Tidbits: Nvidia, Cheetah 3D, Dosch and Vectorworks

Cheetah 3D Contest

Cheetah 3D has announced its 4th official Cheetah 3D modeling and rendering contest. The contest got underway on November 4th but runs through 23 November 2008. This time it is a Games Heroes modeling contest. 

Contestants are welcome to submit any type of game hero. If it is a soldier, a robot or a spaceship…that’s up to you. The prizes are very nice. First place winner will garner an Apple iPhone Basic + Unity Indie. A second place winner will earn Unity Indie and a final third place winner will earn a one-year subscription to 3D World magazine. For contest rules go here.

Dosch – Latest Releases

Dosch has released several new CD-ROMs for 3D content, including Dosch 3D: Concept Cars 2009, Dosch Viz-Images: DVI Complete 43 and Dosch Move Clips: Move-Clips Complete 10. Some of these products ship on a USB hard drive while others are on standard DVD or CD-ROM. 

Vectorworks Architecture Firm Shook Kelly Wins AIA North Carolina Award

Nemetschek North America has announced that Vectorworks-based and North Carolina architecture firm, Shook Kelly, has won AIA North Carolina, Firm of the Year award. Shook Kelly is both an architecture firm and a branding agency, a unique pairing of focuses and talents that the firm promotes as Perception Design. Shook Kelly has offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, Chicago and Los Angeles. 

In other Vectorworks news, localized version of Vectorworks 2009 are now available in European markets. 

Nvidia Redefines Pro-Graphics for Small Form Factors

Though not directly relevant to Mac-based CAD and 3D users, Nvidia has announced the launch of the Nvidia Quadro FX 470, which is the first integrated motherboard with professional Quadro GPU technology built right in. Built for both entry-level and small form factors, the new board comes in two flavors, the Quadro FX 470 and the FX 370. 

Nvidia Quadro FX 470/370 Integrated Graphics Boards

The new solutions are designed to get highend graphics in the hands of more users.  This approach is interesting for several reasons related to Apple. Such new technology may find its way into systems designed for highend iMacs or smaller form-factor Mac Pros in the future.