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Patch form•Z 3.5.0.1 This patch has been released (as of December 23, 1999) and can be downloaded from the Updates area on this site.
form•Z 3.5 has shipped
AutoDesSys, Inc. is please to announce the release of form•Z
3.5. This new version contains 20+ new features including direct
access to the web, the import/export translator for Art·lantis,
right to left text, transformations about object centroids,
and much more. Please see the complete list of features.
AutoDesSys Previews new 3D modeler, BonZai 3D, at AIA 2008  May 15, 2008, AIA Convention, Boston - AutoDesSys is pleased to preview BonZai 3D in Booth 22139.What is BonZai 3D? BonZai 3D is a new 3D modeler developed to fill in the demand for a quick, easy, simple but, most importantly, geometrically robust approach to 3D. A response to those who wish to express their thoughts graphically in 3D, on the fly, without too much hassle, and then be able to advance to the next level of detailed solid modeling and production, if they wish to do so. In many ways, BonZai is an offspring of form•Z. At the same time, it is a different tool and represents a fresh approach to 3D modeling. The BonZai tools have resulted from experiences, experiments, research, and user input of the past 15 years. Its goal is to support the conceptual and sketching stages of design with utmost ease, but also the production of accurate and robust models that can be used for construction drawings, can be smoothly rendered, animated, and fabricated (i.e. printed in 3D). All this and more at an affordable price. You can think of form•Z as the Swiss army knife of 3D modeling and BonZai as a pen knife you carry around to depend on for quick solutions to all kinds of immediate needs. Anatomy of Bonzai BonZai is the next generation of ease of use, combined with underlying solid modeling, that leads to effective workflow that minimizes input effort while maximizing productivity. It offers all the basic tools a designer needs to present one’s ideas in a 3D representation. It is built on form•Z’s trademark strengths that include solids and nurbz, multi-platform support, reliable Booleans, import/export file translators, and above all its solid reputation for the mark of excellence in 3D. Some of the individual features in BonZai are: • Fluid, powerful, and smart interface. • All the classic modeling tools (extrusions, sweeps, transformations, etc.). • Real time Booleans. • NURBS curves and surfaces. • Smart 3D drawing. • Dynamic graphic editing. • Push/Pull tool for easy sculpting and shape editing. • Advanced OpenGL rendering with shadows, transparencies, and textures. • Graphic texture map editing. • Over 200 free materials (texture maps). • Content library for trees, furniture, entourage elements. • Support of 3D Warehouse. • Google Earth and SketchUp file compatibility. • Over 30 export/import formats for easy inter-operability. • Embedded video tutorials When to Expect bonZai 3D? What is presented at AIA 2008 - BOOTH #22139 - is a sneak preview of what’s to come in the summer of 2008. AutoDesSys expects to start public Beta testing soon.
form•Z 3.1.4 patch This patch is now available to be downloaded from the Support area of this site. It corrects the irregularities reported to us since v. 3.1.3.
form•Z in an industrial strength modeler The December issue of CADENCE magazine includes a review/trial run of form•Z 3.1, written by John Wilson. The review starts by recognizing a fact that not too many 3D users know. "Most of today's CAD programs for desktop computers started as electronic versions of the drafting boards, T-squares, scales, and pencils that have been used for generations in making technical drawing on paper. 3D features were added to these programs as the power of computers and interest in 3D modeling increased. But since the features were tacked-on piecemeal, their functionality is sometimes not coordinated or even complementary." Mr. Wilson notes the advantages of using form•Z , which was conceived and developed as a 3D program from its inception. He finds it particularly well suited for industrial and archi tectural design but also mentions its value for manual illustrations, publications and adver tisements. His findings indicate that form•Z contains all the tools and features that one anticipates to find in a 3D modeler. He praises the hybrid use of solid and surface modeling while main taining all the parameters of given objects when blending them to create another object , regardless of whether the objects combined are surface or solid ones. This gives form•Z its versatility to create both organic and angular shapes and, as Mr. Wilson notes, the "well deserved reputation for being able to model almost any shape you can imagine." The review includes references to form•Z 's solid import/export capabilities which allow the users to interface with programs that use the ACIS kernel, the file formats DWG, DXF, and 3DS used by Autodesk's products, as well as the IGES and STL translators that are crucial for rapid prototyping. The manuals are considered "complete, well written and fully illus trated." The rendering capabilities found in RenderZone and RadioZity are seen as en hancements to the program by adding photo-realism to the models created in form•Z. In his conclusion Mr. Wilson finds form•Z to be a "flexible 3D modeler that can create geometric shapes that are beyond the capabilities of many other programs - even those that cost more than twice as much...." He also indicates that the parametric technology in form•Z is not as fully developed as in the exclusively parametric modelers, but quickly adds that "after reviewing form•Z, I am confident that it will become a major 3D modeler for these [Windows] platforms because it can handle 3D geometry that the parametric solid modelers cannot." "We are particularly happy with Mr. Wilson's insightful review," said Chris Yessios, president of AutoDesSys. "It is not very often that people recognize the backbone of form•Z: the fact that it was developed as a 3D program from its inception and how this helps the smooth integration of its 3D tools and other features. We are also happy to see that the shortcomings he refers to in his review are being addressed in the next major upgrade of the software. The ACIS kernel will be incorporated into form•Z, its architecture will open to add ons, and programming extensions will be included."
form•Z earns the 1999 CADENCE Editors' Choice Award The December issue of CADENCE magazine includes the 1999 CADENCE
Editors' Choice Awards, 2nd Edition. Arnie Williams, Peter K. Sheerin,
Heidi Hill, and Nathan Ghio looked at software and hardware released
in the past six months and chose what they "think are the top 20
products on the market." They think the quality of these products
"is evidence of things to come." form•Z 3.1
is among the chosen.
1998-99 Joint Study award winners announced
AutoDesSys , Inc.recently announced the winners of the form•Z
Joint Study Program Awards of Distinction and Honorable Mentions. These
awards were presented at the 1999 ACADIA (Association for Computer Aided
Design in Architecture) Conference held in Snowbird, Utah, October 29-31,
1999.
Award of Distinction in Architectural Design Tristan Sterk, University of Adelaide, Australia - Clouds, Final year project Award of Distinction in Urban and Landscape Design John Endersbee, University of Adelaide, Australia - The Meeting of Two Worlds, Final year project Award of Distinction in Product and Industrial Design Damian Etrocassi, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Office Furniture, 5th year Award of Distinction in Visualization and Illustration Dean DiSimone and Joseph Kosinski, Columbia University, New York, New York - Frank Lloyd Wright's National Life Insurance Building, 1924, 3rd year, March Independent Research, Masters of Architecture Program The recipients of Honorable Mentions: Architecture: Wilson Au-Yeung, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California Andrew Maletz, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio Kjersti Hegland Nordbotn, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Urban and Landscape Design: Olaf Pfeifer and Binke Lenhardt, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York Markus Olechowski, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria Stefan Laub, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria Product and Industrial Design: Matt Gerules, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois Jake Tucci, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina Visualization and Illustration: Ben Rossi and Jeff Schmierer, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California Matthew Jones, Blackpool and The Fylde College, Blackpool, England Congratulations to all the winners. For additional information please contact: Trica Weaver, Joint Study Administrator AutoDesSys , Inc. 2011 Riverside Drive, Columbus, OH phone: 614-488-8838 fax: 614-488-0848 e-mail: jointstudy@formz. com
Beyond form•Z 3.5
How will life with form•Z be after v. 3.5? Following are highlights
of some of our future directions that we can disclose today. More details
will follow at a later time.
For immediate release - difficult to pigeonhole, hard to beat! The September 1999 issue of Computer Graphics World Magazine, includes a review of form•Z 3.0. Jeffrey Rowe is the reviewer and the title of his review is "Difficult to pigeonhole, hard to beat". Jeffrey Rowe finds several unique aspects to form•Z. One is the fact that it appeals to a wide range of users in a variety of industries which include architecture, industrial design, and entertainment production. Another is form•Z's ability to handle multiple personalities. "Version 3.0 can merge different object types so that NURBS, Bezier curves, Coons patches, analytic primitives, polygonal objects, and metaballs can be separate representations or can coexist on the same object. Each object can have a distinct personality and behavior... NURBS and parametric primitives five form•Z 3.0 some of its 3D design flexibility." "Mr. Rowe, captures the essence of form•Z very well", remarked Chris Yessios, president of auto·des·. "From the outset, the goal of auto·des· has been to develop a general purpose, quality 3D product which brings workstation power features to the personal computer at an affordable price. We are happy to see the recognition of the design flexibility that form•Z provides." The reviewer also talks about the new animation feature introduced in version 3.0, the improved drafting tool set, and the restructuring of the import/export file formats that offers uniformly predictable behavior when moving files from one program to another. His conclusion is that "the product has no compettion in its particular market space." The complete review may be viewed at http://pennwell.shore.net/cgw/body.html.
Patch form•Z 3.1.3 This patch has been released (as of September 14, 1999) and can be downloaded from the Support area on this site.
form•Z Joint Study report released The 1997-98 form•Z Joint Study Annual Report has been released and will be sent to the member schools (and family plan users) within the next two weeks. It comes in two versions: the complete report (450 pages) is on a CD; a condensed version (150 pages) has been printed and also has been placed online, on this website. It can be accessed from the Education section.
form•Z users win cover competition AutoDesSys, Inc. is delighted to announce that the results
of the first annual A/E/C SYSTEMS: The Magazine of Computer Solutions
Cover Image Contest have been decided, and three out of the four entries
that won an award involved the use of form•Z.
Advanced tutorials for form•Z "form•Z: Modeling for Digital Visual Effects and Animation," by David Rindner, has been published. For more information, go to http://www.formz.com/support/rindner.html. To order, go to http://www.charlesriver.com/titles/formz.html.
Patch form•Z 3.1.1 This patch has been released (as of July 27, 1999) and can be downloaded from the Support area on this site. The most notable irregularity it corrects relates to importing DWG files that contain ACIS entities on Windows machines.
New book about form•Z "Into 3D with form•Z" by Lachmi Khemlani (McGraw-Hill, Publisher), is now available. For more information, go to http://www.formz.com/support/khemlani.html. To order, go to http://www.bookstore.mcgraw-hill.com.
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