Techno Babble

Picked up a couple of items following the recent Autodesk University 2005 at Orlando…

A future version of AutoCAD may incorporate some form of mass modelling functionality for conceptual design, similar to that found in SketchUp - sketch lines and extrude into 3D shapes.

Vespa is the current code name for a non-photorealistic illustration tool that Autodesk plan to release during 2006.

Autodesk is aware of the latest trends in 64bit processing and multithreading and will look to incorporate the technology across its product lines. Discreet has already implemented 64bit support and sees GPU acceleration as the next mechanism for boosting performance further.

Autodesk also reported that sales of Inventor have passed 500000

The ESA (European Space Agency) Technology Transfer Program details how new technologies developed by European space comanies is being used to develop innovative products to benefit both industry and society.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology_Transfer/SEMO5TRMD6E_0.html

One such item is a virtual photo studio

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology_Transfer/SEM8Y0ULWFE_0.html

which is being developed by News’UProduction within the framework of ESA. The objective is to produce high-quality images and animations of industrial items while they are still in the design stage; images that in quality and appearance are comparable to photographs of the final product. (In other words a photo-realistic render ! )

What sounds interesting is the description of the creation of a materials database which stores the optical behaviour and visual appearance of materials together with other characteristics and physical properties. The visual appearance is described using the standards defined by the International Commission on Illumination

http://www.cie.co.at/cie/

The database allows the user to visualise the optical behaviour of a material in normal pre-defined conditions and to modify the visual appearance of an object by modifying the composition of the material.

Other success stories from the ESA Technology Transfer Program can be seen at

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology_Transfer/SEME31SMD6E_0_ov.html.