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Form.z may be the next winner in the war to get CAD on the Mac... INTEL Mac users may have a chance now to run AutoCad the owner of the CAD industry
There is one area where Mac users cannot replace Windows software with a Mac-enabled substitute. That's the CAD industry. With the news of the INTEL Macs running Windows software, a ray of light may have been shed on poor, orphaned Mac users trying to enter the world of Architecture, Industrial Design, or most Engineering disciplines. The CAD world is dominated by PC/Windows computers. Mac users come up empty-handed because virtually all companies that accept student internships or work-study programs, as well as those looking for bright graduates, also require full and thorough skills in AutoCad. So, the Mac Industrial Design and CAD student has two choices: buy a Windows machine capable of running AutoCad, or drop out and go to cooking school. With the promise of running AutoCad on the new INTEL Macs (assuming the software people get their act together) CAD graduates embarking into the industry won't have to give up their Macs to get a job. Enter Form.Z.
Solid, Surface Modeling and more
There are a few good 3D modelers on the market, each based on a particular mode of representation, such as solids or surfaces, faceted or continuous boundaries, NURBS, patches, implicit surfaces, etc. Not only does form.Z have all these, it also allows conversions from one to another and their use in conjunction with one another. All this leads to some amazing modeling power.
It may be safe to assume that most users, on the average, only need one of the representations to rely on for their daily work. But it is also not a secret that those who make use of more than one, acquire additional modeling power and "dexterity". Each representation has its own repertoire of possibilities relative to the generation and manipulation of 3D forms, thus multiplying the range of shapes that can be obtained when more than one representational schemes complement each other.
Whether one or more representations are used, ultimately they all serve the object, which remains the king and makes form.Z a fully object oriented application. You are able to manipulate a virtual object as if it were real, but soft and fluid. Even the new animation procedures that will soon be introduced in form.Z are completely object centric, which distinguishes them from other animation applications currently on the market. More on this subject matter in a future communication...
Featured tool: The Boolean Operation
Simply said, the Booleans are the royalty of 3D solid modeling. They let you subtract and add volume to objects. They provide the basis of sculpting, and give the ability to reshape digital forms in ways comparable to those used with real objects. As a matter of fact, it is the Booleans that allow the virtual solids to behave exactly like their counterparts in the physical world. This is a major reason why 3D solid modeling has gained so much popularity in recent years. form.Z has been at the forefront of these trends having offered Booleans that have always worked since its introduction to the industry fifteen years ago. Improvements, especially in the areas of speed and accuracy, have added to their functionality and indispensability of actual 3D representations.
The form.Z web site hosts a user gallery that can be accessed at AutoDesSys is always looking for additional form.Z users to include in the gallery as well as to update existing users's pages with their latest projects. There are directions on how to submit your work at this link. Keep in mind that for AutoDesSys, one of the best rewards is to see what form.Z users create with the software it develops for you. Even if you do not want to get your work published, you can show and tell to the team that stands behind your 3D, and promises not to show or tell if you don't want us to.
Factoid
Ever wondered what the "Z" in form.Z stands for? Your guess is correct if you answered: the third dimension on the x-y-z axis.
form.Z is a cross platform design oriented 3D software application that combines surface and solid modeling, polygonal and smooth (resolution independent) modeling, NURBS and parametrics. form.Z includes 2D drafting, information management, raytrace and radiosity rendering, animation, an open architecture with an API and script language that offer further means for customization.
Developed by AutoDesSys, Inc. - 2011 Riverside Drive, Columbus, OH 43221, USA - 614-488-8838
form.Z, Renderzone and RadioZity are registered trademarks of AutoDesSys,Inc.
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