Release date for new Thea Render Engine public beta..when?

Ioannis Pantazopoulos, Thea's developer has mentioned that...."The open public beta starts in 2 weeks from now and it will be half price. The application is already at production status when it comes to rendering stills and you will be able to purchase right from day one with a 50% discount"...so we are looking at possibly the third week in March. Can't wait! Here is their Homepage..

Great new free plugin for ZBrush

The plugin is called UVmaster. With UVmaster you can quickly create high quality and artist-friendly UV maps.
It will unwrap your model's UVs in a way that's easily understood by the human eye and without texture distortion. It's incredibly fast, with results so clean that you can paint on the unwrapped model in a 2D image editor of your choice. Watch the video and read more here...

Is this the future of 3D architectural visualization?

The company Zebra Imaging 3D have developed a new and innovative way of displaying 3d models, and you don't need a computer! They are using thin holographic sheets to display the 3D images. They can make these plastic tiles1' sq. up to Arch D (2'x3') so in fact you could display a complete cityscape on the large one or a small simple model on a small tile depending on your needs. Somehow I am not sure that this is going to replace a real physical 3D model, though it is quite an interesting concept. Read more here...in the mean time check out their video.

Holographic Architectural Imaging by Zebra from Core77 on Vimeo.

February's edition of the Google Earth Sightseer newsletter is out now

All the news on whats new with Google Earth. Here's what they are reporting on -

• Vancouver 2010
• New and Updated Imagery
• More Cities in 3D
• New Ocean Showcase
• Liquid Galaxy 
• More Google Earth Heroes
• Special Report - Haiti Earthquake 
• Where in the World? 

   
Find all the information here in their newsletter...

Pushpullbar closed for site maintenance

We are hearing that the pushpullbar forum is closed due to site maintenance and upgrade at the moment. They are saying to expect about a week before they are online again. There were a few issues but they are being resolved and they should be up and running soon.

Google's Model Your Town - one week left to enter

A quick reminder that there is only one week left to get your entries in. See here for more details at the official Google SketchUp Blog, hurry hurry hurry! Entry form here...

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Two new mini tutorials by Jim Leggitt on our mother site..

We have two new tutorials by architect,author and professional illustrator Jim Leggitt on our tutorial site. Jim has done a great job with these.

The feedback is very positive too, here is what one of our many readers says about Jim's tutorial.." Excellent tutorial and very easy to understand, undoubtedly it will help us to improve the views of our perspectives"  by Fernando Corrales
See more here Creating Perspectives and Perspective Drawing. Also check out all of Jim's tutorials and some of our others in our tutorial section.

Blender 2.5 Alpha 1 release out now

Statement from their homepage..
'The Blender Foundation and online developer community is proud to present Blender 2.5 Alpha 1. This release is the second official testing release of the Blender 2.5 series, representing the culmination of many years of redesign and development work'

Read more here and download...

All New 3D Challenge is back and coming soon!

Open to to anyone, the new SketchUp 3D Challenge is coming soon, so stay tuned and watch out for the announcements.

Follow this link here and make sure to read the challenge guidelines at the bottom of the page.

New version of Modelur - a parametric urban design tool for SketchUp

Updated version of Modeler, the parametric urban design tool for SketchUp has been announced by Jernej Vidmar of the Modeler Development Team.  There have been some new improvements including:

• faster .skp Modelur model loading times
• optimization of urban control value calculations
• improved built area calculation
• Chinese translation of user interface

New version is available for both Windows (SketchUp 6 and 7) and Mac (SKetchUp7) operating systems. Read more here..

SketchUp Podium V2 beta 2 has been released

SketchUp Podium V2 beta 2, which is now called Beta34, because it's the 34th build, has been released.

The Podium team are looking to release Beta3 by the end of February or early March. Mac port will soon follow once they complete beta. Read more here ...

Jefferson's Bookstand - SketchUp Tutorial - Workflow Example

Forward by author and modeler David Richards - 

There are a lot of ways to approach drawing a model in SketchUp. I think most users develop a work flow that works for them. Recently I've spoken with several woodworkers who have told me their workflow isn't working for them. They struggle with things like how to accurately place elements in the model and when to make components They asked me for another demonstration showing how I go about these things. Recently there's also been some interest in Thomas Jefferson's bookstand. I've been looking at it, too. It's become another project on my long list of projects. After doing a bit of research, I decided I'd model it. I hope this is helpful.

See the full 1/2 hour video tutorial here...

LinceoVR 3.3 Augmented Reality Realtime Rendering is Released

LinceoVR 3.3 augmented reality and realtime rendering software is out now. This software supports realtime rendering, realtime raytracing and augmented reality.

There is a free student edition available as well. See more here.....

The Top 8 Free Online Image Editors

While these free online image editors won’t have the extensive capabilities of Photoshop, this list of the top eight image editing web apps will likely offer more features than necessary for most people in most instances.

 See the list here......

The Google Mapper and Modeler Summit 2010

The Google SketchUp folks have decided to have a mini-conference that will bring 2D and 3D geo-content creators together for the first time: The 2010 Google Mapper/Modeler Summit is going to take place on March 22 and 23 in Zurich, Switzerland. They are keeping the attendance small (fewer than a hundred people) to encourage conversations and dialog. In the same vein, the format for the event will be "unconference" -- specific session topics will be decided at the Summit, by the attendees themselves. See more here...

New Version of LightUp (v1.8) with the first in a series of GPU-based features.

The new release of LightUp (v1.8) is now available, in demo and retail form.
LightUp for SketchUp is a SketchUp plugin that adds realistic, realtime lighting to your sketchup models. Add lights, add windows, and watch your SketchUp scenes glow with gorgeous reflected light, soft shadows, subtle shading. Gone are the flat, boring surfaces of old.

There are some new features including, once the render is complete you can adjust Exposure, Contrast, Saturation and Temperature all inside SketchUp during real-time navigation. Real time Bloom can be adjusted to control the softness of the image. See here for details.

Aviary, "Adobe alternative" suite of online tools for digital creators

As the title says, and its now all free! It has a suite of  seven different tools.

Photo-editing, logos, web templates, filters, color palettes, screen capture and much much more.
Try it out and let us know how you got on with it. Find Aviary here...

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Creating Panoramas in SketchUp and Pano2VR - by Scott Onstott

Read this great tutorial on creating panoramas using Google SketchUp and Pano2VR.

As Scott states "Interactive panoramas are a compelling web technology that gives the viewer a better sense of space compared to a static photo. In this article, I'll show you how easy it is to create this type of interactive experience starting with either a 3D model or a panoramic photo using Garden Gnome Software's Pano2VR image converter for Windows/Mac/Linux". See the full tutorial here......

New Product Release V-Ray for SketchUp for Mac OS & PC its Out Now!

Its out now, we like to be the first to let you know!

Compatible with the Mac OS platform for the first time, this release adds IES lights, spotlights, faster parsing times and much more, giving any Google SketchUp user the ability to create high quality, photorealistic renderings even faster.  And this is where you find it V-Ray for SketchUp...

Book Review - Jim Leggitt's Drawing Shortcuts

Check out this book review by Nigel Gough ASAI, AAAI on Jim Leggitt's new book.

“Drawing Shortcuts” is not only a great “how to” book, but it also addresses this very question. It reinforces the notion that the hand drawn line is still relevant and exciting in the practice of architecture, that the ongoing success of yesterdays purely ”traditional” architectural artists can be seen in their ability to reinvent themselves, applying well honed skills in new ways to address a changing market, and at the same time to be innovative and integrate new technology.
Read the rest of the review here.

AutoDesSys Releases the Exciting 3D Modeling Application Bonzai3d 2.0

Bonzai3d 2.0 looks very promising as AutoDesSys release their latest version of this 3D modeling software. It is very similar to SketchUp's work flow with a great selection of tools. You can render models with AutoDesSys own software, animate and do construction drawings, fabrication and rapid prototyping with 3D printing.

See their demo videos here and make your own mind up, I think they are on to a winner with this!

Extreme SketchUp Modeling and Maxwell Renders by Jacques Cleghorn

The Making of Black Hawk by Jacques Cleghorn and his Maxwell renders will take your breath away. The Black Hawk is the Army’s front-line utility helicopter used for air assault, air cavalry and aeromedical evacuation units.

Jacques has pushed SketchUp to the limits with this model. His patience and natural talent has astounded us. If you want to see and read more drop in here to be blown away. You'll be amazed!

ASGVIS Announces Release Date for the New V-Ray for SketchUp PC/Mac

Baltimore, MD - February 3, 2010 - ASGVIS, providing innovative visualization software and services to create photorealistic 3D images and animations, today announced February 10 as the official release date for the new V-Ray for SketchUp for both Mac and PC platforms. Read more here..

New renderer Thea Render nearing public beta!

The much anticipated renderer Thea Render will be going public soon and we will certainly be the first to let you know about it. As explained on their website - "Thea Render is a new physically-based renderer with the unique ability of producing both biased and unbiased photorealistic renders, using state-of-the-art and in-house developed techniques. It comes with a rich set of standard and innovative features, a powerful material layer system never seen before in another renderer, and its own advanced standalone studio"
Some of the images coming out of the forum by their beta testers are quite astounding.
Here's an image of a Thea render by Pete Stoppel and the SketchUp model is by Eric Lay of a crazy aircraft modeled for fun.

Developer Ioannis Pantazopoulos says they had to move their opening date from the 15th Dec as they are working on the website and still tweaking things at the moment but are confident that the new engine will go public very soon.
He stated " After years' of development, we are really close now to going public.  The delay will be only a short one".
The great news is that it will be possible to purchase Thea Render in a promotional price (50% discount), during both open beta phase and official release during the first month. So stay posted for the release date!
Heres's the link to the Thea Homepage..

News Flash! IRender nXt Rendering Contest

AL Hart has started this new exciting rendering contest over at Irender and its open to all! - you do not need to own IRender nXt, they will provide a free copy during the contest.
It starts on Feb 3, 2010, and will run until February 23, 2010. Results will be announced on March 15, 2010. 

 

First Prize

• NetBook - Samsung NC10 or Toshiba NB205 - Value $334.00, or
• Render Plus Combo Pack, including IRender nXt - the premier rendering product for SketchUp - value $549.00. 

Second Prize

• Spyder 3 Pro mouse - value $139.00, or
• IRender nXt - the premier rendering product for SketchUp - Value $449.00. 

Third Prize

• Vis Tablet - value $100.00, or
• nXtRender - quality SketchUp rendering at an affordable price - Value $99.00.

Here is the link to the contest and good luck!

SketchUp 7.1 Now in Nine Different Languages!

As of the 29th Jan 2010 SketchUp ver.7.1 is available in nine different languages.
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.
Google SketchUp hope to have many more on the way soon and are working hard to get the job done quickly says John Bacus, Product Manager.

Tips and Tricks

Don't forget to check out our tips and tricks section. Great content which will help you speed up your daily workflow.

 

Hers's the link to our  Tips & Tricks section.