Abvent recently announced a free update for all Artlantis 3.0 users. The list of enhancements and fixes is available in a separate PDF document. The update also includes an updated Artlantis 3.0 demo and is technically version 3.0.5.

In bigger and more forward-looking news Abvent has also updated the alpha version of Artantis 3D 64-bit and an update patch is available for all those who have previously installed the first 64-bit version. Users can download the latest updates and hotfixes here.

Vue 9 Product Line Now Complete

e-on software has announced that the rest of the Vue 9 product line is now complete and available for purchase. A few weeks ago the company announced the release of its professional lineup of Vue 9 products. New Vue 9 for 3D Artists (Complete, Studio and Esprit) and Vue 9 for 3D Enthusiasts (Frontier, Theme-Packs, 3D SuperHero, and Pioneer) are also available. A new product description page covers all the details.

There are also Vue 9 Architectural Bundles available. These bundles feature one-button simplicity with the included SketchUp Vue Exporter plugin. There is the Vue 9 Complete Architectural Bundle (649.USD) and the Vue 9 Studio Architectural Bundle (449.USD). To learn more visit the product page here.

01 - Vue 9 Product Line Up. There is a product for everyone in the latest Vue series of 3D software for Mac and Windows, including Architectural Bundles for visualization in AEC.

Cheetah 3D News

This month Cheetah 3D got an update. Cheetah 5.6 features a completely rewritten transform tool. The new transform tool now supports multi-object selections, a gadget mode to arbitrarily align the transform gadget and much improved snapping tools for precise modeling. Version 5.6 also introduces post and pre-rotations which are great for reorienting joints. Additionally, there is new support for the video codecs H.264 and MPEG4 plus many smaller improvements.

Cheetah 3D 5.6 is free for all registered current users. For new users, Cheetah 3D is just 99.USD during a special that ends November, 2010. A demo is available here.

Key New Features in Maya 2011

There are several key new features in Maya 2011 some of which are specifically aimed at Mac OS X users. Starting with the Mac features first:

• Mac OS X 64-bit Availability – Mac users can now access considerably larger memory to handle complex scenes with a new 64-bit executable.
• FBX technologies have been brought up to speed with Maya 2011 format
• Redesigned User Interface – Nokia’s Qt software development technology is behind Maya 2011’s modern user interface, offering more power and flexibility.
• High Performance Core – Maya 2011 has a brand new graphics pipeline that helps speed up overall performance, especially related to the feedback speed in viewports.
• Improved Maya Composite – A new Vector Paint feature in Maya Composite dramatically improves its painting and rotoscoping capabilities.
• Accelerated 3D Editorial Workflow – new Camera Sequencer adds powerful multicamera editorial capabilities to help facilitate pre-visualization and virtual movie-making production using the Maya timeline. The Camera Sequencer supports import of both AAF and Apple Final Cut Pro EDLs.
• Enhanced Skinning Workflow – A new dual quaternion option for smooth skinning, interactive volume binding and enhancements to Paint Skin Weights tool.

Maya 2011 will be available in English and Japanese in April 2010. (SRP) for Autodesk Maya 2011 stand-alone license is 3,495.USD while the (SRP) for the upgrade is 1,745.USD.

You can check out some features on Autodesk’s YouTube channel here.

While we cannot divulge the particular developer in question, the major software company has a unique and particular relationship with Apple, one that goes back years and years. We can tell you this: we are not talking about Adobe. 

This note strongly suggested that the release of this new bit 64-bit based software is currently aiming at a June time-frame, timed to coincide with Apple’s worldwide developers conference (WWDC 2009). Apple’s conference is slated for June 8-12, 2009. 

Snow Leopard, New UI and Beating Windows 7

Interestingly, this news come at a time when AppleInsider just reported that Apple is close to unveiling its guarded Snow Leopard user interface overhaul. Jobs originally told WWDC attendees and the press that Apple was just focusing on non-UI based improvements for Snow Leopard, but the company has been secretly working on a brand new UI since the beginning.

Apple is apparently very close to preparing this new UI for broader consumption now, and a two-month window is probably an unnecessary amount of time to prep for WWDC for just the UI–especially given that the company has reportedly been working on the new user interface improvements from the very beginning of this release cycle.

With a major developer hoping and thinking they can release their Snow Leopard-based product in the June time-frame, and Apple apparently ready to go with a new UI, it seems reasonable that perhaps Apple will have Snow Leopard on store shelves within days of WWDC. If so the company will have all summer to drum up excitement and press coverage on Snow Leopard before Microsoft releases Windows 7 in perhaps as early as this Fall.

However, of particular note from the latest Wanatchee build was the “requiremen” for Mac OS X Leopard (10.5.5). Architosh was interested to find out why only Leopard was now supported and learned it had something to do with 64-bit support and user interface APIs.

Rhino to be full 64-bit Application

“I would answer the ‘Why Leopard?’ question differently than Bob did,” said Marlin Prowell, a McNeel software developer working on the Mac version. “Rhino is not yet, but will in the near future become a 64-bit application. Both Windows and Mac Rhino users attempt models that do not fit [into] a 32-bit [memory] address space,” explains Prowell.

Rhino, like many other 3D CAD and CAID (computer-aided design) software applications, is being utilized more and more by users who are pushing the envelope with models with huge geometry data sets. Today’s workstations hold vast amounts of storage and have the multi-core processors (often up to 8 cores) to throw at these large models. What users are routinely running into are the memory limits. 32-bit applications (and systems) can only address 4GB of memory. (ed. note: a really good read on this limitation can be found here). 

Leopard’s 64-bit Goodies

“Leopard is the first OS X version that supports a 64-bit GUI application,” continues Marlin Prowell, “So, to ship a 64-bit version of Rhino, we must require Leopard at a minimum.” 

“Although the current version of Mac Rhino is not [yet] 64-bit, I have been adding some of the user-interface [goodies] that take advantage of Leopard’s capabilities,” says Prowell. Such Leopard UI-goodness in the very lastest Wanatchee build for Mac include the Leopard HUD panels (the transparent black head’s-up dialogs) that many Mac Leopard users are familiar with in tools like Apple’s free iPhoto and tools like Aperture. 

Yet while McNeel has begun in earnest to finally start work on a native Mac OS X interface for Rhino Mac beta, it was working on the foundation of the program for all users (Windows users included) that was the real requirement driving Leopard exclusivity.

As Marlin Prowell notes, “The real motivation was laying the groundwork for 64-bit Rhino.”

CINEMA 4D AE R11 – What’s New

New in C4D AE R11 is a new Global Illumination renderer. This rendering improvement means perfect natural lighting without the need to add additional light sources. C4D AE R11 offers seamless model data exchange between Allplan, ArchiCAD and Vectorworks. Round-trip functionality means no loss of data or geometric distortion. General improvements include:

• 64-bit support on Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
• 3D mice support for Mac OS X
• COLLADA import/export
• Projection Man: highend 3D matte painting toolset
• User-specific configuration files are saved to the user folder
• Integration of sound into renderered animations (videos)
• keyboard key choice can be configured to simulate right-mouse on Mac OS X

C4D AE R11 - Imported model from ArchiCAD 12

64-bits is More Power

Autodesk cites beta testers claims of significant improvements in the areas of performance and stability. The support of 64-bit operating systems means applications can access literally thousands of gigabytes by breaking the 4 GB barrier.

Memory intensive tasks in BIM include things like rendering, printing, model upgrading and file importing and exporting processes.

“With 64-bit Revit Architecture we can completely load a very large project into a session and work on it at one time; and that is something that represents a significant efficiency improvement over the 32-bit environment,” said Lonnie Cumpton, Revit task force manager for the Friedmutter Group. “For example, we have a large project that consists of 2.9 gigabytes of Revit data contained in 22 individual files. With 64-bit Revit Architecture we can link all the pieces together into one big model and cut an entire building section to gain an understanding from a section elevation standpoint of the entire project at one time. Using 32-bit Revit Architecture we’d have to cut individual pieces of sections in each model and then piece them back together. It took us a day to do that. Now we can do it in less than an hour.”

“We’ve been beta testing the 64-bit Revit Structure software and the increases in efficiency and productivity are impressive,” said Jamie Richardson, Associate & CAD manager, Ericksen Roed & Associates. “Cutting sections and switching between views is much faster. Moving within the views and rotating the model in a 3D view is also noticeably faster and smoother. With what we have seen in our beta testing, and what we’re hearing from users testing the beta on their current projects, we see no reason not to go to the 64-bit version of Revit Structure.”

The English language version of Revit 64-bit versions are available now. Other languages will be released at a later date.

“We’re very excited to hear our beta testers report stunning performance gains with the native 64-bit versions of the Revit software applications,” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, Autodesk AEC Solutions. “Breaking the four gigabytes RAM barrier is an important milestone, which helps our customers experience the power of BIM in even their largest projects.”

To learn more visit: www.autodesk.com

The report notes that the CAD industry has been undergoing a remarkable renaissance over the last five years as a result of several factors. Most notable among these are hardware advances such as 64-bit computing, multi-core processors in the mainstream and a broadening acceptance of 3D techniques.

Revenue and Growth

According to JPR’s research, CAD software vendors saw combined revenues of $5.2 billion (USD) in 2007 globally. The CAD software market grew by an astounding 20% in 2007 compared to 2006. Despite a very poor US economy and the threat of US recession, the CAD industry will continue its positive economic trend and will grow to over $6 billion (USD) in 2008. Looking out five years the global CAD software market will reach and exceed $8.2 billion (USD).

The Mac in Global CAD

The 2008 CAD Report contains a section on CAD for the Mac. Revenues and share of CAD on Apple’s Mac platform remains modest overall and are concentrated around more creative disciplines and market sectors, principally in the AEC subset.

The market looks at the industry from two major subsets: Mechanical/Manufacturing and AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction).

The Macintosh CAD market exceeded $122 million (USD) in 2007. The German company Nemetschek, which has acquired Graphisoft (ArchiCAD) and previously has owned Nemetschek North America (VectorWorks) owns most of the market for Macintosh CAD.

2D and 3D

In 2007 the worldwide installed base of CAD users reached 5.31 million. In 2007 the majority of CAD users (63%) are still working in 2D, while 37% work in 3D. However, revenues for 3D CAD surpassed 2D CAD taking 53% of the market. This trend will continue but JPR makes note that not all 2D CAD users will make a transition to 3D CAD.

In some cases a transition from 2D to 3D CAD means a change of job description. However, those 2D CAD users who do make the transition to 3D can expect to see increased job prestige and increased income.

The JPR report also notes that there is a trend for CAD software companies to decrease the price of 2D only CAD programs and that there is a slow encroachment of 2D CAD programs offered for free by companies hoping to woo 2D users to their 3D products.

Obtaining the 2008 CAD Report

The 2008 CAD Report is available from Jon Peddie Research now and is priced at $5,000 for a single license and $7,500 for a site wide license. The table of contents is available online for viewing here. For more information go to: www.jonpeddie.com