Architosh Staff ([email protected])

4 June 2004

 

Mac 3D News: Strata 3D CX, EIAS 5.5 for OS X and Amapi News...

Strata Ships Strata 3D CX - Connects to Adobe and Adds Muscle

Strata says its 500,000-plus installed base gets major upgrade with new Strata 3D CX product. The legendary Mac-first developer has come out with a new version of their flagship product that focuses on improving the 3D work toolset for designers and other 3D artists. CX focuses on new improved workflow enhancements, powerful new modeling tools and image production technology.

Strata 3D CX offers designers and illustrators significant workflow enhancements by linking to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator (Nasdaq:ADBE). Photoshop files can be read in as live-link textures; if the user changes the Photoshop document the Strata surface texture updates automatically. Also, rendered images can be output to Photoshop compatible transparency data. Native CS, PDF and EPS files can also be brought in and expanded to 3D geometry.

New modeling tools focus on polysplines and Meld. Polysplines are subdivision surface technology allowing the user to push and pull a surface to create virtually any shape imaginable. Meld causes two or more objects to melt together as if they were made of mercury, to form metasurfaces. Strata has always had excellent rendering technology and improvements in this department include new support for HDRI (High Dynamic Range Images) which can be used in textures or as Lightdomes to light a 3D scene. Also, Strata's well regarded Raydiosity render engine has taken another leap forward with improved speed and accuracy to generate true light-energy based images.

For more information go to: www.strata.com

Electric Image Animation System 5.5

Electric Image is now known as EI Technology Group, LLC, and its latest version has been re-titled Electric Image Animation System 5.5. Version 5.5 is the upgrade to Universe 5.0 which Architosh reviewed not too long ago. EIAS 5.5 now comes with no Modeler application. The company has ceased development of Modeler due to licensing issues with some of its core modeling technology and is now focused on developing new modeling technology to be integrated directly into Electric Image Animation System in the future. Currently, existing customers can continue to use Modeler from previous versions with the latest EIAS 5.5. Additionally, the EI Technology Group is bundling a new modeling application called Silo with the new EIAS 5.5; however, there is no Macintosh version of Silo completed. Silo for Mac OS X is currently in active development.

EIAS 5.5 - What's New

The company is again claiming astonishing speed improvements to an already renowned industry leading rendering engine. EIAS has historically produced some of the most gorgeous and realistic renderings ever seen. Much of the scenery and architectural work in Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom of the Menace, was produced with Electric Image on Macintosh.

Significant improvements have been made to speed, reflection and refraction caustics, direct support of the GlobeCaster and GrangerFX file formats, as well an array of new tools. There is a complete list of new tools and features in PDF format on the EIAS 5.5 website, as well as a very nice realistic architectural rendering. Visit this page here.

Eovia Releases Fantastic New Amapi 7 Pro with Advanced Modeling and Construction History Features

Eovia in May released Amapi 7 Pro. The newest version of Amapi now comes with a fully customizable and industry standard user interface (full tool palette display mode). This should please many observers of this application that often thought its unorthodox but inventive UI was too weird to take seriously. Now users can work with a full array of tool palettes in a more conventional interface layout.

Amapi 7 Pro offers industry-leading advanced modeling features at this price range, including a comprehensive high-end NURBS kernel and editable dynamic construction history -- something only found in applications costing thousands of dollars more. Amapi 7 Pro is an ideal application for industrial and product designers on the Mac OS X platform who can benefit from the systematic ability to try design options out with its dynamic construction history features. Additionally, architects, civil engineers and landscape architects will find Amapi 7 Pro very suitable for numerous modeling challenges requiring advanced NURBS surfaces modeling which can be put to use on items such as modern architecture, concrete bridge design, free-form structures, and buildings with curved roofs (such as tent structures) and advanced curved facade systems.

Amapi 7 Pro also supports dozens of industry file formats including import/export to leading data exchange file formats such as advanced IGES and Autocad DWG.

For a limited time Eovia is running a special on Amapi 7 Pro just for Architosh readers, which can save over $115.USD on the new Amapi 7 Pro.

There is a free Amapi 7 Pro trial demo for Mac OS X and Windows which we encourage readers to take for a spin.

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