Besides renaming the free version of SketchUp to SketchUp Make, the biggest changes to SketchUp 2013 are centered on plugins, extensibility and LayOut. The new release includes several improvements to SketchUp Pro’s 2D documentation capabilities, including enhanced vector drawing tools, faster rendering and zooming, and customizable hatching styles. These updates make SketchUp Pro more powerful, precise and customizable for detailing, dimensioning and organizing models in professional documents.

SketchUp Pro 2013 doesn’t appear to contain any new major features on the 3D modeling side of the equation, but rather focuses on its integration and compatibility with other products, including Trimble’s other AEC offerings.

01 – Extension Warehouse, a view from within the new SketchUp 2013. The window provides searching, browsing and previews, including video of various plugin extensions for SU 2013.

Extension Warehouse

As part of this reach into the deeper app eco-system, Trimble SketchUp 2013 contains a new Extension Warehouse. (see image 01 above). The Extension Warehouse makes it easier than ever for users to search, find and install SketchUp extensions. As developers begin using the Extension Warehouse to manage, market and support their extensions, SketchUp users can expect to have easy access to more and more task-specific tools.

02 – Installing SketchUp 2013 is easy. The free version is now named SketchUp Make 2013.

“We may have changed companies, but our commitment to delivering smart and efficient design tools is stronger than ever,” said John Bacus , director of SketchUp product management at Trimble. “We noticed that a big percentage of our professional users were using plugins, so part of making SketchUp more efficient is making it easier for them to find the tools they need, when they need them. We often say that SketchUp is better off because of the work done by our developer community—now, SketchUp users are better off too.”

SketchUp Pro and SketchUp Make are available now. Additional information and downloads are available at:www.sketchup.com.

Architosh Analysis

We wanted to point out very clearly that there are three (3) products for users with SketchUp 2013. There is SketchUp Make 2013, the free version of SketchUp. There is SketchUp Pro 2013 the paid complete version. And there is SketchUp Viewer. All of these are available on both Mac and Windows, and as you can read on Architosh’s comments here, the company is very committed to Apple’s Mac platform long-term. That is certainly great news for longtime Mac-based SketchUp users who may have wondered initially about their software of preference when Trimble purchased SketchUp from Google.

The Extension Warehouse certainly makes it very easy to find ways to extend the usefulness of SketchUp Pro. And it makes it clear just how big of a “platform” SketchUp has become worldwide. It is also clear that the name change for the free version aligns Trimble to defend its market share in the expanding “makers market.”

The Theme of SketchUp 2013

The theme for this major update to SketchUp is a twin theme of plugins and LayOut in SketchUp Pro, reports Bacus. This is about extensibility and 2D documentation.

01 – SketchUp 2013 has been announced. SketchUp Make is the renamed free version of SketchUp 2013.

Trimble appears to have renamed SketchUp to SketchUp Make as the free version while SketchUp Pro is the paid version. There doesn’t seem to be a description yet of what is new. Their blog is suggesting you download the new version and try it out to learn more.

When attempting to do that we discovered that you cannot choose which OS platform you are on. Google Chrome’s  browser on OS X didn’t seem to help by telling them either and a Windows installer came down to us on OS X. Blah! We’ll look into this again. If you figure something out when downloading the new SketchUp 2013, please post a share below.

[Editor's note: Since our original post Trimble informed us that they had resolved the issue of the operating system popup not yet working quite consistently. It should now be all good and you can choose Mac from the drop-down menu. 21 May 2013]

Check out SketchUp 2013 here on their new site. http://www.sketchup.com

Thus far Autodesk WS (a mobile and web-friendly AutoCAD-compliant app) has been downloaded more than 12 million times worldwide and there are over two million monthly active users. Autodesk recognizes that this indexes growing demand for sophisticated mobile design capabilities. The expansion of the AutoCAD 360 product line improves collaboration and delivers new and simplified ways to work with CAD on mobile devices and in web browsers.

AutoCAD Pro Mobile Apps Plans

There are new AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app plans, available in three options ranging in price from 4.99.USD per month to 49.99.USD. per year. These will enable users to get more out of AutoCAD on the go. New and improved features include:

• New Drawing Creation — now you can also create a brand new project and drawings from scratch from within AutoCAD 360 mobile
• Large File Size Support — the ability to work with larger files has been improved
• Third Party Cloud — You now have the option to connect to third-party cloud storage options like Dropbox, Box and others
• Block Palette — easily drag and place blocks into drawings from the drawing’s block collection
• New Tools — users can take advantage of advanced layer management, properties and attributes, drawing coordinates, additional storage space, and much much more…
• Priority Support — top priority support is available for those who purchase to get faster responses to questions

The app plans vary in what you can do in each AutoCAD 360 mobile plan. Here is a breakdown of the following options. One thing we want to note is that Autodesk will still maintain a free plan for AutoCAD 360 mobile, for use on your iOS or Android device (iPad or iPhone).

01 – AutoCAD 360 mobile is the new version of AutoCAD WS, new features and new app plans.

The free plan includes 5 GB of storage a maximum 10 MB file size and the basic AutoCAD WS features that were in the previous product, but not the more advanced features. AutoCAD 360 Pro comes in two options depending on if you pay per year or per month but in general the features are identical. Then there are Pro Plus plans which bump your storage capacity up from 25 GB to 100 GB, and max file size from 30 MB to 40 MB. Specific benefits of the paid plans include:

• Ability to Create New Drawings
• Advanced drawing and editing tools
• Advanced measuring and dimension tools
• Advanced layer management
• Blocks palette support
• Drawing coordinates
• Properties and attributes
• Priority support

AutoCAD 360 Web App Beta

Autodesk has also introduced a new AutoCAD 360 Web App Beta, which will deliver the power professionals need to access drawings from any computer to view, edit and share drawings with others, while also benefitting CAD novices involved in projects. A simplified user interface improves sharing and collaboration.

AutoCAD 360 mobile is available in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. AutoCAD 360 and AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app plans are available at the iTunes App Store or Android markets, including Google Play. AutoCAD 360 Web Beta is a free beta which can be accessed here: www.autocad360.com.

The floor plan capturing application allows users to hold up their iPhone or iPad and use its camera to scan the dimensions of rooms in order to create an instant floor plan which can then be exported to various file formats, including CAD file formats or PDF. You can also convert to HTML so that you can use this output for others to view on the Web.

MagicPlan works by guiding the user via the camera to drop anchors to the corners of the room. The user inputs key distances and the app figures out the rest using triangulation methodology. MagicPlan also has a cloud service. As we noted in our “12 Must-Have Apps for Architects” for those toting iPads, “There are a wealth of apps in this category but MagicPlan is clearly unique and of value to architects in general.”

01 – MagicPlan 2.0 is now out and features a new UI and improved AR features.

Venture Funds

The Series A funds in this round came from Partech International, Tektron Ventures, Normandy Ventures, and private investors. The company says it will use the funding to accelerate growth and further develop the application.

The company has formed a partnership with Home Depot and has formed other agreements with the likes of company’s like France’s Zillow. Until now Sensopia has been operating as a bootstrapped company. The software MagicPlan has been downloaded over 4 million times and over 20,000 floor plans are created per day. Now with this funding the company can advance the product and the company.

To learn more visit Sensopia here.

The iOS app by DEPTH SA allows architects, engineers and 3D designers to view projects built in 360 Panorama HD with Promenadd VIZ.

Promenadd VIZ is a plugin technology for Autodesk 3ds Max (Windows only), one of the most popular architectural visualization software tools in the industry. Promenadd keeps 100 percent of the rendering quality and details of the original desktop renders while optimizing performance when viewing on the web or on an iPad.

It does this by automatically converting images into multiple resolutions that it can thus scale to bandwidths requirements for individuals reviewing the images over the Web or on their iPad with Promenadd HD for iPad. It also calculates navigation paths and points of interest as part of the immersive user experience (UX).

01 – Promenadd HD for iPad lets you experience immersive 360 degree experiences inside 3ds Max renders.

Promenadd HD Player for iPad allows individuals to share their 3ds Max projects with customers and stakeholders by providing an immersive 360-degree experience that is intuitive and fun. The HD Player for iPad is free so clients and stakeholders can easily utilize it cost-free to view immersive environments.

02 – With Promenadd HD for iPad you use multi-touch to spin around immersive 360-degree 3dx renders.

To learn more visit the Promenadd HD for iPad page here.

The first event is called Shaderlight Workflow and Techniques. In this webinar Martin will show how to improve Shaderlight rendering workflows including:

• How to get scenes set up quickly
• Tools and techniques to help you render more efficiently
• Achieving stunning effects in your finished renders

This event takes place on Wednesday, 22 May 2013, at 4:00 PM GMT. You can register here.

The second event is called Shaderlight Material Editor. In this webinar Martin will show you how to get the most from the simple yet powerful Shaderlight material editor, including:

• Exploring the different materials and finishes available
• Creating difficult finishes such as water and glass
• When and how to use the material types available

This event takes place on Wednesday, 12 June 2013, at 4:00pm GMT. You can register here.

01 – Shaderlight for SketchUp training sessions online are live 40-min. training sessions followed by a Q&A.

Rendering BIM models with Artlantis – The Event Details

The event will focus on the needs of BIM-based architects and AEC professionals who would like to expand their visualization abilities taking BIM models directly to a renderer.

Participants will be introduced to Abvent’s Artlantis, one of the world’s leading rendering platforms. In addition, participants will gain knowledge about iVisit 3D Panoramas, QuickTime VR Object creation and making animations–all using Artlantis 4.1. Specifics include:

• How to export your model from your BIM or 3D program  and import it into Artlantis
• How to quickly apply shaders and textures to create photo-realistic building materials
• How to add objects and cut-outs
• How to manage and setup scene lighting and atmosphere effects
• How to create iVisit 3D Panoramas for client presentations

There are direct plugins for Artlantis that install into the leading BIM programs on the market, including: ArchiCAD, Revit and Vectorworks Architect. There is also a plugin for SketchUp. Additional means include file import of DXF, DWG, FBX and Wavefront OBJ format.

01 – Artlantis can produce QuickTimeVR panorama and object movies so you can fully immerse yourself inside your creation.

Webinar Details

The date is 29 May 2013, at 2:00 EDT. The weblink is here. The teleconference dial-in number is: +1 603-769-4639 and the access code is 6217088. ICS is asking folks to test their browser prior to the event by going here: http://www.gatherplace.net/gp/test.jsp

Registration

To register for this free online event please email sales@intcad.com and include the following information:

• Name
• Company Name
• Telephone
• Platform (Mac/Win)
• Modeling/BIM tool (ArchiCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Vectorworks, etc)

A Massive Upgrade

This massive upgrade to V-Ray for SketchUp includes a series of new feature introductions that enhance visualization workflow and render quality. These include V-Ray RT, V-Ray Dome Light and streamline scene complexity with V-Ray Proxy.

“With 16 new features designed and accounted for, V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp has become the most robust, and artist-friendly render application SketchUp users have ever seen,” said Corey Rubadue, Chaos Group product manager, V-Ray for SketchUp. “And it’s only going to get better in the future.”

01 – Chaos Group’s new V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp Open Beta is free to download now. The update includes many new excellent features.

Version 1.6 Open Beta Details

“V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp should be part of every designer’s digital toolset; it’s fast, simple, and seamlessly integrated, which allows you to explore ideas without leaving the V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp Open Beta application,” said Jorge Barrero, senior associate at Gensler. “The recent addition of V-Ray RT gives me instant feedback on my lighting, while V-Ray Dome Lights lets me push the quality of my renders to a whole new level. As a long time user, it’s pretty exciting.”

Rendering Engine Upgrades

• V-Ray RT — this CPU-supported rendering engine streamlines scene setup and provides instant visual feedback directly in SketchUp for quicker design, material, and lighting decisions

Lights

• Dome Lights — creates simple, artifact-free image-based lighting using importance sampling of HDR images. This technique greatly optimizes light tracing and GI precision
• Lights as Components — V-Ray lights can now be part of a SketchUp component, making the process of changing the design and multiple lights at once much easier
• Spherical Light — Creates spherically shaped area lights

Geometry

• V-Ray Proxy — Manages scene memory and efficiently renders large amounts of geometry to increase detail and complexity in scenes. V-Ray Proxy objects are dynamically loaded and unloaded at render time, which saves vital RAM resources

Chaos Group is also releasing a set of materials that will help users get up-to-speed faster with the Open Beta. These include help docs, dedicated beta forum, tutorials and videos.

Pricing and Availability

This free open beta of V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp is available for SketchUp 8 on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms–32-bit only. It can be downloaded right now by applying for the public beta program on Chaos Group’s website here. 

02 – Here is another render sample from V-Ray 1.6 for SketchUp Open Beta.

Full new license pricing is 800.USD. Upgrade from version 1.49 is 320.USD. See their website for more information. http://www.chaosgroup.com

bonzai 3d 3.0 features 14 new tools that add functionality to NURBS modeling, shape editing, texture mapping, component management, fabrication and 3D printing. Existing tools have also been improved and tweaked to make them even more efficient and effective. Additionally there are new user-interface improvements and new elements like the Sun Position palette.

01 – AutoDesSys’ new bonzai 3d 3.0 is a conceptual and easy to use NURBS-based modeler with an ability to continue work within formZ or other modeling and rendering programs.

bonzai 3d 3.0 New Features

Here is a short description of some of the major new features. A complete list can be found on their website:

• The Turntable — this new tool will cause a scene to rotate continuously around an axis in real-time display modes. Controls allow the user to adjust speed of the animation. This is useful for presenting a 3D model
• The Billboard tool — this new tool generates special object types that are surfaces with an image (texture) mapped onto it. It takes it dimensions from the size of the image
• 3D Print Preparation — this tool is also new and aims to help users diagnose common problems found in printing in 3D with new 3D printers. The tool addresses issues with models prior to exporting out to 3D printer formats
• Section Tool — this tool has a new option for dynamically sectioning an object or series of objects. The dynamic operation allows the section plane to be adjusted as needed during the operation, while a direct section allows an arbitrary face or plane to be specified and executed immediately
• Contour Doctor — this is a new tool which works with the Terrain Tool to check and fix contours in terrain models and report the issues and fix them if it can
• The Unfold tool — this new tool takes surface or solid objects and unfolds them in order to prepare flat shapes for cut-out fabrication assembly

System Requirements & Other Notes

bonzai 3d 3.0 requires 512 MB of memory but ideally runs at 1 GB or more. It runs on Windows and Mac OS X (10.5.8 or higher). An internet connection is required only for registration. To learn more visit them here. http://www.formz.com/products/bonzai3d.html

Additionally, LumenRT 4.1 Studio will be demonstrated at Bentley’s Learning Conference in Philadelphia, later this week. For those who are attending Bentley’s conference be sure to stop by and see LumenRT 4.1 Studio in action.

What is New in LumenRT 4.1

LumenRT 4.1 Studio adds several new improvements to its existing features and technology. These include better Mac OS X performance, export of point light support from Autodesk Revit, improved Revit export with more complete textures, new animated water materials, including ocean, sea, lake and pond. And lastly, there is enhanced support for exporting larger Bentley Microstation models.

01 - LumenRT 4.1 Studio adds additional features, better Bentley Microstation support, improved Mac OS X performance and more.

LumenRT is a comprehensive system for transforming 3D models and designs into rich, nature-filled animations, images and real-time immersive experiences. e-on software, the maker of the popular 3D nature scenery products and technology is the company behind LumenRT Studio.

e-on software says that the primary value proposition of LumenRT Immersive Nature is to win business by packing ideas and designs into compelling stories. LumenRT users have reported transformative results with higher client win percentages, improved quality, and fewer downstream errors.

Technical Details and More Info

LumenRT 4.1 Studio works with both SketchUp Free and SketchUp Pro (versions 7-8), Bentley Microstation SS3, Autodesk Revit 2012 and 2013 and will import models saved in all major 3D formats. These include Wavefront’s popular OBJ, Autodesk FBX, Autodesk 3DS and Collada (.dae). In addition Vue users can create LiveCubes directly from Vue scenes and Vue object files.

LumenRT 4 Studio retails for 795.USD and can be obtained at volume discounts. To learn more visit: http://www.lumenrt.com/

Revu for iPad – What it Does

Revu for iPad is essentially a PDF-based document viewer oriented specifically at the AEC industry. It is used by architecture, engineering and construction professionals. Yet, it is not just a CAD drawing viewer application.

Revu for iPad has three broad functions: (1) access your PDF based CAD drawings (and other documents) on the go in a mobile context, (2) markup and redline these documents while on the go anywhere, with or without a live Internet connection, and (3) collaborate with colleagues in real time from the iPad using Bluebeam Studio.

Accessing Drawings

The immediate value to AEC professionals using Bluebeam Revu for iPad is the ability to carry complete sets of PDF drawing documents with them. While there are many other ways in which this could be carried out, Bluebeam’s product is the most thoroughly targeted solution on the market for CAD professionals in the AEC space.

01 - An excellent way to get files into Revu on your iPad is through the cloud.

There are several ways to get your PDF drawings into Revu on your iPad. One way is to use a direct iPad to computer connection using Apple iTunes. From within the iTunes app select Apps from the menu bar at the top and select Bluebeam Revu, making sure you have hit Sync Apps box as well.

02 - Completing a Dropbox account sync from within Revu for iPad.

03 - Looking at cloud-based files from within the Document Manager in Revu.

Another way to get your files, and likely a superior way, is to use a direct connection to a cloud service. Bluebeam supports both Dropbox and Box at the moment. From within the Add Account window you select one of the cloud service options and then enter your cloud service username and password. (see image 01). Complete the direction screens including this one from Dropbox. (see image 02). Once complete you will now see your Dropbox or Box account in the Document Manager. (see image 03).

Lastly, you can also get your files to you iPad Revu app using WebDav server or Bluebeam Studio, their cloud-based collaboration offering.  Once your files are in Revu for iPad you can access them through the main interface.

The User-Interface

Bluebeam Revu’s user-interface is one of the more sophisticated UI’s in an AEC application for iOS. We admit that at first it may intimidate. Most Apple users are used to the idea that Apple’s products are easy enough to avoid reading the user manual for getting going. That will not be the case with Revu for iPad. There will definitely be some trial and error and reading the help documentation will benefit you. So we encourage you to do that if you get frustrated with the application in the early days of its use.

04 - The interface opened to look at a PDF document. Side palettes closed.

Across the top there is a menu bar which holds six items on the left and three on the right. When using Revu for iPad, at first it might seem like the user-interface comes at you from every side of the iPad’s screen. (see images 00 – 05 for comparison) In truth it does. The company makes good use of the many standard iOS interface multi-touch features. While we are not going to explain every single UI element, to open a PDF document we will start by getting one from the Dropbox account sync’d earlier.

As you can see in the image below your CAD PDF file appears as the white document in the main window while Revu’s many slide-out UI elements wrap the document. You can pinch and zoom in and out just like any other document in an iOS based app. Bluebeam Revu’s app isn’t the absolute fasted PDF viewer on the market but it clearly one of the better ones. (see image 05)

05 - Bluebeam Revu's full UI on the iPad with Toolbox palette open (far left) and the Markup List palette below at bottom.

The Document Manager is accessed by the file cabinet icon with the green arrow. Inside you will find a default Documents folder. White triangles (on right) drill down into folders, revealing documents and more folders inside. (see image 03). You can always create additional folders inside a directory by clicking on the More button at the bottom of the Documents windows.

Next page: Marking Up Your Documents

Dimenco showcased at NAB this year its technology that extends the capabilities of 3D content-enabling software and show attendees were very interested.

@DEPTH 2.0 Details

@DEPTH 2.0, based on Philips and Dolby technology, empowers content creators and post-production companies with a cost-effective (semi-automatic) and high quality offline conversion of existing 2D video content to any 3D content format that the user requires.

The way it works is @DEPTH 2.0 uses “depth maps” in order to create 3D data. These depth maps are grey scale images in which the user can bring objects to the front by coloring them whiter and can send objects to the back by coloring them a deeper grey.

01 - Dimenco of the Netherlands showcased its @DEPTH 2.0 software at NAB earlier this year. The program and service works with "depth maps" to create 3D stereo content from 2D film data.

In addition to converting 2D content, @DEPTH 2.0 is the perfect tool to edit 3D stereo-content. It calculates the depth information from high-definition stereo content in a fully automated process, using the disparity between the left and right images. This gives the user the ability to compose shots, edit the amount of depth per frame and render for different types and sizes of 3D screens.

Depth Maps Creation Service
Via @DEPTH 2.0 the user can make use of the fully trained and experienced artists at Dimenco, who can manually create the depth maps for the user. This feature allows the user to take full control over its budget and increase the speed of the conversion.

Using the @DEPTH 2.0 software it is now possible to order depth maps of the key frames for only $5. Simply upload your chosen keys frames via @DEPTH 2.0 and order the depth maps for these frames. The ordered depth maps are finished within 3 working days. With the created depth maps @DEPTH 2.0 will calculate the depth maps in-between, enabling high quality low cost conversion.

Customers can download a free 30 day trial version, try out the experience and provide feedback to the product team. The trial version of @DEPTH 2.0 is available via the Dimenco website. Estimated license per seat per year is $2500. Educational pricing as well as volume licensing are available. For more information please visit: www.dimenco.eu/adepth or send an email to info@dimenco.eu.

This means that users of Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD-centric BIM object portal will be able to also find objects from real-world manufacturers at BIMobject.com, in addition to manufacturer and non-manufacturer objects at Graphisoft’s own portal. The brand recognition of BIMobject is well known and certifies that the objects come from real manufacturers and are real products that can be specified and sourced in real life. The unique channel concept developed by BIMobject allows building product portals to channel the BIM objects used by more and more websites around the world.

For manufactures this means centralized convenience for hosting and maintenance of their digital product data. The BIMobject cloud handles all the building product searches to be updated.

01 - BIMcomponents by Graphisoft now has search and channeling of BIM objects from BIMobject.com.

“The integration of BIMobjects.com, the world’s leading manufacturer specific content provider, offers direct access to an extensive collection of high quality BIM content by real manufacturers available both in ArchiCAD 17 and on BIMcomponents.com. This creates huge value for our users by providing the quality and details very much a standard for the BIMobject® content,” said Akos Pfemeter, Director of Global Marketing, Graphisoft.

“We are very pleased to have BIMcomponents.com as the latest in a long row of channel partners. We continue to serve building the interior product manufacturers to create a dynamic and maintainable infrastructure for product content management. We expect the BIMcomponents.com collaboration to be very useful for both ArchiCAD users as well as manufacturers in the building industry,” said Stefan Larrson, CEO of BIM object AB.

To learn more about BIMobject.com click on the link. For ArchiCAD 17 information see this report.

Nemetschek has two upcoming webinars on Vectorworks for the latter part of May. The first is titled “Better Utilization of the Resource Browser for Vectorworks 2013″ and is on 23 May 2013. “If you aren’t using the Resource Browser in your daily design process you could be wasting time searching for your favorite files,” says the description. Takes place at 2:00pm ET and you can register here.

The second webinar is titled “Setting up a Template File in Vectorworks Architect 2013.” This seminar is also aimed at saving you time in the beginning of a new project by using templates to establish common items like classes, layers, scale and line weights. The webinar takes place on 30 May 2013, at 2:00pm ET. You can register here.  For questions you can call: 888-646-4223.

BIM event in Switzerland

On 22 May 2013, architects in Switzerland will have the opportunity to attend BIM I’m Klartext at the Architekturforum, Zurich. “BIM in Klartext” means in English “BIM in plain language.” The event will feature four presentations by industry educators and professionals, as well as opening remarks and a moderated questions and answers session at the end. To learn more visit here.

Nomad on Fire

No, this isn’t the name of an upcoming movie. While outside the focus a bit of Architosh’s regular news editorial, the Vectorworks folks have announced recently that their mobile tablet solution for CAD and BIM in the cloud, Nomad, is now on Kindle Fire, Amazon’s tablet offering. It is available through the Amazon app store.

01 - Nemetschek Vectorworks Nomad.

This new graphics card from Sapphire is the first of its kind from the company for the Mac market. Like us, many longtime Mac users may not know of this company, which has been an ATI (now AMD) Add-in Board (AIB) partner for many years now.

The Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition is identical to its PC-based version and even–at least with our test kit–shipped with two CDs, one for Windows drivers and one for Mac OS X. Presumably we could have installed our Mac Edition board directly into a Windows box. (see image 01 below)

The Sapphire HD 7950 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, the most memory ever available to a Mac GPU that we know of. Let’s summarize the specs quickly and then we’ll get into our testing process.

• 850 Mhz with Boost to 925 Mhz Core Clock
• 3 GB of GDDR5 memory (VRAM)
• 384-bit memory interface
• I/O: 1x HDMI (with 3D), 2x Mini-DisplayPort, 1x Dual-Link DVI-I
• 28 nm process, 1792 x Stream Processors

There are many more details about the Sapphire HD 7950 but we’ll point you to the official product page for those. The one key item we want to point out is the compatibility.

01 – The Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition, is cased in white, unlike the PC versions, and there are several of those. This card takes up two slots and should be ideally placed in one of the two PCIex16 expansion slots.

Officially this new GPU from Sapphire requires Mac OS X Lion (10.7.5) and was created to offer an upgrade path for users of Mac Pros from the past few generations. The company makes reference to the Nvidia 8800 GT series GPUs commonly used in these machines. They recommend 2 GB of minimum RAM and an early 2009 Mac Pro (MacPro4,1). Our minimum recommendations are a bit different.

• 2008 Mac Pro (MacPro3,1)
• 4 GB of RAM (given the load from the operating systems (10.7 or 10.8) 4 GB is what you really need
• Mac OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

For our test purposes we installed the Sapphire card into an aging Mac Pro with those stats above. Our (MacPro3,1) tower was outfitted originally (BTO) with a Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT with 512 MB of 256 memory. The specs on this GPU can be found here. Some key comparison data included for this reference card include:

• 600 Mhz Core Clock
• 512 MB GDDR3 memory (VRAM)
• 256-bit memory bandwidth

Based on Sapphire’s website our testing scenario is basically identical to what this GPU card was created for: replacing GeForce 8800 GT’s in aging Mac Pros with something fresh and new.

Our Test Suite

While others have already tested and reviewed this graphics card, here at Architosh what concerns us most is professional CAD and 3D applications, not games. On the other hand, some of the best OpenGL tests are in fact games oriented.

For our more “Pro” oriented tests we are still interested in frames per second but less so than other metrics which suggest a benefit befitting of CAD and 3D applications. We tested OpenCL performance and did a selection of hand-evaluative tests using a few Mac professional applications, in particular Trimble’s popular SketchUp.

Architosh GPU Test Suite:

• Cinebench 11.5 by Maxon Computer – (download link)
• LuxMark (download link)
• OceanWave OpenCL Test (download link)
• UNIGINE Heaven Benchmark  (download link)
• UNIGINE Valley 1.0 Advanced (download link)
• Trimble SketchUp
• Vectorworks

In the future we will endeavor to improve upon this test suite in a direction that puts even more emphasis on professional applications, especially the types of CAD and 3D applications readers of Architosh are using. We have detailed explanations of each test in what follows.

next page: Test Results for Sapphire HD 7950

ArchiCAD is an end-to-end BIM workflow and this latest version offers Priority Based Connections, a unique advancement to BIM because typically architects must continue work in 2D CAD over sectional or cut data from the BIM model. This 2D work over a viewport view of the BIM 3D model (by looking at the model in section, elevations view or horizontal view) is done to correct the fact that most BIM tools on the market cannot include every layer of detail in the wall, floor, roof and ceiling assemblies that make up real buildings. Now ArchiCAD 17 tackles the entire challenge.

ArchiCAD 17′s Priority Based Connections allow architects to establish all the priorities for all the materials in assemblies. ArchiCAD 17 then, using the intelligence built into the priority system, generates structurally correct details in all views. The program can also handle rare exceptions on an individual basis.

01 - Box shot of Graphisoft ArchiCAD 17.

A further enhancement includes Intelligent Element Association to Story Heights and Intelligent Reference Line Handling of Elements, this together with the Priority Based Connections and Intelligent Building Materials, makes ArchiCAD 17 fully understand how assemblies shall connect to each other and which materials terminate into which materials on the other assembly–like for roof to wall, for example.

Industry First Background Processing

ArchiCAD 17 introduces an industry first in background processing. This means multi-core processing is further enhanced in the product and it means that it speeds up faster generation of complex models with all this additional detail in the various assemblies. Architosh will be publishing more information on this item in a future report.

02 - This is actually one stunning image for this reason. The walls have been removed but what you see left on the floors and ceilings is very intricate spatial areas where the materials make their stops as they interface each other in assembly connections. The net result is stunningly more accurate material take-offs, a huge win for cost-estimating.

For improvements in collaboration and interoperability, ArchiCAD 17 supports Coordination View 2.0 in IFC and Concept Design BIM 2010 (required by the US gov. GSA), Statsbygg (Norway), Senate Properties (Finland), FM Handover (required by COBie) and others.  This includes currency unit export, calendar date type IFC properties and ifcSystems Assignment Support for system type elements such as MEP systems.

Workflow and Other Improvements

ArchiCAD 17 also features an improved MORPH tool to support conceptual design (there are improvements to push/pull and more), a Real-time 3D Cutting Planes technology, support  for Curved Beams, and dozens of Library enhancements. BIMx is also installed automatically in every ArchiCAD 17 installation.

To learn more about ArchiCAD 17 or to watch well over three dozen feature videos visit: www.graphisoft.com

Architosh Analysis

Architosh got a chance to see ArchiCAD 17 in action a week ago in a web conference. Once again, we are deeply impressed with the depth of new features and feature improvements. The Budapest-based CAD/BIM innovator methodically marches forward with seemingly one market-leading innovation after another. Not every version offers something nobody else has but over the past several versions the company has been on fire.

ArchiCAD was already fastest to market with 64-bit and multiprocessing over its major BIM rivals. This version extends that performance improvement with its innovative background processing, which the company told us is just the beginning. At the rate Graphisoft is innovating by the time they reach version 20 they likely will have tackled every major roadblock in the way of BIM nirvana. We look forward to reviewing this product.

The team in Finland has announced that they have updated their latest offering adding several new features that make sharing CAD files with others easier, more efficient and more useful on mobile devices like Apple’s market-leading tablet device, iPad.

New Improvements

The latest improvements include new support for IGES, which will compliment the STEP file format it supported initially at launch. There is also new ways to share via email. The new email sharing includes a single button to open a model on any device, even on iPad.

Also, there is a new screenshot of the model being shared attached to the email inviting you to participate, view and share on MyCadbox. This helps team members recognize various models in multi-model sessions or sessions with multiple models which can get confusing.

01 - MyCadbox now features Web 3D Glimpse, a viewer that goes along with the company's cloud-storage app for CAD.

CadFaster has also updated the MyCadbox for iPad app to version 1.1.0. There is a new feature in the app that allows users to invite others to try out MyCadbox and if they successfully sign up that user will get 2 models added to their quota.

The model dashboard can now also be accessed on mobile devices as well, adding more convenience for mobile users on iPad. Finally, the company also introduced the Web 3D viewer called Glimpse for model previews. It works on any browser without the need for WebGL.

The company has a new blog for MyCadbox here. To learn more click here.

An award-winning trainer and animator, Dan Alban has authored numerous how-to books for LightWave, including the “Inside LightWave” series by New Riders Publishing. The “LightWave 11.5 Up to Speed” training video covers all the new features in the latest release of LightWave on a project basis including features such as the Genoma rigging system with modular presets, new tools for the LightWave Modeler, After Effects Interchange, and other features like FiberFX, Instancing, Flocking, Bullet Dynamics and more.

Courseware Details

The courseware includes HD-resolution instructional training that takes the user through the all the new features of LightWave 11.5 3D modeling and animation software. The “LightWave 3D v11.5 Up to Speed” courseware is now available for $64.95 (US) direct fromwww.3DGarage.com.

01 - 3Dgarage.com offers some of the best training for LightWave and modo.

3D Garage.com, a division of AGA Digital Studios, Inc., encourages artists and animators to “tune up your brain,” with comprehensive training courseware for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Luxology’s modo, and Newtek LightWave 3D software. Founded in 1994, AGA Digital offers content rich branding videos which include 2D / 3D animation and postproduction services for clients such as United Airlines, Wrigley, Abbott, NASA, Lockheed Martin, and others. For more information visit www.3dgarage.com.

An award-winning 3D and motion graphics team innovated with Maxon’s CINEMA 4D software on the In-Camera and On-Screen visual effects sequences defining futuristic tone for Universal Pictures’ new Oblivion film staring Tom Cruise.

Cruise stars in this original and groundbreaking cinematic event from Joseph Kosinski, the visionary director of TRON: Legacy and producers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Oblivion lead designer Bradley “GMUNK” Munkowitz (Prometheus, Iron Man 2) worked directly with Kosinski and his Crater Lake Productions team — a similar role he assumed on Kosinski’s previous film,TRON: Legacy. Munkowitz assembled a design team of veteran CINEMA 4D lead animation artists, including TRON: Legacy alum David “DLEW” Lewandowski (TRON: Legacy, Going to the Store, Tiny Tortures) and Navarro Parker (Iron Man,Transformers, The Avengers), to deliver extensive 3D graphics content central to the film’s story line.

01 - Tom Cruise stars in Universal's Oblivion. The film utilized Maxon's CINEMA 4D software for some critical elements. (image courtesy of Universal Pictures, All rights reserved.).

“MAXON is honored the Oblivion design team chose CINEMA 4D to help meet the complex 3D motion graphics design and workflow challenges in bringing Kosinski’s post-apocalyptic vision to the screen,” Paul Babb, MAXON US president/CEO, says. “The visual results are outstanding!”

Munkowitz says the speed and accuracy in CINEMA 4D enhanced the overall workflow in helping the team create Vika’s (Andrea Riseborough) light table, one of the most widely seen graphic elements in Oblivion that functions as a central briefing center providing critical information to assist the characters with their duties on Earth.

02 - The futuristic design language was developed using CINEMA 4D and this interface for a light table used in the film was one of the key elements C4D was responsible for. (image courtesy of Universal Pictures, All rights reserved.)

“CINEMA 4D was extremely helpful in the creation of a variety of audio responsive graphics and light table assets,” says Munkowitz. “Its speed and MoGraph feature set were paramount in taking Kosinski’s graphics briefs and executing them quickly with precision, and establishing a consistent graphic language rarely seen in big budget sci-fi films. No other tool is as prepared for intensive motion graphics as CINEMA 4D.”

To learn more about Maxon’s CINEMA 4D go here: http://www.maxon.net

bim+ is an open platform and a marketplace to connect people, information and BIM models to build faster.

Disruptive Innovation in Technology

Technology is the biggest disruptive force for creating new industry paradigms and transformations. Industries like finance, retail and media have been radically transformed using information technology. Similarly, bim+ platform uses state of the art technologies like the Internet, Cloud, Mobility and Social to transform the way the building industry operates.

01 - bim+ is a new BIM cloud technology platform and app marketplace for the AEC industry.

TechCrunch Disrupt New York is one of the most prominent showplaces for exhibiting innovative and disruptive transformations.  Nemetschek bim+ simplifies management, sharing, maintaining and using BIM information to meet challenges of connecting and collaboration in the building process. bim+ brings the paradigm of “All-Connected, All-Open, and All-Easy” to the building industry.

02 - The Nemetschek bim+ website front door.

bim+ has evolved since its was first shown in January of this year at Bau, the world’s largest trade show for the building industry, in Munich, Germany. The bim+ cloud-based platform allows the import of BIM models of multiple popular CAD, 3D and BIM file formats (e.g.: IFC, SketchUp, Allplan) with other formats adding to the system in the near future.

Importantly, all models get stored in the bim+ cloud database in an Open BIM compliant format. These models are then accessible to users on their Apple iOS based devices like iPad and iPhone. Other mobile operating systems will be added later. New bim+ apps include items like Explorer, 3D Viewer, Problem Spottter, et cetera, and new innovative apps are being added by developers. These apps are very visual and make the building experience very intuitive, easy and inclusive of non-professional users.

Architosh has reported in detail what bim+ is about here. Nemetschek bim+ GmbH is a subsidiary of Nemetschek AG and is located in Munich, Germany. You can learn more about bim+ here directly on their website.