3DVIA® - 3DVIA

We recently released an updated version of 3DVIA Shape that has already hit the blogoshpere.  The key feature of this release is designed to speed up and simplify your modeling workflow - Advanced Texture Skewing.  This enhancement provides the ability to automatically correct the perspective of an image to fit the shape of your model in a few easy steps.

How will this speed up and simplify your workflow?  Typically, we have found that users will take their textures into an external application like Photoshop to manually adjust the perspective to fit a surface on their model.  This new feature eliminates this time-consuming step (and you know how long it can take Photoshop to load) and automates part of the effort.  You simply apply the texture to your model, identify the corners that make up the portion of the image that you need and 3DVIA Shape will automatically transform the image to fit correctly!

This is a feature that is best demonstrated visually. Take a look at the following video (very short - just over a minute).

Here’s is a link to the model in the video on 3dvia.com.  Click the “PLAY 3D” button to render view and examine the model in the browser.

Other Key Updates?

In addition to the Advanced Texture Skewing tool, there are many other improvements in 3DVIA Shape including better tutorials, help and better geometry manipulation.  The following video demonstrates one of the abilities of the geometry manipulation set of enhancements. The video shows how to change the anchor point of a piece of geometry while performing a simple cut/paste action.

Interested? Try 3DVIA Shape now…it’s free!

A new release of the Live Maps service is now public and the centerpiece is a much improved “Version 2″ view of several top cities including Las Vegas.  The version 2 update features cities with many more modeled buildings, higher resolution textures, and rendered trees!  Other cities with a version 2 spruce up include Dallas, Denver and Phoenix.

It’s amazing - click on the image to zoom into the improved 3D Las Vegas.

Also featured in the update…an improved Virtual Earth - 3DVIA.  Some of the new enhancements include lighting for contributed models, creation of preview thumbnails when you save a model, and much faster publishing when using high resolution textures.  To try it out while in Live Maps, switch into 3D view, right click where you would like to add a building and choose ‘Add 3D model’.

Other key updates for Live Maps include:

• Export Your Collection to Your Navigation/GPS Device
• The Ability to Add Labels for Birds Eye Imagery
• 1-Click Directions (They call it Party Maps!)
• MapCruncher Integration!…MapCruncher is a tool for registering your raster maps to create map tiles for mashups. You can now add your MapCrunched layers to Collections
• “GeoWeb Exploration”…”one of the largest stores of local content on the web”
• Neighborhood Subscribe via GeoRSS….very cool feature allowing to subscribe to local updates of a given geographic area!
• Tour Enhancements Including Hi-Def Movies
• Directions and Traffic Enhancements
• Improved Display of KML Files Including Google MyMaps Links

There is already some buzz for the update from around the blogosphere including:

• Live Maps hits us with a big release
• New Live Search Maps is Live
• Microsoft Introduces Tool for Avoiding Traffic Jams
• New Live Search Maps is Live
• The New Maps Is Live
• The New Release of Live Maps and Virtual Earth 3D is now Live!

Congratulations to the Live Maps team!

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Remixing is one of the most powerful Shape tools in 3DVIA. When a 3dxml model created in Shape catches your eye, you can use it as a starting point for your own versions and also as a valuable learning tool. A great case in point is the CocaCola truck meticulously modeled by Rguyen.

Just a few detail shots (while Remixing in Shape) give a better idea of how far he went to create the details. Since I was already in Shape, I could use his model to see new possibilities and start modifying his model and learning from that as well. He put a LOT of work into this tractor trailer (articulated lorry)(camion).

The first thing I did was to replace the detailed textures with something that was visually easier to work with. I then selectively deleted bits and pieces, big and small, so that I had just the cab and just the trailer to work with. As I worked I incrementally published the results so that I could always go back and head in a new direction if needed.

Then I took the cab by itself and started playing with that to make a shorter wheelbase cab that I can use with lots of different trailers. (Rguyen already has a new log hauling trailer that he put up today!). Here I’ve removed the sleeper/living quarters section and then shortened the side tanks and reduced the number of lights.

Then the hardest part was ‘box selecting’ the rear axles, tires and other goodies so that I could shorten the whole wheelbase. Not everything moved the way I expected, but with a little fussing I got it to look pretty good.

Then I started to make some changes to simplify and just make it into a 3DVIA cab. Less dressy and more like a fleet vehicle (although the six headlights are pretty odd). Adding some different textures to the grille, stacks and air cleaners made it different very quickly. Shortening the bumper and adding some holes and, of course, dishing the wheels and adding some interesting (although certainly not traditional) wheel textures also helped change the overall look.

From start to finish I had a great time. I started with the best I could find, learned a lot from Rguyen’s modeling techniques and now I have a few different models to start with the next time I want to use the power of Remixing.

Have fun! Make more cool stuff!