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.

Artlantis 4 is an advanced and efficient renderer that gives its users tools for creating photo-realistic 3D projects. The software interfaces with the leading top CAD and BIM programs used by architects and supports a wide variety of file formats, including DXF, DWG, OBJ, 3DS and FBX. Available in two main versions, Artlantis offers a product line suited to different needs and practices. Artlantis Render is developed for design professionals (architects, interior designers, urban planners, landscapers, exhibition organizers, etc.) who need to create very high quality still renderings. Artlantis Studio, on the other hand, not only creates exceptional, high-quality still images, but also offers an enhanced suite of tools to generate dynamic renderings, such as iVisit 3D panoramas, VR objects and animations that provide interactivity with motion through the project.

New Features in Artlantis 4

• iVisit 3D Panoramas (Artlantis Studio only) — create a realistic tour inside your project with multi-node panoramas. Artlantis 4 automatically creates everything you need to view the panoramas. Based on Adobe Flash technology, the player is free of charge and viewable within most popular web browsers. A special tool also allows users to view and share these panoramas on an Apple iPad or iPhone. iVisit 3D is available in two versions (Lite and Pro) from Apple’s App Store. iVisit 3D Lite is free, but is limited to one viewing per day.
• Quality Improvements — a new Radiosity engine improves images for better perception of color, textures and materials. Tone correction is a new post-process tool that allows users to lighten dark images or vice versa. A new Fresnel shader has been added to the library, which is particularly suitable for metallic car bodies. Transparent surfaces and a variety of other edits are now managed more easily in this new version.
• Performance Improvements — renderings are now twice as fast on average, and up to seven times faster if the project users several Neon shaders. In order to better handle large projects, Artlantis is now optimized for 64-bit Macintosh and Windows environments.
• Productivity Improvements — A new horizontal material projection method simplifies working with complex roof surfaces, automatically orienting the direction of all roof textures to line up with soffit edges in one simple step. Batch rendering work can now be reorganized and filtered before the renderings are generated. In the 2D view, a series of duplicated objects can be automatically positioned on the underlying ground surface using gravity.
• New Artlantis Media CDs — There are five new Media Volumes are being released exclusively for Artlantis 4.

To learn more about the new Artlantis 4 visit Abvent’s website online here.

Abvent has recently run a US-based Road Show tour of the latest Artlantis 3 software, touting its superb feature set and combination of power, speed and price. Artlantis 3 works seamlessly with CAD/BIM programs in architecture like ArchiCAD, Revit and Vectorworks Architect. Now graduates have the opportunity to continue to leverage their skill in the professional world.

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

Students must report their student version serial numbers to Artlantis resellers. Only licenses prior to 1 July 2011 are accepted, and older expired serial numbers are also valid provided they did not obtain the license within the framework of another Young Architect program.

Artlantis is the fastest, stand-alone rendering application developed especially for architects and designers. It can produce QuickTime VR panorama movies and fly-thru animations.

To learn more visit here.

AEC Infosystems is an ArchiCAD value-added reseller serving the middle Atlantic region of the US.

Abvent’s New Artlantis Studio – Details

French-based Abvent has been producing Artlantis for years as one of the premier easy-to-use, full-featured rendering programs focused on the needs of architectural professionals. Architosh has covered the Artlantis Road Show in detail in this feature report. There are several images and animations showcasing what the latest Artlantis software can produce.

01 - Artlantis can produce still renderings, animations, and QuickTimeVR panorama and object movies so you can fully immerse yourself inside your creation. The software features plugins for ArchiCAD, Revit and Vectorworks so users can model in their BIM software and then move their models to Artlantis simply for rendering. There is round-trip functionality that enables you to alter the model back in the BIM software and then bring it back to Artlantis without losing valuable rendering settings.

The Road Show features two types of events, including both paid and free. The free event features a general overview session on the Artlantis program and its capabilities, including how it works with other leading BIM/CAD programs such as ArchiCAD, Revit or Vectorworks. The paid sessions are training oriented, open to anyone but ideally suited for advancing the capabilities of existing Artlantis users.

Next up on the Road Show stops are:

• 02 June 2011 – Washington DC: 12:30 – 2:00 PM
• 03 June 2011 – Alexandria, VA: 9:30 – 11:00 AM
• 04 June 2011 – Alexandria, VA: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• 06 June 2011 – Philadelphia: 2:30 – 4:00 PM
• 07 June 2011 – Baltimore: 9:00 – 10:30 AM

To see the whole schedule for more details and to sign up go here and click on schedule on the left.

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.

You can download these plugins for Vectorworks 2010 here: http://www.artlantis.com/index.php?page=download/plugin/index

With these plugins installed into Vectorworks 2010, Artlantis users can export Vectorworks models directly into native Artlantis file format. Artlantis is one of the most popular rendering programs used by ArchiCAD and Vectorworks users worldwide.

To learn more visit: www.artlantis.com

Artlantis 3 and Artlantis Studio 3

Abvent has improved its photo-realistic rendering with an improved radiosity engine which is even faster than the previous version. There is also new management capabilities by layers, better management of media and simplified controls for lighting.

Artlantis 3 has a new transparency slider that works with billboards and plants. There is no longer any need for photo editing. You can now detach elements of the 3D model and keep them as internal components in your 3D scene using the polygon selection tool. With Artlantis 3 you can search for and replace any missing media components on your hard drive, as well as delete them.

Artlantis 3 has a new structure for layers for the management of scene objects, 3D plants, lamps, animated objects and billboards. You can also add or remove your own layers. ArchiCAD users will appreciate the ArchiCAD export plugin which allows you to select the layers you want to export to Artlantis 3.

The brand new radiosity engine is developed specifically for architecture and is both faster and more accurate. Abvent claims no other product on the market matches Artlantis 3’s radiosity engine in rendering speed and precision. Predefined settings for both interior and exterior make setting up scenes much easier for beginners while advanced users will appreciate the “expert” interface.

Now clouds can be animated in Artlantis 3 scenes by activating the wind’s parameters in the heliodon inspector. You can add movement to water with the new Water Shader, adding life to your 3D scenes with animated rivers, lakes, pools and seas.

Artlantis is now compatible with the Autodesk 2010 product line and has numerous import plugins available for many CAD and 3D programs, including ArchiCAD and Vectorworks. There is a new technology for export plugins which opens up options for OBJ, FBX, U3D, DWF and SKP files.

To learn more and see some demo videos visit Artlantis online here.

Get Ready for Your New Job – 2009 ICS Training Camp

The ICS Spring Training Camp offers a spectrum of workshops focused on BIM (Building Information Modeling) with ArchiCAD, modeling with Google SketchUp, and rendering with Abvent’s Artlantis. The schedule includes:

• 24 March 2009: SketchUp Essentials I & II – this beginner/intermediate SketchUp training series teaches you how to build basic 3D models. 6 AIA/CES credits. Register here.
• 25 March 2009: SketchUp Advanced Skills and Google Earth Pro – This two party training introduces advanced SketchUp modeling techniques and features instruction in making good use of Google Earth Pro for powerful visualization. Register here.

Built for Speed

New in version 2.1 is enhanced support for multi-core processors, geometry optimization and an enhancement to light management. These three areas of improvement dramatically decrease render speed times–often as high as 6-8x improvement over the previous 2.0 release. 

Artlantis users will recall that Artlantis 2.0 introduced several innovations to the Mac 3D world, including the concept of automatic light adjustment, allowing for a very realistic simulation of light in the real-time preview window. The new 2.1 version of Artlantis dramatically improves upon these calculations with a special focus on soft shadows, resulting in a faster update of the real-time preview window, and faster computing of the final renderings.

To learn more or get the free download go here: http://www.artlantis.com/

The new Abvent Media CDs include very high quality media for rendering in the form of billboards objects, objects and shaders, all designed to reinforce the quality and realism of your renderings. Besides their own shaders and textures, users may want to also complete their Artlantis library with these complementary CDs.

The Abvent Media CDs include:

• Cultured Stone CD – 118 shaders from namesake company
• Floor Marble CD – 100 beautiful marble shaders
• 2 New 3D Car CDs – 2004 and 2007 model year 3D textured automobiles featuring leading auto brands
• 3D Animated People Casual 5 and 6 CDs – 20 3D human models in casual clothing with 5 pre-calculated behaviors each. Models are optimized for 3000 faces per model.
• Billboard CD – a popular Abvent release featuring 2 CDs with 36 objects each

To learn more about these Media CDs and to acquire them visit:

www.artlantis.com

Nemetschek N.A. has announced that VectorWorks was used to design the stage for the 2008 GRAMMY Celebration for the Recording Academy. The event took place February 10, 2008, in 98,0000 square feet of space in Hall A of the Los Angeles Convention Center for 6000 guests. VectorWorks Designer was used every step of the way from initial concept to the placement of every last chair.

“There’s a lot of teamwork, organized around VectorWorksas the rallying point, for the GRAMMY Celebration,” says Erick Weiss, who orchestrates the event as senior producer for Along Came Mary. “There are many people using VectorWorks and sharing files across a broad range of situations. Each player adds another layer to the master drawing we all work from, and VectorWorks keeps it all together.”

The designs were developed by Los Angeles-based Angel City Designs and Along Came Mary Productions, Inc..

Artlantis – Newest Version Ships This Week

Abvent of France announced this week that the latest version of Artlantis Render and Artlantis Studio has started shipping this week, the highlights of which Architosh broke with last week in this report.

Full radiosity, physical sky, post-processing, new shader editor and animated people are some of the star new features.

“We have kept everything that Artlantis is famous for — it’s ease of use, intuitive interface and, above all, its powerful controls — and we introduced new technologies that work for the user,” stated Frederic Blanc, Artlantis graphic and design manager at Abvent. “Artlantis is unique among rendering software packages in the way it integrates radiosity into a live 3D preview. The 3D model is displayed in real-time using high quality radiosity lighting effects, maintaining an appearance consistent with the final rendering.”

Suggested retail price starts at 495euro for Artlantis Render and 895euro for Artlantis Studio.

To learn more go here: www.artlantis.com

Future Artlantis 2

Abvent’s new webpage for what they are currently calling ARTLANTIS 2 runs off many of the new features we’ll outline below:

• Full Radiosity – A new rendering engine allows accurate radiosity images in real time within the 3D preview window. You can display your 3d model in global illumination.
• Physical Sky – The new version will feature a new “physical sky” allowing for realistic environmental simulation. This includes a sun, a moon, stars and other sky elements — which can all cast light onto the project using GI (global illumination).
• New integrated post-processing – Artlantis will feature more post-processing editing tools, including new options for the setting of luminance, contrast and color index.
• Shader Editor – The new version features an automatic texture definition and shaders have new properties: specular reflection, shiny ness, blur effect, normal mapping, et cetera. And for advanced users they can now create their own shaders through a sophisticated new interface.
• Rich Media – Artlantis 2 will feature animated people (walking, running and dancing. Their clothes can be modified.
• Media CDs – There will be five new CDs with new materials, cars, people (animated also), et cetera.

Artlantis 2 (see Architosh review, Artlantis R, date) looks to be a great update and the rendering sample on this pageshows that. Artlantis is known for its ease-of-use, deep integration with top architectural CAD and modeler programs (there are plugins for ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, SketchUp and more) and it runs superbly on the Mac in addition to Windows. The company says it will be announced soon.

Artlantis is used by over 75,000 professionals worldwide in over 80 countries.

To learn more about Artlantis read our indepth review here or go here: www.artlantis.com

I am wondering if you can provide a little architectural guidance for me. Currently we are putting together a proposal to reconstruct a portion of the retina (the thing at the back of you your eye that does all the computation) with all of the cell types. We are proposing to do this by taking electron microscopy images of serial sections through the retina and digitally registering them to one another to stack them back together in a 3D image or preferably vector space. What we want to do is model these structures using vectors and then label each cell structure according to its metabolic class.

Are there any Mac based architectural packages that will allow us to scan in images and then select portions of those images to create vector objects in 2D space and then reconstruct them in 3D space with labels or properties assigned to them? — Bryan William Jones

Answers

While accurate CAD solutions exist the best solution for this task may indeed by a 3d modeler application. And just from the description it sounds like such 3D constructions of the layered eye may be constructed of layered, extruded polys and possibly rendered in wireframe, hidden-line, or variably transparent polys.

Some solutions that come to mind on the 3D side are FormZ, Strata, LightWave, ZOOM and Artlantis, among others. For accurate 2D conversion of electron microscopy to a CAD program we are at a loss because we don’t fully understand what this might involve; however, VectorWorks as the best overall general Mac 2D/3D CAD program may indeed fit the bill nicely. From there 2D or 3D poly could be moved to a more advanced modeler (FormZ) and then onward to a very powerful renderer or animation package (Strata, Cinema4D, LightWave, Maya, etc.)

To view links to all of these mentioned apps please visit our Digital Practice Guide.

Offering Help: Have Suggestions or Guidance?

If you can help this reader please email him directly by clicking on the following line: Help Bryan – University of Utah School of Medicine

It is great being apart of a helpful Mac community. Thanks in advance.