We recently presented the  following paper at ASCE Structures Congress 2013  (May 2-4, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania):

Comparison of Dynamic Characteristics and Response Analysis of Building Structures Incorporating Viscous Fluid Dampers and Buckling Restrained Braces

Bulent N. Alemdar, Yili Huo and Rakesh Pathak

ABSTRACT

The use of viscous fluid dampers (VFDs) and buckling restrained braces (BRBs) are common in seismic regions. These devices are very successful in robust energy dissipation and they use different mechanism in preventing damage to structural systems. These devices are not used together very often but a hybrid system may act more efficiently for a wider range of earthquake magnitudes. The building benefits more from VFDs at low magnitude earthquake, for a moderate event both VFDs and BRBs come into action, and for extreme events VFDs may help when BRBs tend to exhibit large maximum and residual drift. This paper presents a study using varying configuration of VFD and BRB in a reference test model. These devices are employed in alternate-diagonal configuration at each story and the number of these devices is varied. A series of nonlinear time history analysis is performed and various analysis responses are captured. The results from the study are used to understand dynamic characteristics and response analysis of such a hybrid system and how it may be employed to get the optimum response.

Darmstadt, Germany, May 2013–PROSTEP AG is pleased to announce a new partnership with EOS Solutions, LLC (www.3dpdfit.com). EOS Solutions, LLC,

Leading IT Services and Solutions Firm to Feature Aras PLM Solution Suite in Manufacturing Services Offering

ANDOVER, Mass. and Munich, Germany &n

ALISO VIEJO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- May 21, 2013 -- Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI)
 

New 3D characters
Subdivision Surfaces

Book presents curriculum-based lessons, challenges and critical
evaluations for beginner photographers

BURLI

SANTA CLARA, CA -- (Marketwired) -- May 21, 2013 --

NVIDIA announced its support today for the Microsoft Xbox One game console with its popular NV

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Enlighten to drive visual quality on Xbox One with real-time global illumination 
Cambridge, UK – May 21, 2013 – Geomerics, the lea

Aggressively Priced, Best-in-Class

Very impressive work with a great message done by the Mill for PETA with Softimage:

AutoCAD WS has been renamed to AutoCAD 360 and is from now on formally a member of the Autodesk 360 cloud based family. AutoCAD 360 offers viewing, editing, and sharing of CAD drawings (DWG), simplifying on-site redlining, as-built documentation, and design review and approval. But it has not only a new name…

A new mobile app update available at iTunes App Store or Google Play. In the mobile app the new “Smart Pen” will make it much easier to sketch with. If you sketch a circle it will be able to turn the rough circle into a real circle for example.

There are new AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app plans and here are the top 12 reasons to get a Pro plan.

1. Create New Drawings - Easily create new drawings from scratch; perfect for initial layout sketching in the field.
2. Large File Support - Open and work on larger drawings with support for files up to 30MB with a Pro plan, or up to 40MB with a Pro Plus plan.
3. Third-Party Storage - Easily view, mark up, and edit drawings directly from popular cloud storage solutions, including Dropbox, Box, Egnyte, Buzzsaw, and custom WebDAV connections.
4. Advanced Layer Management - Advanced layer-management tools provide more control over your drawing. Quickly add, rename, isolate, invert, and lock layers for easier viewing and editing.
5. Properties and Attributes - Easily view object properties such as layer, length, and area. Also view, edit, and add block attributes data while you're in the field.
6. Block Libraries - Easily drag and place blocks onto a drawing directly from the drawing's block collection.
7. Drawing Coordinates - View the coordinates of points in a drawing, and use them to draw with more accuracy.
8. Added Drawing Tools - Added Arc and Arrow drawing tools help you draw and call out notes in drawings.
9. Faster, More Accurate Editing - More editing tools such as Extend Vertex, Offset, and Mirror help you edit drawings faster and with more accuracy.
10. More Measuring & Dimension Tools - Accurately measure lines, radius, and angles in your drawing. Also, additional dimension tools help you document drawings using line, radius, diameter, and angle dimensions.
11. Priority Support - Receive top-priority support and get quick problem resolution and fast answers to your questions.
12. Increased Storage Space - Take all of your drawings with you! AutoCAD 360 Pro plans afford you plenty of added storage space—up to 25GB with a Pro plan, and up to 100GB with a Pro Plus plan.

And here, you can compare the AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app plans. The Pro plan is at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year while the pro plus is at $99.99 per year.

Finally there is a new, free AutoCAD 360 web app beta. It’s a ground-up redesign of Autodesk’s AutoCAD WS web app that was based on Flash but now is based on HTML 5.

This is what the web app looks like right now with drawing, editing and annotate tools.

Here’s the Welcome to AutoCAD 360 video.

More info on the subject:

• Autodesk 360 for BIM
• Autodesk 360 for PLM
• AutoCAD for iPad, iPod and iPhone - AutoCAD WS
• AutoCAD WS Mobile in Apple App store for free
• AutoCAD WS plugin for AutoCAD and more subscription packs
• Free DWG to PDF conversion with AutoCAD WS
• AutoCAD WS with 3D, GPS and Print functionality
• Autodesk 360 in AutoCAD 2014

May 21, 2013 -- UK aerial mapping company Bluesky has launched its biggest ever online map shop. Providing easy and cost effective access to hund

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Framework contract renewal between Hexagon Metrology and the Formula One world champions
May 21, 2013 - Cobham, UK -- Hexagon Metrology announces t

New Links, Document DRM and Comprehensive Auditing Provide Enterprises
with Enhanced Privacy, Accessibility,

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 12:30:00 PM (GMT)
GIVAT SHMUEL, Israel, May 21, 2013 — (PRNewswire) — Cimatron Limited (NASDAQ: CIMT), a leadin

May 21, 2013
Vero’s market-leading software Edgecam has grown its Support and Services team in the Americas region with the appointment of Rich

It's becoming a tradition... 2 weeks after the release a bugfix update get made. Over 100 fixes!

Autodesk announces the all new face of AutoCAD on the cloud - AutoCAD 360. What will AutoCAD 360 do for you?

Polish, polish, polish. That all-important element which raises the quality of every production is in abundance here. Rob Redman loves it

Find Me If You Can is a simple advert but feels like more. The premise is easy to follow and does a good job of delivering the message that is intended but isn’t what made me like it so much.

What I love is the polish. A lot of time has been spent making this look as high quality as possible. The city environment is beautiful, with lovely lighting and a depth of detail that is just right, while the interior is clean but not sterile.

The focus switches to the product itself smoothly and as a properly thought-out element, not just a bolt on.

The animation is maybe a little slow for some, or at least there are too few changes of pace but that does let you eyes move around the scene and take in the surroundings, as well as the focus.

Hope you enjoy watching it too

Rob

About the author

Long-time 3D artist Rob Redman has been working in the field of VFX and motion graphics for over a decade. He is Technical Editor on 3D World magazine.

GUANGZHOU, China — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 21, 2013 — ZWSOFT, the leading supplier of CAD/CAM solutions for the AEC

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- May 21, 2013 -- Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC), a leader in viewing, collaboration and redaction techno

May 21, 2013 -- On 27th April Astun Technology hosted a ‘hackathon’ at its Epsom offices on behalf of the AGI and MapAction, the char

SAN DIEGO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 21, 2013 —

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
awarded BAE Systems th

Real-time traffic camera content now available via TomTom’s Location
Based Services

AMSTERDAM — (BUS

DANA POINT, CA -- (Marketwired) -- May 21, 2013 --

Telogis Latitude -- Telogis' annual Latitude business conference opens today, welcoming hundreds

First Webinar Scheduled for June 12, 2013

MISSOULA, Mont. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 21, 2013 —

The popular web, mobile, and Mac App known as AutoCAD WS has now been renamed as AutoCAD 360. AutoCAD WS now AutoCAD 360 has been downloaded over 12 million times in just 2 years and is still a free version plan with more functionality being added all the time. Adding AutoCAD WS as AutoCAD 360 to the Autodesk 360 platform family will provide a unified experience and allow for more powerful functionality, integration with other 360 applications and services, and collaboration and much more in the future.

This Blender image from the latest issue of 3D World is reader art at its best! It’s colourful and full of life!

Artist: Jonathan Ball
Title: Exodus from Delta B-56
Software: Blender, Photoshop

“I spent about three to four weeks working on this image, in-between working on my other projects. It was created with Blender using the Cycles engine, and was composited in Photoshop, where I used the Z-depth map I created in Blender.

“I enjoy the compositing and final adjusting in Photoshop: it can totally transform an otherwise flat render. For the modelling, I used simple geometric shapes that are then blended and adjusted using Z-depth maps. For this particular image, I had to cut the image up a lot to save on render times. I like to make all my images suitable for decent-sized prints, so I need large render sizes.

“By trade I am a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, and have been lucky enough to see my designs used in many commercial projects. I would love to develop my passion for modelling further by becoming more involved in animation work.

“It’s very difficult for me to specifically describe what inspires me as an artist, but I love the complexity of a big city, the simple graphics of 1980s videogames and the organic delight of exotic plants. In my work I just try to combine all of those aesthetics.”

Get published

If you would like to see your work featured in 3D World, email us, attaching a low-res version of the image

Presentation Rhino/V-Ray for Rhino/Maya in Vienna

Invitation to "ThreeKC Autodesk Maya / Rhino / VRAY" presentation on Thursday 13 June 2013, 15:00 to 18:30 in the Austrian Social and Economic Museum, Vogelsanggasse 36, 1050 Vienna (Austria).

We invite you to the presentation of the new versions of Rhino, V-Ray for Rhino and Autodesk Maya and show the latest developments in the 3D area.

Roland Reyer presents the new version of Autodesk Maya 2014, Carlos Pérez (McNeel Europe) presents Rhino 5.0 and food4Rhino, Matus Nedecký (flying architecture) and Fabio Palvelli (3D Dreaming) show V-Ray for Rhino and rendering services for architecture. We also show the new Wacom Cintiq 22 HD touch.

There are 2 events, the first at 15:00 and the second at 18:30. Places are limited to 30 people each.

As a special event you can attend between the 2 events to a basic coffee seminar "Coffee - from the plant to the cup" part. Coffee Museum in Austrian society and economy museum was founded by Edmund Mayr, who injected together with Arch Wilhelm Holzbauer, the increase of the flak tower in Esterhazy Park. His passion for collecting are also due to the many exhibits that he has collected from all over the world. Additionally Mag. Just shows a quick roundup of "100 Years of Life and Living in Vienna" and how the inventions of Dr. Carl Auer von Welsbach changed the world significantly.

Program:

• 15:00-15:45h: Presentation software Autodesk Maya 2014 (group 1)
• 15:45-16:00h: Tour "100 years of life and living in Vienna / Dr Carl Auer von Welsbach in the Agricultural Museum (Group 1)
• 16:00-16:45h: Presentation software Rhino 5.0 and VRAY (group 1)
• 17:00-18:15h: Basic coffee seminar "Coffee - from the plant to the cup" with Mr Edmund Mayr
• 18:30-19:15h: Presentation software Autodesk Maya 2014 (Group 2)
• 19:15-19:30h: Tour "100 years of life and living in Vienna / Dr Carl Auer von Welsbach in the Agricultural Museum (Group 1)
• 19:30:20:15h: Presentation software Rhino 5.0 and VRAY (Group 2)
• 20:15-22:00h: Finger found, drinks and "Come Together"

Participation is FREE, but due to the limited number of places registration is required. To register to the event, we ask you to select the following options:

Online Registration 15:00
Online Registration 18:30
or by email: office@kkkc.at
or Tel: 01-545 78 25

The Rhino and V-Ray for Rhino presentations will be in English.

One of the new things I really like about 3dsMax 2014 is the new enhanced UI menu system. Its off by default but its easy to turn on and even easier to customize.

At NAB2013 I previewed a new UI Menu system that I created with this feature specifically with Motion Graphic artists in mind -- and any new user really.

You can get the Mograph Tools UI I created HERE: Download

In this video quicklook, I show how to invoke the new UI and begin customizing it. In the second half of the video, I cover the Mograph Tools UI that I created and discuss why I made of some of the UI choices that I did.

Enjoy!

[video]http://youtu.be/midG2jIoP-A[/video] 

For more posts and updates:

Follow @chrismmurray

Did You Know…

That RAM Concrete performs concrete shear wall boundary element design checks?

If you’re already using RAM Structural System and RAM Frame for your lateral analysis, why not use the same model to perform the design of your concrete shear walls, including boundary elements?

Once you’ve run the lateral analysis and have entered the RAM Concrete Shear Wall module, there are a few easy steps to take in order to specify and check the boundary elements.

1.   Ensure that at least one load combination contains earthquake loads.

2.   Designate the shear walls as Special Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls in the Criteria --> Design Criteria menu.

3.   Assign a plastic hinge to the appropriate section cuts. 

Helpful Hint:  Assigning a section cut as a hinge identifies that location in the Wall Design Group as forming part of the failure mechanism when the structure has reached its maximum lateral-resisting capacity.  The section cut will turn orange when designated as a hinge.
  

4.   Create boundary zones and add boundary reinforcement using the Assign --> Manual Reinforcement command.

Each zone may be designated with a “Yes” or “No” as a boundary element and may contain unique reinforcement.

Helpful Hint:  Once you’ve added the appropriate number of zones by clicking on “Add,” use your cursor to drag the vertical green boundary lines to the correct location on the graphic.

5.   Run your design check and use the View/Update command to review the results. 

Helpful Hint:  Click on the hinge section cut and look at the checks in the Boundary Elements tab. 

That’s it!  Of course, applying your engineering knowledge is a necessary part of the process in order to correctly locate the boundary elements and choose an initial reinforcement design.

And now you know…

That RAM Concrete can help you perform shear wall boundary element design checks.

Why do I find myself underwhelmed with the offerings on the electric bicycle market?  I want to feel like I’m riding a piece of modern
engineering and not yesteryear’s moped.  I have come to the conclusion
that the factors that make one want to purchase an electric bike are
much different than the reasons I would want to purchase a new road bike
or a mountain bike.  What the industry needs now is the next new Rubik’s Cube, New Beetle, or iPhone.

Do you remember the last time you saw a new product that made your
heart race with excitement?  I remember seeing the 1986 Honda
Interceptor and the first Kawasaki Ninja and having this feeling.  Those
of you who are part of the e-generation probably felt this way about
the first Apple device you remember.

1986 Honda VF500F Interceptor still looking good!

It is at least partially for this reason that the eBikeTec Exhibition & Conference was held in Paris, France April 16^th through 18^th.  The
focus of this event was increasing the selection of electric bicycles that
are currently in production in that country, which will likely trickle
down to the US and American markets. The consumer always appreciates
choices. If you arrive at your decision of what product to buy then
you’ll also want it in your favorite color and the latest year’s
model.So for myself, I’ve narrowly defined the criteria that would make
me want to go purchase an electric bike.  For starters, it would look a
lot more like a sportbike than a bicycle.  I’m thinking something like
the Brammo Empulse put out by those clever Oregonians.

Or perhaps the Brammo Enertia :

The Zero DS made by Zero Motorcycles would also be a strong contender
and would be a blast to take that end of cul de sac shortcut on.

So, for myself I’ve come away with a narrow list of criteria that
might actually put me in the showroom for one of these cutting edge
machines:

1. The Tax incentive for an electric vehicle would have to be more
than the current 10%.  I think 20% would get my attention.

2. It would have to be a piece of art, something that leads you to appreciate the clean flowing lines.

3. It would have to be well engineered and put together thoughtfully.

4. It would have to be made in the USA.

5. Finally, it would absolutely have to be less cost than my car
(which is a 2001 Ford Escape with 196,000 miles on it by the way).

6. Last
but not least, it would have to be fun to drive!… Even with the cost of
fuel savings, why drive a bike if it’s not fun to be out there in the
breeze?

I wondered what a lifelong competitive road and mountain biker would
think about today’s electric bikes, so I posed the question to Mark
Scheetz, one of our Engineering Managers at GoEngineer.  Mark is a man
that I greatly respect and has more miles in the saddle than I can
fathom in a lifetime.

Me: “Mark, what would it take to make you rush out today to purchase an electric bike in today’s market?”

Mark:  “Well, I think when done right they are a viable
transportation alternative and green transportation. If they cause more
people to get out of their cars and into bike commuting and/or general
transportation, then that’s a good thing. They can also be helpful to
those who are limited physically and can’t peddle well. It’s a nice way
for them to enjoy some of the benefits of cycling. I know of some
elderly people who use them as well as some with MS and other ailments.”

“The best out there are really electric assist bikes, where you
still do much of the peddling work on level ground and descents, and
reserve the electric assist for hills and headwinds. That way it’s still
a like cycling and utilizing human power, with only a little help when
needed.”

“What I don’t like are the ones that are really just electric
motorbikes with pedals. Nothing more than an electric moped. Many of
these machines use the cheapest materials, inefficient motors, heavy
batteries and are not even green. Their real value lies not in exercise,
a greener world nor a good alternative for commuting, but rather as a
toy. That’s perfectly fine if you’re looking for something to have a
little fun and kick around town. Fun is good thing. But let’s not
pretend they offer any other more noble benefits.”

“I personally have absolutely no use for them, today. That’s not
to say when I get really old and need the assist I wouldn’t consider the
option.”

I do think that we are headed towards a revolution for electric bikes
in the near future and I think the market will look much different in
2018 than 2013.

***

Tim Roberts currently manages the Technical Support Team at GoEngineer.
Tim earned his BSME from the University of Tennessee with an emphasis
in machine design in 1993. He as worked as a manufacturing engineer as
well as done technical support for several other CAD/CAM and analysis
products. Tim lives with his family in Salt Lake City, UT and loves to
climb and golf when not spending family time or assisting the best
customers in the world. View all posts by Tim Roberts

Are you interested in how you can make your own designs more environmentally friendly and reduce your carbon footprint? Contact us to get an in-person demonstration of SolidWorks Sustainability.

Rob|Arch 2014: Second Call for Workshop Proposals
Workshops: 14.-16.05.2014 / Conference: 17.-18.05.2014

ROB|ARCH has been initiated by the Association for Robots in Architecture as a new conference series on the use of robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design, closely linking industry with cutting-edge research institutions. In December 2012 the conference was hosted by its founders in Vienna, Austria. In 2014 the conference travels to North America, hosted by the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, with Wes McGee and Monica Ponce de Leon as conference chair.

Continuing with the previous theme of international collaboration, the conference seeks to bring together artists, designers, fabricators, and industry leaders for the purpose of advancing the discourse surrounding robotic fabrication. Following on the success of ROB|ARCH 2012, the conference will again present a series of workshops held at select research institutions on the east coast of the United States, aimed at exposing the advanced capabilities of applied robotic research. Following the workshops, the conference will span two days at the University of Michigan Campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, about an hour outside of Detroit, the origin of robotics in North America. The internationally renowned publishing house Springer Wien/New York will publish and market the proceedings of the conference worldwide.

For the 2014 event, we are extending a call for workshop proposals. The conference invites proposals by institutions and individuals for workshops related to robotic programming and fabrication until 15^th of June, 2013.

Additional robot capacities by the workshop hosts, University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University, and/or industry partners can be made available to the chosen proposals. A total budget of 15.000USD is available to financially support the workshops.

Change can be a good thing when it’s an upgrade. That’s the case with the new version of Modo, as Mike Griggs finds out

PRICE: £999 / $1,495 / €1,169. Upgrade from £324 / $495 / €379

OTHER EDITIONS: Education licence, £99 / $149 / €116

OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows / Mac OS X / Linux (beta)

FEATURES

• Advanced subdivision modeller
• Integrated live and final GI rendering
• Multi-resolution sculpting and painting
• Character and constraint-driven animation solutions
• Complete dynamics and particle solution

DEVELOPER: The Foundry

It has barely been a year since 3D World reviewed Modo 601 – and yet somehow Luxology has managed to shorten its development cycle on major releases from approximately 18 to 12 months while at the same time going through a merger with The Foundry. The latter event has changed the landscape of the 3D application market, bringing Modo to a whole new audience within a high-end VFX market that The Foundry is increasingly well placed to develop, thanks to products such as Nuke and Mari.

So, despite a tightened schedule and corporate shake-ups, we have Modo 701, one of the first children of this new creative marriage. Other than a change of the Modo icon to a look more in keeping with the other Foundry apps, at first glance it appears that not much has changed. But looks can be deceptive. For a start, the familiar tabbed layout has been developed into part of a tabbed view switcher. The view switcher takes a bit of getting used to, but it is worth getting to know: Modo intelligently adjusts to the last used layout, which allows quick switching between layouts if you’re in a specific workflow, which definitely speeds things up.

The Environment Importance Sampling technology fixes historic Modo rendering problems

Speed is probably the defining word for 701. Put simply, it flies in OpenGL view. Once complex meshes have loaded, it is genuinely stunning how capable Modo is at handling large data sets. This becomes very useful when you want to retopologise a sculpt from an application like ZBrush, for example. Instead of the previous workflow of trying to reduce the size of my ZTool, I exported a 8 million-poly .OBJ into Modo: once the model had cached into the OpenGL view, I was freely able to use Modo’s excellent retopo tools. These have been improved both in terms of speed and accuracy from 601, and have been augmented by additions as the Contour tool, which allows you to create edge loops across a mesh. The loops can be connected by smart bridging tools to allow you to speed through your mesh creation, much quicker than if you were using ZBrush alone.

NEW FEATURES

I was able to flip between rendering and retopo layouts with the heavy ZBrush mesh and work with the preview improvements. While every view of Modo now has advanced ray tracing available, the speed improvements in the preview mode are phenomenal. There is also a new feature in the Global Illumination settings called Environment Importance Sampling, which optimises the renderer based on the HDR used for lighting it, and with one checkbox fixes most of Modo’s legacy rendering problems instantly. Obviously tweaking can still be done to optimise your render, but the render enhancements make 701 worth the upgrade in terms of speed, reliability and render quality alone over previous versions – especially since the gains are still realised on older equipment and so-so graphics cards.

The new particle system works with the dynamic system to let you create complex simulations

It feels like every one of Modo 701’s features have been overhauled, but it’s not all upgrades. New features have been added, the biggest being a particle system. This is placed in the Setup tab along with the rigging systems, which were added in 601 and have been enhanced with deformers; and an improved dynamics system that finally works as advertised.

The particle system allows a range of tools such as emitters, which can be combined with specific particle modifiers, such as flocking and terminator tools, to get an advanced particle system setup in minutes. The particles can even have dynamics working quickly and easily and, with the new Workspace view, setting up logical connections combined with the existing replicator toolset allows an exciting range of possibilities that are applicable to VFX and motion graphics. There is a range of caching options, which work with the OpenGL speed improvements to allow you to see very complex sims play out in real time. There is an added benefit to particles in Modo: Modo’s core has always been about modelling, and particles and their paths can be frozen as meshes, which can be sculpted and used just like any other piece of geometry.

Animation has also received an overhaul, with a well thought-out interface which works well. New features such as audio track ingestion and dynamic parenting, which allows you to pass animations from one mesh to another whenever you please, could be revelatory to a lot of 3D artists who have been scared away from rigging due to its steep learning curve. The new feature sets in Modo 701 really do make certain types of animation simpler in Modo than in any comparative application.

As well as new features, Modo 701 has received upgrades to its rendering toolset which make images such as this one by Richard Yot and Seth Richardson readily achievable

INTEGRATION

One of the worries with Modo has been that artists were gaining new tools with every new release while losing the focus on what made Modo great in the first place: speed, simplicity and a new methodology of creating content where the app got out of the way. With Modo 701, The Foundry has managed to regain this core feeling and have made a truly astounding 3D application.

While still presenting steep learning curves in some areas, Modo 701 has at its essence a core toolset that’s applicable across virtually all of the new features, which allow a breathtaking array of creative possibilities. While most 3D applications really do benefit from plugins to help provide complete workflows, Modo is pretty much feature-complete for most 3D tasks. In areas where other applications may offer better solutions for specific tasks, Modo integrates into most pipelines exceptionally well.

This integration will be improved with the long-term stability that being part of a product suite alongside the rest of the Foundry’s applications brings. The benefits can be seen in Modo 701 becoming available on Linux for the first time: a beta is currently available.

When you consider that this package is a third of the price of most of its competitors, with one of the best licensing systems (cross-platform, unlimited render nodes) on the market, there is no reason not to recommend Modo 701 as one of the best tools that a 3D artist can have.

The new particle modifiers combine with replicators to let you to make complex instance rigs with targeting, using the improved Workspace view

PROS

• Revised interface improves workflow
• New features have been integrated
• OpenGL speed and stability improved

CONS

• Steep learning curve in setup mode
• Price has increased
• Stability and UI redraw can be problematic

Modo now has the potential to become one of the standard 3D tools in the industry. Modo 701 offers an exceptional combination of toolsets, value for money and render capabilities

RATING 5

Mike Griggs is a freelance 3D, VFX and mograph artist. He can be found on Twitter, and his work is available on his site

Discover 15 inspiring examples of 3D art at our sister site, Creative Bloq.

For hundreds of years mankind has produced element parts before assembling them into products - why not build parts that assemble themselves?

With the world entranced by 3D printing, it’s important to remember for designers and engineers that the processes and materials are developing at great speed.

A sequence of images demonstrating the self-folding of a 4D printed multi-material single strand into the world of MIT

We all expect the printer build areas to increase, new materials to mimic current manufacturing materials, or for print resolution quality to improve, but few would expect parts that, once printed, could assemble themselves.

The Self Assembly Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston is the hub of this next generation of ‘active’ materials.

Skylar Tibbits heads up the department. A trained architect, designer and computer scientist, he has spent the last five years investigating active materials and sees this as the next step in digital fabrication.

“The vision of 4D printing is that we can now design and customise our own active smart materials, so that we can have completely adaptive products,” says Tibbits.

His team is already grabbing headlines with what has been dubbed 4D printing, but further progression is taking it to new levels.

Tibbits explains the process of how the parts are printed on a Stratasys Connex 500 printer: “There’s two materials; in our case it’s a black, standard, rigid plastic, and that gives the structure for what you want to build, and kind of gives it ‘the code’ because that’s all the fold angles, the rigid part, the information.

“The other material is the white material that expands 150 per cent when it touches water, and that becomes the activation energy so the structure can go from one state to another state.

“By combining the two you can print parts that can transform on their own over time.”

The first examples of this represented a particularly sluggish caterpillar contorting itself when placed into water, but now development is rapidly shaping the process.

Material Science Printing is only the beginning of this entire process; all manner of circumstances come into consideration of how this technology could work.

Stratasys’s material sciences lab (formerly Objet) has been hard at work developing new materials.

“They’re developing new materials as we speak with different properties,” states Tibbits. “Each time they send me a batch they’ll have different properties, which is really interesting.”

Currently they’re trying to speed up the folding process (a part takes a leisurely 15 – 20 minutes to fold, dependent on the temperature of the water – the warmer the faster) and make the movement reversible so you can do it many times, increasing its abilities for designers.

Skylar Tibbits, Self-Assembly Lab director

“I’m really hoping that in the future we have a full suite of these materials – a whole array of 4D printed materials that are activated by different energy sources like heat, light, vibration, pressure and whatever else – so we can be printing multiple active materials that can respond to different energy conditions.”

Previous testing has revolved around single strands: one that folds into a cube, or the longer strands that from into the Hilbert Curve.

The program has moved on to testing surfaces that fold up into 3D shapes like origami – but then you can also build 3D objects that can morph into other 3D objects.

“Right now it’s demonstrating all capabilities,” claims Tibbits. “One thing most of the press have got wrong is that they think it can only be in strands, but especially with the Connex printers, or with any printer, you can print in any shape you want. So it’s totally wide open!

“You can embed these materials into any shape you can imagine to 3D print and then see how they act.”

Scaling up

If the change to encompass active materials is to go ahead then new design tools will be needed to help build in folds and movement.For this reason the Self Assembly Lab has been working with Autodesk on a new design software called Project Cyborg.

Together with Autodesk, Self Assembley Lab have created a new design software called Project Cyborg

Started for bio and nano space design, the same platform can be used for 4D printing as you can start to simulate how things fold, how it can be optimised, predict tangles, and assess the shapes you need to design in the beginning in order to get the right shapes out in the end.

“I’m really hoping it can scale up – most people looking at self assembly or self replication are looking to scale down, like biological or nano technology.

“I’m interested in how we can use these in large scale – as new principles for manufacturing, or new infrastructure systems.”

Until then the testing continues and the development of the process continues alongside companies and organisations looking to utilise it.

“Tonight I have time at the MIT swimming pool,” exclaims Tibbits, somewhat off topic. “We’re going to dip a 50-foot long strand of this stuff in the water and see if we can get it to fold up into this fractal 8 inch cube. So from 50 feet to 8 inches!”

It’s an exciting time of trial and error, but with advances in software and 3D printing arriving every day, programmable, self assembling materials could be the start of a new way we all design and build products.         

You have an assembly that contains subassemblies created with Frame Generator.

You have inserted the Parts List in the drawing of the assembly and you want to apply a different Units Formatting for the QTY Column.

For instance, you want to display the lengths of the frames in meter (m) instead of millimeters (mm).

By the way, if you edit the Parts List, and apply the settings as in the image below in the Column Format tab, the result won’t be correct, because the settings apply as well to the quantities that are not expressed in length.

So, in order to get what you want, leave the Default Formatting in the Column Format tab.

In the Substitution tab, do the following.

• Enable Value Substitution

• In the field “When exists, use value of” select Browse Properties.. from the drop-down menu

• In the following dialog, click on New Property and define the property G_L                 

• In the field “When rows are merged, value used is” set Sum of Values

• Then, apply the Units Formatting below

And get the desired result.

Ale

Earlier this month we released the latest version of Tecnomatix along with several of our portfolio’s digital manufacturing solutions.  As we move forward, I’d like to share additional details behind this release.

The release has been issued under three solution domains; Manufacturing Process Management, Simulation and Validation and Launch and Production.  Each domain provides an integrated set of capabilities which brings to market numerous enhancements working together to provide smarter decisions through collaborative product and process development, faster results through right-first-time plans and leaner operations through flawless launches and continuous improvement.

Learn more about Manufacturing Process Management by watching the video:

If you want more details, please go to the Tecnomatix 11 release landing page and stay tuned here to learn more about our other two domains in the coming weeks.

Over the next few steps you’ll learn how to use different techniques to build this inspired digital collage using hand-made textures, the Lasso tool, brushes, gradients and masks.

Once the main elements have been created and set in place it’s only a matter of finishing the illustrations with typography and distressing the image slightly.

Photoshop enables us to build up colours and effects that would be near impossible to create rapidly with real-world media.

Transform the image

Draw a Path around the model using the Pen Path tool (P) then make this a selection (Cmd/Ctrl+Enter) and enhance highlights and shadows. using a Curves layer (M). Duplicate the image twice (Cmd/Ctrl+J), change the layer mode to Multiply for the second copy, select the two bottom layers and merge them (Cmd/Ctrl+E). Next create a layer mask and on the first remaining layer fill the mask with a black Foreground colour to hide the image, then use a soft brush set to white (with an Opacity of around 40 %) to reveal the darker skin beneath it.

Enhance colours

Select the top portrait image and create a new layer beneath it. Fill this with a gradient (G) and set it to Soft Light. Create a new layer beneath this (Ctrl-click the New Layer icon) and fill it with another gradient but reduce its Opacity to around 85%. Use the Eraser tool (E) to remove parts covering the face.

Add in new elements

On a new canvas, we’ll create a circle with the Ellipse tool (U+Shift-drag to constrain the circle) without a Stroke. Pick a tone, Ctrl/right-click and select Rasterize then place a texture on top of the circle and create a clipping mask with the texture layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+G). Set this layer to the Divide, bring down the Opacity to around 50% and then merge (Cmd/Ctrl+E). Create a copy of this and resize it accordingly. You can also add a circle filled with a pattern using the same method.

Import your elements

Now it’s time to bring the new elements into the original illustration. Drag them with the Selection tool (V) in the original document and place the elements behind the portrait layers. Experimenting is key to find balance, so keep adding further elements to further refine the distribution and don’t hesitate to move the elements around if needed. We’ll also add a new circle on another layer filled with an off-white colour behind the portrait.

Create make-up

On a layer above the portrait we’ll use brushes from the Brush Preset palettes (B) made from scanned textures. Paint around the eyes to create some original make-up then softly erase the parts that aren’t needed with the Eraser tool at around 40%. Paint the lips in red on a new layer and set this to Linear Burn. We’ll also tone down the left and right side of the lips by softly removing the colour with the Eraser tool set at around 30%.

Apply coloured shapes.

On a new layer we’ll roughly create different-sized blobs by hand with the Lasso tool. You can click on the Add icon to avoid holding Shift while making a few of them. We use the Gradient tool to fill them with different gradients of our choice. Two more layers can be added in this way, each time deselecting the previous selection, with different-sized blobs that will be placed and resized (Edit>Transform/Scale) accordingly until we’re happy with the composition.

Layer on more make-up

You can draw additional elements using different brushes on a layer. Create different layers with a small brush (in this case we need to place them differently) then add swirling and black lines next to the eye. Next, draw two circles for the cheeks and a brushstroke next to the head set to Darken. We also add a few painted strokes with a brush (with varying opacity) to bring some blue make-up around the eyes.

Use brushstrokes

On a new layer we’ll add a few coloured brushstrokes to bring more colours to the illustration. Pick different brushes, vary the size via the Brush Preset palette and choose vivid tones from the Color palette. A bit of trial and error is required, so it’s best to play around and see if something worth keeping appears.

Create blobs of vivid colour with the Lasso tool and fill these selections with a gradient. Layer on strokes over the model’s eyes with a few brushes to create the make-up and then add a few more hand-made doodles. Paint random brushstrokes with different-sized brushes. We’re not trying to be perfect here but we need to find an interesting look for the illustration.

Bring in texture

Open the scanned watercolour texture then drag and drop it on top of all the layers. Create a layer mask for the texture by clicking the icon at the bottom of the layer palette and then set this texture layer to Linear Burn. With a brush from the Brush Preset palette we can mask select areas while varying its size and Opacity (between 80% and 30%). We’ll add splatters by selecting another brush and applying blues and oranges.

Include more media

We’ll now add other scanned elements into the illustration, such as a wing and plant shape. Select the shape of the wing, create a Gradient Fill set to Hard Light and then merge these layers. Next select the shape of the plant, place it on top of a black-and-white scanned texture, Ctrl/right-click the layer mask and choose Apply Layer Mask.

Place the media

Add in the newly created elements to the illustration then move them around to find places they’ll fit best. By rotating, reducing and using different blending modes such as Multiply, Lighten and Luminosity, we’ll experiment further and find the most interesting combinations. You can place these new additions behind already existing elements if needed. This is an intuitive process, so remain flexible and be careful not to overwhelm the result.

Inject small details

Create a line with the Line tool (U) and input a Weight of 2 pixels. Select a gradient then Ctrl/right-click and select Rasterize. We can create a small circle using the Ellipse tool and constrain it with Shift. Select a red Fill but don’t add a stroke in the Ellipse tool palette, then Ctrl/right-click and rasterise this layer. Create three circles using the same method and fill them with a grey gradient. Once rasterised we can reduce the Opacity to around 65%.

I can think of a lot of items that you might build, test, scrap, build again, test again,  scrap again, and so on until you have exactly the product you want.

Luxury yachts are not one of them.

They’re too expensive for any meaningful physical mock up. You need to know before you start sanding the first plank that the boat you build is going to be beautiful, seaworthy, efficient, and comfortable, or you’re wasting your time and money.

It’s not surprising, then, that smart high-end boat manufacturers start with a good 3D CAD system. One that gives them accuracy to the millimeter, realistic rendering tools, and excellent simulation and analysis capabilities.

And with that, I’d like to introduce you to CNB Yachts, a builder in Bordeaux, France, that is all about luxury, customer convenience, and digital mock ups. Find out more about this company and how it uses PTC Creo and PTC Windchill PDMLink in our newest customer video:

We have a word with filmmaker, typographer, illustrator and web designer Ernesto Gonzalo to find out more about today's image of the day

GREENBELT, MD, May 20, 2013 -- Orbit Logic has signed a Phase II SBIR contract sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the developme

Rhino Open Projects is a collection of tools for Rhino 5 developed by the Laboratory of Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering (Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Padova) for a variety of research projects such as biomedical (including dental), veterinary sciences, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, cultural heritage, the geometric products specification, the naval field, ophthalmic optics and others.

The Rhino Open Projects tools are now available for academic and commercial purposes. Currently there are 3 plug-ins available:

• AdvMesh: allows mesh operations such as curvature analysis based on fitting methods, add noise to a mesh, fit a quadratic function on a set of points, simple mesh editing tools that allow to add and remove vertices and faces.
• AdvSurf: estimates the lines of curvature of a surface.
• LensDesign: developed for progressive addition lens design, analysis and data exchange for manufacturing process.

Essential tool in territorial planning, geospatial technologies are revolutionizing the way to manage properties
Curitiba, May 20, 2013 -- A number o

November 5, 2013, Orlando, Florida
http://persis.usc.edu/iwgs13/
in conjunction with
The 21st ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances i