Smart Chat – tips & news on 3D
News from Smarttec – 3D software, 3D Printers, 3D Scanners for design Professionals
Software for 3D design
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| V-Ray for form·Z is Here! |
| The power of Academy Award winning V-Ray rendering is now available for form•Z. We have integrated V-Ray seamlessly into form•Z so that you will find your way around very quickly and get instant high quality renderings “out of the box”.For more information Click Here.
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We have many resources for leaning how to better use the 3D modular – formZ, one of which is the tutorial loaded here:
CREATING A PADDED CHAIR IN FORMZ
Well, you set me quite a task as I had never used most of the tools required for that exercise – never even looked at some of those pallets in fact.
But, I was determined as I could see value in the shapes being created so I pushed on and produced a reasonable facsimile of the blue chair.
Mine is in tan leather but the details are quite similar.
My beading on the two front panels needs a little more work to be perfect but I think I’ll leave it as it is.
What do you think?
I certainly learned a lot and will put these new (new to me that is) tools to good use in the future.
Thank you for giving me a push in the right direction.
You got me out of my comfort zone and I learned something new and useful. Very much appreciated.
Regards,
RICHARD JOHNSWOOD
Director
JOHNSWOOD CONTRACT FURNITURE PTY LTD 12 HURMAN STREET ADELAIDE SA 5000
web: http://www.johnswood.com.au/ email: richard@johnswood.com.au
Tel 0410 482 672 Builders Lic. BLD178184 ABN 33 008 077 601
V-Ray for formZ is now available for all new old users of formZ by calling us direct or ‘online’ with one of the best implementations yet of V-Ray v3.6 . It will run on all of the latest versions of :
formZ PRO v8.6 ( free download for all current v8.5.7 users available ) upgrades from all previous versions are available here ONLINE UPGRADES. or formZ Jr ( latest version ) The formZ integrated interface allows the easiest set up for high quality rendering ever, with a guide for a great initial result set up automatically.
V-Ray v3.6 implementation Yet below the ‘hood’ is a great range of new options that are part of the new V-Ray v3.6 capability available on other major 3D modellers. You can even open their V-Ray scenes (vrscene files ) or export your scene to be opened in their V-Ray. 
Harbin Opera House – MAD architects modelled and rendered in formZ Some of best 3D modellers use V-Ray for its quality of rendering and rendering speed. V-Ray for formZ now supports all modern CPU, GPU* or Hybrid ( both CPU& GPU ) on either MacOSX ( 10.9.5 and above ) or Windows 7, 8.0/1 and Windows 10 Use it for Architecture rendering, Interiors, Point of Sale mock ups, Trade show stands or Product design. It now renders carpets, fabrics, fur and grass. 
Straight away the rendering is much faster than with RenderZone but it can be accelerated now with the option of using GPU – nVidia CUDA based technology – huge improvements are possible!
Powerful hybrid rendering – You can render on nVidia CUD GPUs – or a combination of both.
Material Library – over 550 realistic physical based materials, such as glass, coated plastics or metals,wood, stone etc.
V-Ray Gras & Fur Realistic Grass, fabrics and carpet are now possible with V-Ray Fur
Denoiser – with V-Ray’s new denoising technology you can automatically eliminate noise and cut render times by up to 50%
Virtual Reality – Verify designs at 1:1 scale in popular VR headsets
Cutaways and Clipper – Render sections and cutaways with ease using the V-Ray Clipper.
Powerful light calculations – V-Ray Adaptive Lights algorithm will speed renders up to 7 times faster on some scenes.
V-Ray Frame Buffer – Fine tune your render colour, exposure
The power of Academy Award winning V-Ray rendering is now available for formZ. We have integrated V-Ray seamlessly into formZ so that you will find your way around very quickly and get instant high quality renderings “out of the box”.
“V-Ray for formZ brings 3D models to life with ease and agility. The unprecedented integration with V-Ray allows for rendering and lighting to be an integral part of the formZ design process, not just a final step. We are so excited to add this powerful tool to the form•Z product lineup and we cannot wait to see the wonderful creations it fosters!”
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The current private beta release of Vray v3.6 is getting ready for a Public Beta release after some awesome results and examples from formZ users.
We are hoping to have a releasable public version in a few weeks.
Are you ready? We are and we believe we have what will be the next most valuable tool in your digital toolbox!
Some first facts:
1. V-Ray for formZ is running on both WIN and OSX.
2. We are requiring that you have the latest version of formZ 8.5.
3. V-Ray for the most part will need the same machine specifications as you need for formZ itself. If you have more CPU power and RAM that’s fine too. If you have a ‘Cuda’ based GPU cards then bring it on!
4. We are going to be looking for images and projects to share as part of our marketing efforts. What ever you can share with us we’d appreciate it.
5. This is Beta software. Although we recognize it as a stable release please use caution when using the plugin. Work on files that you know you have backed up or that you will not risk your livelihood on.
If you’re interested please drop us an email at vray@formz.com with examples of your best rendering work. If you can give us an idea of the amount of time you think you can dedicate to testing on a weekly basis that would be helpful too.
Watch this space for latest updates.
from Ben / Pylon Technical
The Maxwell Render 4.1 release is a big one. If you haven’t updated to Maxwell 4 yet, now is the time.
If you are an existing customer, and want to upgrade your Maxwell Render 3.2.1.5 for any modeller at here. Just pick your 2 plugins ( Studio can be one choice )
If you’re new to Maxwell and want to kick the tyres first, download a trial copy. Please come back here and we can help with your new version.
Please note: The following is oriented to the formZ implementation.
DENOISER
There’s now an integrated denoiser. When enabled, there will be NO noise in your final rendering. This means Maxwell-quality renderings in a fraction of the time it took previously – in either CPU Production or GPU mode. Expect 2x – 8x faster architectural visualizations.
Denoiser Video Tutorial in Studio (Click CC button for English subtitles)
LIGHT MIXER
Next up, we have a new Light Mixer. When used in conjunction with Fire, you can interactively fine-tune the contribution of all lights and emitter materials in your scene from one convenient panel. It’s a lot like Multilight, inside formZ.
LIGHT GROUPS
Maxwell for formZ supports formZ Light groups both in the Light Mixer and in Multilight. Intensity-override groups are represented as a single slider in both environments.
ONLINE MATERIALS
Using materials from the online materials database in formZ is now just a click away.
Referenced MXM controls in formZ
NEW MATERIAL TYPES
Xrite AxF and TableBRDF material types are now supported directly by the plugin.
RELEASE NOTES
Changes
• Integrated Denoiser support. (Maxwell Options > Engine tab)
• New Light Mixer for interactively balancing intensity of lights, light groups, onf material emitters. (Extensions > Maxwell Render > Light Mixer…)
• formZ Light Group support: All lights in a formZ light group with intensity override are now represented by a single Multilight slider. (Enable in Maxwell Options > Translate tab)
• Improved access to MXM file browser. (Material Parameters > Maxwell Representation > Referenced MXM option)
• Improved access to online MXM gallery browser. (Material Parameters > Maxwell Representation > Referenced MXM option)
• Direct support for X-Rite AxF Materials (Material Parameters > Maxwell representation).
• Direct support for TableBrdf Materials (Material Parameters > Maxwell representation).
• Support for rendering with the number of available logical processors, minus a specified number. (Set a negative number in Maxwell Options > Engine Tab > CPU Threads)
• Plugin now uses central Maxwell installation.
• Update to the Maxwell 4.1 engine.
Fixes
• Grass Modifiers using formZ material option now restored correctly on open.
• Denoiser At Each SL/At End parameter now correctly saved in project.
form•Z Fundamentals Training Course
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Learn the best 3d modeling program for architecture and design.
Longtime form•Z user Evan Troxel has created an amazing new way to learn 3D modeling with form•Z. Whether it’ll be your first time opening the program, or your 300th, you’ll learn techniques that will ensure your success in building and visualizing the best 3d models you’ve ever made. Using the powerful tools form•Z puts at your fingertips, you’ll be inspired and ready to make more great designs with your newfound skills and tools.
This course has more than 6 hours of form•Z video training. Unlimited viewing allows you to watch the videos at your own pace and use them as reference for years to come.
As a special introductory offer Evan is offering $100.00 off the course thorough April 21st. Click here for details and to view a few sample lessons.
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On a regular basis we have people and companies from around Australia approach us to 3D print scale models of their buildings, developments and projects. The results are very impressive and we often get positive feedback from our clients including hotel developers in Brisbane pitching to investors, apartment planners in Sydney looking to better understand their space and an Architect in Melbourne who uses 3D Printing to show clients his plans and drawings. However there is usually more preparation that goes into these models than most but done properly you’ll be wowing your audience and giving them a real foundation to see the projects potential .
Below we’ll run through common issues and how to get a well priced robust model from your current full scale (1:1) CAD models.
The first step taken is usually for you to internally decide on a budget, as downstream this will affect the size of the models and therefore to what degree the files may need to be adjusted to account for small details.
As a guideline on 3D Printing costs:
The reason for the variation in cost depends mainly on how much material your part will use, how much machine space it occupies and how risky it is to print. The larger the part the more this has an effect.
You can optimise the cost with the following techniques :
With a budget in mind we can work out how to get the largest scale for your structure whilst coming in at/under cost. The size is one of the most important factors and is influenced by price, however other considerations are detail sizes, maximum printable size, orientation and likeliness to warp/deform due to thermal stress.
Min. Detail Sizes
In almost all architectural jobs we’ve done the original files need to be modified to account for details that become too small to print when scaled down from the full size. Anything under 1mm at printed size has a risk of being broken during the cleaning of the parts, so if something is 10mm thick full scale then at 1:10 scale it will be 1mm which is fine, though at 1:20, 1:100, 1:200 etc scale then this becomes undersize. The common workarounds to this are either to remove it all-together if they are ‘nice to have’ but not ‘need to have’ details, or to thicken/exaggerate the details at full size so that when they are scaled down they are thick enough to print.
Particular features to keep an eye on are stairs, balustrades and railings, pipes, windows etc.
Max. Printable Size
The largest we can print in one go is 340 x 340 x 580mm so the model will either need to be smaller than that or split into sections. If you are wanting to do a development for example try splitting it into lots.
If a part is too large to print in one piece it’ll need to be sectioned into smaller pieces which can be printed and assembled afterwards.
It’s best to try avoid cutting the part on a uniform section where a join line will be obvious, aim to cut it somewhere more obscure or somewhere that will be covered by something else.
Shelling a model is an important step in aiding it’s printability, it will also help reduce cost. The idea of shelling something is basically to preserve the outward appearance of the building etc, though inside is completely hollow and featureless. If you do want interior detail like rooms, fittings, furniture etc then you can include this and an alternative is to have the roof separate so that you are not trapping large quantities of loose powder inside.
The following was a tutorial is about creating a padded chair in formZ that was recently uploaded on the formZ forum/Tutorials page in response to a question raised on how to model this particular type of chair.
So one of the formZ forum members (FZnoob) took up the challenge and he said it was best to use the Sub-D’s toolset. So If you go through these instructions any user of formZ PRO 8.5 will be able to see the power of these tools to generate a very close likeness.
What do you think?
The next phase is completing the padded back cushions.
Chair tutorial pt2
Final Part 3 fitting the curved cushioned back rest and rendering formZ PRO RenderZone 8.5
Chair tutorial pt3
Troy Design Media is an experienced 3D Visualisation company using formZ 3D modeller as well as Maxwell Render to produce the following great images. Troy has 15 + years of experience in architectural 3D visualisation with companies as large as Meriton Properties in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast to smaller bespoke design/visualisation projects.
After spending 4 years at the University of Canberra studying Industrial Design full-time, Troy Bray his began working career as a technical illustrator with the NSW Fire Brigades for the Training Manual Project Team. Drawing became his unique passion and then his aspirations evolved which secured him a role with Meriton Apartments as a Graphic Designer. His duties included designing marketing collateral, in-house presentations and DA submission boards for all of their building projects.
After 2 years with Meriton he then travelled abroad and supervised a team of ten architectural illustrators in China. As a team they secured international work supplied by developers for Commercial and Residential Building Developments. As Creative Director he instructed the team to produce world class illustration and marketing collateral for their clients across the globe. His time in China was productive and cemented his position in the architectural industry.
After returning to Australia, Troy grew a Freelance business over the next ten years securing work all over Sydney. As a part – time endeavour Troy taught his design expertise at Enmore Design College to the Design and Entertainment students using packages in Adobe Creative Suite and Form Z – 3D. During his time as a freelancer he has designed a number of retail outlets including a Dessert Shop, Beauty Salons and a number of office fit outs.
His latest interest which spans outside of the architectural industry includes Game Design for mobile and tablet devices. He continues his pursuit in the architectural design industry offering first class solutions to complex problems and is always available for suitable positions that are of significant interest.
Troy Bray
t: 0411 377 048
Here are just a couple of examples using formZ 8.5 and Maxwell Render 3.2.
