F1 Books and Informatix Software International Limited are pleased to announce the release of Mastering Piranesi Version 4, a tutorial guide to all of Piranesi’s tools, features, and effects.

Mastering Piranesi Version 4 provides clearly detailed and illustrated exercises on all tools and features of Piranesi, including painting methods, blending, render actions, style libraries, textures, fades, and lighting. The book also features a chapter on Principles of Composition contributed by Susan Sorger of Entourage Arts, and another chapter contributed by two professional renderers (Wang Wang and Marco Crawford), describing their favourite Piranesi techniques. Printed in high-quality colour, the book is 368 pages long and is spiral-bound for easy viewing.

Author Bonnie Roskes of F1 Books says, "I enjoyed writing this book because Piranesi is great fun to work with. I hope to convey to my readers new ideas and techniques that will enable them to easily create renderings they never thought possible without actual paints and brushes."

Brian Woodward, Managing Director of Informatix, adds, "Our users have been wanting a book like this for a long time now, and we strongly recommend it to anyone who has Piranesi and wants to use it even more imaginatively."

Mastering Piranesi Version 4 is available on the F1 Books website, and is available from many Piranesi resellers as well.

 

The AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition is the premier event for architects and building industry professionals, Los Angeles Convention Center, June 8-10.

Come and see Piranesi and MicroGDS at booth 4161 and take advantage of the special offers there.

For more information about the convention visit www.aiaconvention.com

 

The International Builders' Show in Orlando, Florida, is the largest annual light construction show in the world – over 1.5 million square feet of the latest and most advanced building products and services ever assembled.

Come and see Piranesi and Sketchup working together on Booth W4494.

For more information about the show see the International Builders' Show website.

 

We may be in the computer age, but there are still a lot of paper drawings out there. And even when drawings are available in electronic form, there are many possibilities for raster and vector formats. This can be a nightmare for companies which have to maintain archives of drawings from many sources. Two Cambridge UK software development teams have joined forces to help out a leading international insurance company that has exactly this problem.

Softcover International Ltd develops Scan2CAD for capturing a drawing in raster format, editing it, and converting it fully or partly into vectors and text. Just down the road from them in Cambridge, Informatix Software International produce MicroGDS which can structure and edit vector based drawings, with an option to overlay the vectors on raster data. When Scan2CAD and MicroGDS were connected together, the two products fitted perfectly to give the user exactly the flexibility and workflow needed.

Chris Russon of Informatix explains: "Our client has around 350,000 drawings in various formats, with new projects arriving at a rate of up to 500 a week. At that volume, it is essential to find the optimum approach to converting and maintaining the drawings. Some parts of the drawing - such as fire equipment and hazards - are highly significant and need to be converted into an intelligent representation. Field operatives and specialist assessors need to mark-up the drawings. On the other hand it is not necessary or cost-effective to convert the whole of each drawing to vector format."

In a recent major purchase, Scan2CAD Pro has been added to the MicroGDS software already in use. After an initial pass to scan the paper drawings into a raster format, Scan2CAD is used to clean up the raster and convert as much as required to vectors. After that the user can switch to a vector world in MicroGDS but still see the raster information as a backdrop; or can go back to Scan2CAD to do further raster-based work whilst seeing the vector data as a backdrop. Both products are well equipped with interfaces to third party data formats, catering for those cases where the supplied data is already in a computer form.

"Softcover's collaboration with Informatix shows what can be achieved when two software companies pool resources for the benefit of a mutual customer. Together we have given one of the world's largest commercial and industrial property insurance and risk management organisations a new and cost-effective raster editing and raster to vector conversion solution which complements their considerable investment in the MicroGDS CAD program" says Steve Hannath, Softcover's marketing director.

"The combination of Scan2CAD and MicroGDS gives the customer a professional hybrid raster / vector document maintenance solution to facilitate the rapid redrawing of all or part of a scanned technical drawing. It's a simple, straightforward solution which, most importantly, exports the vectorised drawing directly to the user's familiar MicroGDS CAD environment where they can efficiently make the necessary edits."

The customer is certainly happy with the results: "We have been very pleased with the changes and improvements to Scan2CAD. The coordination between Softcover and Informatix Software International was instrumental to our decision. We found a real winner."

Softcover and Informatix are now co-marketing their products to other companies with similar needs. For more information email Informatix at info@informatix.co.uk or visit the Softcover website at www.softcover.com.

 

Build Boston is the largest regional tradeshow and convention for the design and construction industry. Come and see Piranesi in action on the Graphisoft/Integrated CADD Services stand (Booth 658).

For more details about the convention see the Build Boston website.

 

The Sketchup User Conference (5-7 October 2005, Boulder CO, USA) features a wide range of specialist sessions, including 'Using Piranesi with Sketchup' presented by Nick Ansley.

" SketchUp plus Piranesi make great hand-rendered or photorealistic models. Wear your smock, because this gathering will give you the tools to paint like Michelangelo!"

 

On 22 July 2005 Informatix Software International is moving to new and better premises in Cambridge. The new address and contact numbers are:

Informatix Software International Limited
509 Coldhams Lane
Cambridge CB1 3JS
UK

Tel: 01223 246 777
Fax: 01223 246 778

 

Informatix Software International Limited is pleased to announce the release of version 9.0 of its MicroGDS 2D and 3D Computer Aided Design software.

MicroGDS 9.0 offers the following new features and enhancements:

	New Properties Window which allows object properties to be displayed and directly edited. The Properties Window displays both internal properties such as linestyle or colour, and user-defined attributes such as part number or manufacturer.
	New capability to define data schemas helps to create and manage attribute data.
	Addition of 'assemblies' to the MicroGDS data model. An assembly is a collection of objects which behaves like a single object in the user interface yet retains the identity of its constituent objects. Assemblies can be nested, and referenced directly from library files, providing a powerful tool with which to build reusable components.
	Improved text creation and presentation to match the quality of MicroGDS's other graphics capability, with a much wider range of facilities for handling font characteristics and line wrapping.
	Improved translation to and from other formats, notably Autocad DWG which has been updated for Autocad 2006.
	Snapping improvements, including new 'guide lines' to assist positioning relative to existing graphics, making precise construction even easier.
	A whole range of user-requested enhancements.

MicroGDS 9.0 will be available for shipping within the next 30 days.

 

A new selection of non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) entourage collections, suitable for use with Piranesi, has been released by Entourage Arts. These collections are all hand painted before being digitised so they are ideal for use with NPR renderings.

One of the new collections has been created by Wang Wang, a Shanghai illustrator whose bold, loose watercolor style will be familiar to users of the Piranesi discussion forum.

For more details click here.

 

We are pleased to announce that version 4 of Piranesi is now available in an Italian language version for both Windows and Mac platforms. It has been fully translated and localized by VideoCOM - the official partner of Informatix Software International Limited in Italy.

The Italian version is available from VideoCOM in Italy. They can be contacted at info@videocom.it or by telephone at (+39) 0383-366712

 

The American Institute of Architects 2005 National Convention and Design Exposition in Las Vegas, is the premier event for building and design industry professionals. Come and see the latest developments in Piranesi and MicroGDS at Booth 4218 and take advantage of the special offers there, 19-21 May 2005.

For more information about the convention visit www.aiaconvention.com

 

Computers Unlimited will be at the Society of Garden Designers Spring Conference, demonstrating how to use Piranesi to help illustrate landscape designs. Visit them on Stand 4.

The conference takes place at Imperial College, London on 30 April. For more details about the conference visit www.sgd.org.uk

 

See Piranesi 4 in Europe at the Apple Architecture By Design seminars.

Events will take place in eight European cities: Paris, Brussels, Utrecht, Berlin, Munich, Milan, Zurich and London. See your local Apple web site for details.

The UK event is on April 27 - see the Apple web site for more information.

 

Informatix is holding a meeting of the UK MicroGDS User Group on Tuesday 1 March at 10.00am at RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD.

Come along and see the latest features of MicroGDS 9 in action and take away an early copy to try for yourself. It will also be a great opportunity to ask questions and discuss MicroGDS topics with other users. For an invitation contact info@informatix.co.uk

 

Informatix is sponsoring CGarchitect.com's 2005 Architectural Visualization Competition. The competition is the largest computer graphics visualization competition ever launched, with over $90,000 in prizes. It will be judged by five of the most talented and influential people in the computer graphics and architecture industries.

Through a series of challenges and qualifying competitions, spanning the next six months, competitors will stretch their imaginations and skills to demonstrate their prowess in the art of architectural illustration and animation. While the ultimate winner and finalists in the competition will take home amazing prizes, the goal of this competition is to promote architectural illustration and encourage its advancement through community participation and critiques.

The competition starts with an open call for entries. For more information visit the 2005 Architectural Visualization Competition web site.

 

Informatix Software International Limited has announced that a Macintosh® version of Piranesi® 4 - the award-winning '3D painting' technology - will be available early in 2005.

Customers who purchase the current version of Piranesi for Mac (Piranesi 3.1) after 1st December 2004 will be entitled to a free upgrade to Piranesi 4.

With Piranesi, designers can start with simple models and renderings, and quickly fill in details and create hand-drawn effects. As previously announced, Piranesi 4 adds many new capabilities such as the ability to use 3D models in 3DS, Sketchup, DXF, and Archvision RPC format; a substantially improved user interface layout; and a whole range of user-requested improvements to the painting effects. Over 300 new cutout and texture images have been added to the Piranesi library.

 

Piranesi 4 will be on show at Build Boston, The World Trade Center, Boston, from 16 to 18 November 2004. Come and see the latest developments in Piranesi at the Designers' CADD booth (#876).

 

Informatix will be attending The Construction Computing Event at the Barbican, London from 3 to 4 November 2004. The latest developments in MicroGDS and Piranesi will be on show at the Informatix Stand (#34).

 

Informatix Software International Limited is proud to announce that version 4 of Piranesi® - its award-winning '3D painting' technology - is now available. With Piranesi, designers can start with simple models and renderings, and quickly fill in details and create hand-drawn effects.

One of the most popular features of Piranesi is its ability to place 2D cutouts (elements of scenery, such as people or vegetation) into a scene, with automatic sizing and masking. With Piranesi 4, you can now place 3D models in your painting environment as 3D cutouts. These 3D cutouts can be viewed from any angle, ready for further rendering as required.

3D models suitable for use as Piranesi cutouts are available from an increasing range of sources - such as those available free on the internet from furniture manufacturers. 3DS, SketchUp, and DXF formats can all be used, and support for Archvision RPC models has been upgraded to give access to their latest models including 3D cars. New techniques for tweaking and assembling cutouts have been introduced, along with 3D text.

A lot of care has gone into making Piranesi 4 even easier and quicker to use. A new tool manager organises commonly used panels in a way that provides ready access whilst maximising the area of the screen available for painting work. Views can be zoomed by any factor, to obtain optimum use of screen and paper media. Experienced users will enjoy the new user-definable keyboard shortcuts. Beginners will welcome the range of written and movie tutorials, especially the new Quick Start tutorial.

Piranesi 4 contains a wide range of new effects. Piranesi is often used for interior or night time scenes, and new illumination fades allow spot or strip lighting to be easily mimicked. There are seven new filters to refine an image, and even the basics of painting with a brush have been extended - there's a new bristle brush, and brush dynamics which introduce selected random elements into the stroke to increase the 'hand painted' effect. Altogether over 100 enhancements have been made in Piranesi 4, many in direct response to user requests.

Last but by no means least, over 300 new cutout and texture images have been added to the thousands already available in Piranesi's library, plus new 3D sample models created by Archvision, SketchUp, and MicroGDS.

The Mac OS X version of Piranesi 4 is currently under development and the release timetable is yet to be announced.

For more information see What's new in version 4.

 

The latest version of Renderworks contains a built-in interface to Piranesi.

Renderworks users can now use Piranesi to rapidly paint in textures and details such as people, furniture, or plants that are difficult to model. Perspective is handled automatically, as is obscuration where one detail passes in front of another. Piranesi users can also create a wide range of impressionistic styles that are visually appealing and promote discussion by drawing attention to what is important.

The key to Piranesi's operation is its EPix image format in which every pixel has a depth and material value as well as a colour. As a result of a collaborative project between Nemetschek and Informatix Software, Renderworks 11 can render directly to EPix format.

Dan Monaghan , Nemetschek's Marketing Director comments "Renderworks and Piranesi together cover the entire spectrum of 3D rendering possibilities. Together with the 3D modelling capabilities of Vectorworks, they provide a powerful and easy-to-use solution for architects and designers on the Windows and Macintosh platforms".

For more information on Renderworks 11 visit www.nemetschek.net/renderworks/

 

The American Institute of Architects 2004 National Convention and Design Exposition in Chicago, is the premier event for building and design industry professionals. The latest developments in Piranesi and MicroGDS will be on show from 10 - 12 June at booth 1044.

 

Piranesi on Mac OS X is participating in a Europe-wide tour of digital media applications. Presentations will be made in 13 major European cities between May 4th and June 14th. Book your place now!


 

Come and see Piranesi at Interbuild 25 - 29 April, NEC Birmingham UK
Stand:
19-IT14

 

Architectural Desktop 2004 users can now develop their building model with Architectural Desktop, and use Piranesi's patented "3D Painting" technology to rapidly paint in extra detail or use artistic, hand-drawn effects.

This has been made possible by a new plug-in, developed jointly by Informatix and Autodesk using the VIZ Render technology incorporated into Architectural Desktop. With the plug-in, an Architectural Desktop user can save a 3D view in Piranesi's EPix format. The same technology can also produce hand-rendered panoramas - ideal for presenting 3D content in a web page. The plug-in can be downloaded from the Informatix web site at http://www.informatix.co.uk/piranesi/adt2004.shtml.

"Piranesi offers Architectural Desktop users a new approach to concept design studies", says Chris Russon of Informatix. "Piranesi can very quickly paint in textures and details such as people, furniture, or plants that are difficult to model. Piranesi can also create a wide range of hand-rendered effects, that are visually appealing and promote discussion by drawing attention to what is important".

Piranesi will be on show at MacWorld Expo, San Francisco, January 6th - 9th 2004. Visit booth #1543 and see Piranesi in use, interoperating with other best in class Mac products such as SketchUp and Art*lantis.

 

Panther support announced

Informatix Software International Limited announced that the recently launched Mac OS X version of Piranesi 3 supports the latest Panther release of OS X.

Piranesi launched on the Mac

The Mac OS X version of Piranesi, the award-winning "3D Painting" program from Informatix Software International Limited, has been launched at Apple Expo in Paris.

With Piranesi for Mac OS X, designers can start with simple models and renderings, and use Piranesi's patented "3D Painting" technology to quickly fill in missing detail and produce artistic, hand-drawn effects. Piranesi images can be produced from 3DS or DXF models; in addition, many popular Macintosh 3D applications such as Art*lantis, form*Z, and LightWave provide direct interfaces. SketchUp version 3.1 (due later this year) will also have a direct interface, and other applications are expected to follow suit.

"Since Piranesi was launched in 1998, we have received an ever increasing number of requests from architects and designers who wanted a version of Piranesi that they could use on their Mac computers", says Brian Woodward, managing director of Informatix. "We started work on the Mac version a year ago in direct response to this need".

Piranesi has been completely re-engineered for Mac OS X. "Mac users want an interface that fits consistently with their other Mac applications", said Brian Woodward. “We also wanted to take full advantage of technologies available only on the Mac."

The Mac version of Piranesi contains a number of enhancements not yet available in the Windows version. There are new multi-fill styles, automatic contrast adjustments, and improved support for pressure sensitive pens. The style library technology has been reworked using XML. Floating cutouts can now be saved directly into a Piranesi EPix file.

Piranesi has also benefited from unique Macintosh capabilities, such as built-in PDF export courtesy of the Quartz Graphics Engine.

"Mac OS X enables an unparalleled rich computing experience through the power and stability of a UNIX-based operating system, the cutting-edge graphics technologies and the breakthrough Aqua interface, which make Mac OS X a perfect fit for the architectural and design industry," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "Piranesi is an innovative 3D painting program that increases productivity of architects and designers and allows them to take full advantage of the potential of Mac OS X."

For more information click here, or email Informatix at info@informatix.co.uk