on training option to learn how to master tools, menus and commands. You can click here to see the list of topics covered. The cost of this classroom event is 700.USD. Location is at Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., 7150 Riverwood Drive, Columbia, MD 21046. To register click here.

A follow up event is titled “Vectorworks Intermediate Concepts Course” and takes place on Wednesday, March 14-15, 2012. This event too is 700.USD.  To register click here.

Virtual Event

A course titled “Vectorworks Virtual Core Concepts Course” takes place online and offers the same material as the classroom course. This course takes place between Monday, March 19 – Friday, March 23, 2012. This event is 850.USD.

To register for this event click here.

The company is touting its latest integrative rendering technologies and strategies for architectural designers to allow them to create world-class visualizations for their designs using a range of tools options within the Vectorworks – CINEMA 4D family. Because your Vectorworks and Class structures are preserved with you send your files to Maxon’s award-winning CINEMA 4D Visualize product suite, you will enjoy a level of design control that is impossible to match with competing products.

Focus on Getting Vectorworks Models Into CINEMA 4D Visualize

The webinar focuses on the fundamentals of getting your Vectorworks models into CINEMA 4D. Key items covered include:

• Exportation of Vectorworks and Renderworks files into CINEMA 4D Visualize using the Send to CINEMA 4D menu command
• Fine-tune your CINEMA 4D settings to create “unique” presentations
• Quickly create very sophisticated animations, walkthroughs and flyovers

This is a must event for Vectorworks based architects who either use Renderworks now or another tool for this kind of work. Today’s Vectorworks not only utilizes the Maxon CINEMA 4D rendering engine internally but has round-trip fidelity with the professional 3D package.

To sign up click on the banner ad for the event on Architosh or go here.

Editor’s note: See our recent review of TurboViewer Pro 2.0 here.

“We are going to enable an entirely new generation of CAD developers, letting them create powerful, custom apps based on our TurboViewer series, the fastest 2D and 3D viewing platform in the mobile world,” stated Royal Farros, Chairman and CEO of IMSI/Design. “We think this can be a real game changer.”

IMSI/Design has come out with TurboViewer, TurboViewer X and TurboViewer Pro for Apple’s iOS platform and the products are excellent (this site has given TurboViewer Pro 2.0 a top 5/5 product rated score). The TurboApps SDK, due in February, will let CAD developers build apps around viewing 2D and 3D DWG and DXF wireframe models.

“Our goal with TurboApps SDK is to create a mobile development platform specifically designed to take advantage of those things that make portable devices so different from desktop computers. We believe we can be a foundation for Mobile CAD going forward and can’t wait to see what apps the smartphone and tablet generation creates,” added Farros. The TurboApps SDK will be free.

To learn more about IMSI/Design visit them here.

We generally don’t write about Apple’s patent trail but this jot covers an interesting patent related to the world of 3D. AppleInsider uncovered a patent from Apple that describes a Microsoft Xbox Kinect-like interface technology that is sans physical controller. Instead users use their hands to move items in the UI.

Entitled “Three-Dimensional Imaging and Display System” the Apple patent (application #20110298798) attributed to Christopher Krah of Apple. In a nutshell, the Apple patent describes a method that allows the control of a 3D computer interface via a 3-dimensional imaging and display apparatus that scans and detects physical movement within a volume of space. With the system, a user could perform gestures with their hands within a given volume of space in order to control the user-interface of their Mac computer. To learn more read here.

Ad Agency Walter Isaacson uses modo

For the recent holidays Walter Isaacson was hired by Philips Norelco to produce a new TV commercial for their new SensoTouch 3D rechargeable razor. They decided to re-imagine one of Norelco’s most popular holiday ads of all time, which was a stop-motion ad featuring Santa sledding through the snow atop one of their products.

For this new ad Isaacson turned to computer graphics studio re:think studios, of Chicago. re:think studios is a big-time Luxology modo user and turned to modo to produce the ad. “mod is blazing fast!” said Brian Bulock, director of CGI and partner at re:think studios. “And with the deadline we had on this spot, we needed every minute. I vote we put modo on the nice list.” You can watch the spot here at Vimeo.

Adobe to update Critical 3D Bugs in Acrobat

Adobe is slated to update critical 3D vulnerabilities in its Acrobat and Reader applications across platforms today. The bugs were discovered in December where the 3d file format .u3d contained memory corruption issues that could lead to code attacks. These were limited in practice to the Windows platform, says Adobe. To learn more visit this eWeek news report.

LumenRT Customer Story

Vue software maker e-on software has had a new product out for awhile now called LumenRT, a plugin product for SketchUp. The photorealistic rendering plugin has received good reviews in the industry.

You can learn a little bit about this product by watching and reading the customer profile of Matthew Stone, a landscape design professional in Australia, who switched from Autodesk 3D Studio Max to SketchUp with LumenRT for its rendering platform. Read the interview here.

Rhino users will benefit from many new features, fixes and improvements. These include such things as real-time rendering with V-Ray RT, optimized image-based lighting with the new Dome Light, and efficient memory management using Proxy Objects.

Sample of the rendering quality of VRAY for C4D

Vray is not yet available for Rhino on Mac. However Vray is available for Cinema 4D, as you can see from the image above.

If you are a Rhino user on Windows you can tap into this Beta now. To learn more visit this link.

Updated features in TurboViewer V2 include such items as AutoCAD SHX font support, TrueType font support, Tactile sound feedback (confirmation for button and UI item selection), and performance memory optimizations.

This adds to the excellent features already included in the free version of TurboViewer. There is a professional version of TurboViewer also available. The professional version retails for 19.USD.

IMSI’s TurboViewer is a native 3D Autodesk DWG file viewer. You can acquire the application on the Apple App Store or learn more here. Be sure to read this Feature article on Architosh.