The latest release of form.Z, the 3D modeling software popular in architecture firms, adds what developer AutoDesSys calls “object-centric animation” to the product feature set. In effect, animation can be part of the modeling and object development process, instead of being a separate process that focuses only on visualization.
“The object retains its integrity and remains the ‘king’ during the animation process,” states an AutoDesSys announcement about form.Z version 6.0. “Rather than animating images or decomposed entities, form.Z animates well defined objects complete with their parameters and attributes, which can also be freely animated. This potentially makes the animation process a modeling venue that can generate forms beyond what is possible with conventional means.”
Animation is new to form.Z, and its addition is typical of how AutoDesSys continues to march to its own drumbeat. Animation has been a “must-have” check-list item for most CAD vendors for years, but in all cases animation is a separate process, not considered part of object design. AutoDesSys waited to release animation in form.Z until they “got it right,” which in this case means extending animation back into the design process.
This new object animation feature could be helpful in preliminary factory and process/power design work, where initial motion study ideas could be modeled without the overhead of “everything has to be just so” as when using typical CAD applications. Any architectural scenario where movement has to be included in the preliminary design is also a natural use for form.Z’s new animation capabilities.
Animations can be generated either by key framing or relative to paths. Animations can also be created by simply dragging the name of an object, light, or view from the respective palette into an animation palette. The parameters of an entity can be animated at the same time its motion and/or size may be animated, and surface styles can be animated, which offers the ability to play movies within movies. Once animations have been set and refined, they can be played back in preview mode from within form.Z then rendered, saved, and played in their final form. Animation settings can be developed in form.Z or imported from other programs.
Other new features worth mentioning in form.Z 6.0 include:
Model morphing: The shape of one object can change to the shape of a second one by a certain percent. The operation can be executed dynamically or in one step. It can be used as part of an animation or by itself.
Parametric deformations: Multiple deformations can be applied simultaneously to an object, and the process can be subsequently edited.
Branched and skinned lofting: Skinned lofting combines skinning and lofting, by using explicit or implicit paths, as it threads sets of selected profile shapes. Capabilities include the ability to generate objects that branch.
3D printing: Support for Z Corp’s new ZPR file format makes it possible to print models created in form.Z. Additionally, form.Z offers a new 3D print preparation tool which helps users prepare an object for 3D printing by identifying parts of a model that will not print properly, along with other tools for resolving issues that might prevent a model from printing.
form.Z is available for both Windows and Mac.
--RSN
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