ArchiCAD 16 plug-in for Artlantis 4.1 updated

The ArchiCAD 16 export plug-in to Artlantis 4.1 has been updated. The following issues have been corrected:

When merging geometry, the coordinates were offset.

While exporting to Artlantis 4.1, ArchiCAD crashed when the ArchiCAD project had no geometry.

 Download the Export Plug-ins

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

Import updater DWG-DXF 2013 for Artlantis Studio 4.1.8

Abvent released an update for Mac and Windows yesterday that permits Artlantis 4.1.8 to open DWG-DXF 2013 files. To install, first make Artlantis isn't running. Then download and run the installer. Follow the instructions to complete the process.

 Download the Import Updater

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

Artlantis 4.1.8 update version available

The Artlantis 4.1.8 update version fixes a number of bugs and also includes an enhancement.

Enhancement:

Artlantis 4.1.8 introduces two new parameters for the DXF-DWG import: the distance between Knots, and the deviation angle between faces. They come in addition to the 2D conversion parameters and control the triangulation of the 3D geometry. As a result, Artlantis can correctly interpret and triangulate moldings or any curved body built in the CAD modeler.

Bug fixes:

Mac and Windows:

ArchiCAD .gsm objects: the colors were not distinguished when saving by layers or on a unique layer.

Reopening a file wasn't possible; now the Revert command allows it.

The program would freeze when selecting an object.

Artlantis crashed when using "Delete the material ID unused"

When exporting SketchUp 8 to Artlantis, some viewpoints were ignored.

When exporting ArchiCAD 16 to 4.1: the geometry did not align with the origin.

DWF and OBJ export: the geometry wasn't exported if the current view was a panorama, a VR object or an animation.

OBJ import fixes: missing textures.

DWG-DXF fixes: Tessalation, distorted geometry and missing geometry.

Mac only:
The Artlantis color picker didn't match the material in the preview.

Windows only:

In the Objects Inspector, checking/unchecking a layer in the lower part of a long list would result in the display jumping back to the top of the list.

Scene Information, Translate Origin command: displayed an incorrect icon.

Issue when Activating/Deactivating layers when in the perspective view inspector.

iVisit 3D builder didn't work if XQuartz was missing.

 Download Artlantis 4.1.8 Update

 Download the Artlantis 30-Day Demo

Good News about QuickTime 7.7.3! Update fixes texture issue with Artlantis. Update today!

Apple has released QuickTime 7.7.3, patching critical security vulnerabilities. This is good news for Windows-based Artlantis users, too. This latest version fixes the previous QuickTime-related issues associated with reading textures on Windows OS. Updating to QuickTime 7.7.3 is recommended.

 Download QuickTime 7.7.3

 Read about the QuickTime Security Fixes

Important Updates to Artlantis 4.1!

Abvent has launched an Artlantis 4.1.7 update version for bug-fixing purposes. The complete list of fixes can be found in the ReadMe document zipped with the update.

Artlantis 4.1 users will be notified automatically about this free update.

The Artlantis demo version was also updated; users can download this latest 4.1.7 version right away.

 Download the Artlantis Updater

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering

Artlantis 4.1 and Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

The recent launch of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has brought with it a flurry of excitement and activity in the tech world, along with a lot of anxiety and questions. Many of our users have turned to us recently with the following question: "Is Mountain Lion compatible with Artlantis?"

Yes. Artlantis 4.1 IS compatible with Mountain Lion, Apple's latest Mac OS X 10.8 operating system. No special issues were found during the performed tests so far.

Mac OS X 10.8 introduces a new security option called Gatekeeper. It prevents the installation of malicious software on a Mac. By changing its security settings in the Preferences | Security & Privacy dialog box, you can control and allow the installation of applications not certified for OS X Mountain Lion.

On the other hand, Artlantis 3 was developed and tested with the earlier Mac OS versions only. We do not recommend running Artlantis 3 on Mountain Lion.

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

What building product manufacturers are on your BIM object wishlist?

There are exciting changes coming to Objects Online, and we are asking for your help in shaping the future of our company. Please take our 5 minute survey and share your thoughts with us. Your input will help us make sure we're contacting the manufacturers that YOU want to see in the BIMobject Portal.

 Participate in our Survey

Exciting Changes In Store for Objects Online

During an election year, there is always a heightened sense that change is in the air. We may not know which way the winds will blow, but when we participate, we become part of a change process that keeps things vibrant, healthy, and renewed. Here at Objects Online, we are also undergoing some exciting changes this year, and your input can make a difference.

In April of this year, Objects Online became a BIMobject franchise. Our goal at BIMobject is to close the gaps that often exist between building product manufacturers and architects by offering a portal where thousands of high-quality information-rich manufacturers' BIM objects can be downloaded in a variety of BIM formats, at no cost to the end user. Furthermore, we are actively developing solutions to bring the portal to you, directly within your BIM software, allowing you to skip the trip to the website...smart, fast, and easy! Sound good?

This is a departure from the original Objects Online business model, where our customers visited our website and paid for the content they downloaded. We believe the BIMobject approach is a better way to serve the industry we know and love, providing a win-win for both architects and manufacturers. As a result, we have decided to discontinue all existing CAD and BIM-related object sales on Objects Online, effective August 1, 2012. We will be rolling out a completely new, streamlined website soon that will continue to focus on the Artlantis product family, while bringing you important news and information regarding the offerings from BIMobject.

Here's where your input can help. There are thousands of manufacturers out there, and we want to know which market segments and manufacturers are most important to you. If there are manufacturers you specify regularly, do they currently have BIM objects? Could their BIM catalog be improved or more fully developed? How would you rate the quality of the accompanying information? What source(s) do you use when searching for and specifying a product? Do you have contacts in or related to the building manufacturing industry who you feel we should be talking to? These are just a few conversation starters...feel free to elaborate. You can participate in our survey or contact us directly, but the important thing to take from all this is that we want to hear from you. We appreciate your loyal support of Objects Online over the past 15 years, and we want to continue to serve you for the next 15 years and beyond in ways that meet or exceed all of your expectations!

 Participate in Our Survey

 Contact Us Directly

 Visit BIMobject

 Visit Objects Online

Artlantis 4.1 Plug-ins

Artlantis 4.1 has a different file format than that of version 4.0. Therefore, the exporters have been updated. The following export plug-ins are now available to download;

• ArchiCAD 14 and 15 (16 installs Artlantis 4.1 export plug-in by default)

• Vectorworks 2012

• Revit 2012 and 2013

• SketchUP 8

Artlantis 4.1 can open all .atl files belonging to the previous versions. As a result, users owning an earlier version of their CAD software can also choose Artlantis 4.1 for their visualization tasks. The Artlantis project file can easily be updated in case they need to change the CAD model by using the reference file feature from inside Artlantis: File menu > Use Reference File

 Download the Export Plug-ins

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering

Render[in] 2 for SketchUp is Here!

Powered by Artlantis 4’s rendering engine, Render[in] 2 gives SketchUp users the high-definition, realistic renderings they've been looking for, in a robust, easy-to-use application.

Render[in]2 New Features:

New Radiosity Engine
Improves images for a better perception of colors, textures, and materials. Thanks to both the ISO and Shutter parameters, it is now easier than ever to fine-tune a scene's lighting.

iVisit3D Panoramas
Create a true, virtual tour inside your project with multi-node panoramas. Everything needed for viewing panoramas on your website is created with Render[in].

New Neon Lighting
Colors applied to surfaces can be turned into light sources. In Render[in] 2, users can easily adjust the power and the color of lights.

New Background Image
Users can import a background image for scenes. This new function makes it possible to insert the model in its real site and thus, show it in its future environment.

Bump Mapping
Apply an independent bump map to simulate an optional relief of surfaces.

And More...

• Up to 2x faster than ever

• Modify the infinite ground altitude in the environment palette

• Export your SketchUp file with all the rendering parameters directly to Artlantis 4

• Render your image in PSD format with all the rendering information on different layers

 Render[in]2 Pricing and Ordering

Artlantis 4.1 Offers New Physical Camera option with ISO/Shutter Speed Settings

We are excited to announce the release of Artlantis 4.1. This latest update takes visualization to new heights by combining the speed and ease-of-use of Artlantis with the power and accuracy of Maxwell Render. Artlantis 4.1 is a free update for all Artlantis 4 users and includes a 30-day demo version of the Maxwell Render engine. An unlocking code for the Maxwell Render engine can be purchased separately on Objects Online.

There has been a lot of buzz about the Maxwell Render engine, and we'll be covering that in depth in a future article, but today we're going to focus on one of the other key new features: the new Physical Camera setting. Automatic lighting adjustment has been available since Artlantis 3, but with Artlantis 4.1, an additional Lighting option called Physical Camera is available in the Expert Rendering Parameters (will only be visible if Expert Rendering Parameters are enabled in the general Artlantis preferences). When Physical Camera is checked, the First Bounce/Next Bounces sliders are replaced with ISO/Shutter Speed sliders.

In photography, ISO refers to how sensitive the film (or a digital camera's sensor) is to light in the scene, while shutter speed refers to the length of time the camera's aperture stays open when taking a picture. As with a real camera, increasing ISO increases light sensitivity (brightening the scene), while increasing shutter speed decreases exposure time (darkening the scene). These two controls work in combination to balance the exposure, enabling you to think like a photographer when composing the scene. When used with the Artlantis Tone and Post-Process parameters, your renderings can take on a warm, rich photographic quality.

 Download the Artlantis 4.1 30-day Demo

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering

 Maxwell Render Engine Pricing and Ordering

Important Note for Artlantis Users on Windows

Artlantis Users on Windows: Do Not install the latest update for Quicktime (version 7.7.2) as Artlantis will stop working.

If you already installed this update, don't panic! Follow these steps below to fix Artlantis.

• Uninstall Quicktime 7.7.2

• Delete the folder: C:/users/admin/AppData/LocalLow/Apple Computer

• Install an older version of Quicktime from the link below

 Older Version of Quicktime

Revit 2013 Export Plug-in

The export plug-in for Revit 2013 to Artlantis 4 is now available for downloading. The Artlantis export plug-in offers a direct transfer from Revit into Artlantis without the need for intermediate file formats. During the export, special entities are automatically exploded.

Here is what Artlantis can recover from your Revit model:

• The geometry
• All cameras for parallel views
• All cameras for perspective views
• The shading color and transparency of materials with their names
• The geographical position of the Sun active for the parallel view that is used for the export.

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

 Download the Export Plug-ins

ArchiCAD plug-in Update

Abvent has released new export plug-ins for ArchiCAD 14, 15, SE 2011 and SE 2012 export plug-ins to Artlantis 2, 3 and 4.

Fixes:

• in ArchiCAD, when the geometry was too far from the origin, it would cause an offset of the position in Artlantis when merging a scene or using the Use Reference File command;

• When updating an Artlantis 2 scene with objects through the ArchiCAD export plug-in's Use Reference File command, the geometry disappeared.

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering

 Download the Artlantis 30-day Demo

 Download the Export Plugins

Artlantis 3 & 4 Updates & New Plug-ins

Abvent has released a couple of Artlantis update patches and a new export plug-in. Artlantis 4.0.16 includes the following fixes:

• On Macintosh, the obj and fbx importers are corrected, as is the obj exporter

• On Windows, when the User_Name of a session was written with Japanese characters, the textures were ignored in the preview and in the list of materials

• On Windows, the dwg, dxf and 3ds file formats weren't properly read by Artlantis 4 64-bit version on some computers

Artlantis 3.0.8 includes the following fixes:

• On Windows platform with a Japanese User-Name, textures were ignored in the preview as well as in the list of materials

• When creating an object, the anchor point defined by the target of the camera wasn't taken into account

Abvent has also released an export plug-in from SketchUp 8 to Artlantis 4. All of the updates and plug-ins can be downloaded for free from artlantis.com. If you do not already have an account on that website, you may be required to create one in order to download the files.

 Download the Artlantis Updater

 Download the Export Plug-ins

 Download the Artlantis Demo

 Artlantis Pricing and Ordering