USDZ file is the standard format used by Apple AR toolkit, so you want to export your models to USDZ to view them in AR using iPhone and iPad.

SimLab Soft released new plugins (works on both Windows and Mac) to export your SketchUp files to USDZ

More details, and 21 days free trial of the plugins can be found here

The following article gives you an introduction about USDZ

We started beta testing for SimLab VR Viewer on Oculus GO.

To participate you need to get an invitation beta key from us.

Simply send a request for a beta key to support@simlab-soft.com

Keys can be redeemed using Android mobile or web browser on the Desktop.

Log in to your Oculus GO account, then redeem the key you received.

Now when you log in to Oculuse GO, you will find SimLab VR Viewer in the uninstalled app.

Install it and enjoy.

We are looking forward for your feedback.

3D models designed using #SketchUp and #Rhino3D
VR experience created using #SimLabComposer

It is mid of year sale, you can save 25% of new licenses of any edition of SimLab Composer

1- Pro
2- VR
3- Mechanical
4- Ultimate

Discount valid until end of July

Model created by Max Achkovsky

Animation created and rendered using SimLab Composer

I uploaded 2 EXE examples

House VR Experience, this is an EXE that the user should be able to open directly, and use measurements, and notes with, this example can do downloaded from here

Real Estate 360, this is another example showing how the designer can share 360 Grid as a stand alone EXE, this file is available here

Another method of simple communication is shown in the website, where the VR experience automatically plays for the user directly from the website, as you can see in the following website

Thank you for pointing this, I fixed the URL.

This feature is part of SimLab Composer 9.1 VR edition.

While first export requires SimLab Composer, all following exchange can be done with the free SimLab VR Viewer, so users do not need to have any software installed.

The following tutorial shows how this is done in the VR Viewer

The new version of SimLab Composer makes it easy to send your SketchUp design to your client as a stand alone EXE file or a VRPackage that can be opened with the free SimLab VR Viewer.

The client can view the model, make some changes, add few notes and from inside the free Viewer, she/he can create an updated VR package or EXE and send it back to you.

We believe that this will improve communication significantly and will make it easier for clients to send feedback.

Both, stand alone EXE and VR packages support Desktop and VR modes.
So if the client has VR hardware -> great, if not, it should work great in Desktop mode.

More details are available here

The new, free, and powerful VR Viewer from SimLab Soft (Desktop + VR)

From inside the VR Viewer the user can:

1. Create measurements
2. Use 3D Catalogs
3. Control Materials, Lights and the Environment
4. Add Sound and Draw notes
5. Save the model and share it as a viewer package or EXE.

Demo below

[attachment=0:ova15odr]<!-- ia0 -->sketchup%20plugins%202019.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:ova15odr]

All SimLab plugins(importers, exporters, and integration) were updated to support SketchUp 2019 and Prior.

Full List of plugins is available here

Updated installers were updated on SimLab-Soft website, they are still not available in SketchUp extension warehouse.

Note: SimLab Composer 9.1 was updated to support reading SketchUp 2019 files

Rendered 360 Panorama images are great for viewing interior of a 3D models.
360 images can be posted on a website, or shared on Facebook.

360 panorama images has two big limitations:

• The user can only view the scene from one point of view
• The user cannot see objects in the scene from different angles

360 Grid technology solves those issue, it allows the user to distribute multiple cameras in the scene and to automatically render those cameras, the result is a 360 Grid that can be added to websites or using free viewers on Mobile or Desktop.

The following tutorial shows how to create a 360 Grid of a SketchUp model.

The following tutorial shows how to run 360 Grid on mobile devices

360 Grid samples in a website can be viewed in the following link

Location based events is a new capability added to SimLab Composer 9.

It starts automatic actions like light on/off or automatic door open/close based on the location of the VR user.

For example, an automatic door opens as soon as the user moves close to it.

The following video shows this new capability.

This tutorial shows how add it so your SketchUp models.

SimLab Composer 9, 21 days free trial (windows/mac) is available here.

SimLab Art Team started a new VR experience creation service, allowing users to have a functional VR experience in few hours.

We strongly believe in the power of VR, and the positive impact it has on many businesses, and we believe that SimLab Composer VR technologies will allow users to take advantage of the amazing power of VR.

Horatec from Germany sent us a SketchUp model of a kitchen, In 3 hours using SimLab Composer one person created the following VR experience.

Users interested in running the VR experience (on Desktop, or using HTC, Oculus, or Mixed reality sets) can download the free SimLab Showroom here.

SimLab Soft team worked closely with Architect Mayada Abu Qdais collaborating on HQ design for SimLab Soft.

We asked her to show what technologies of 3D communication capabilities in SimLab Composer she found useful during the architectural design process, starting from concept design, and until the final design of the project.

Mayada used SketchUp for Designing the project.

The following video shows how she used (3D PDF, Rendering, 360, and VR) during the different stages of her work.

Process is described in the following PDF file

#3DPDF, #Rendering, #VR, #AR, #360, #SketchUp, #Revit

SimLab AR/VRviewer is now available on Google play.

One app is all what you will need for 3D viewing, AR, and VR.

Android app is available for download from the following link, iOS version will be ready soon.

In addition to the complete experience, the app offers:

• 1- Superior visual quality
• 2- Supporting actions and animations
• 3- Materials and options listing
• 4- Advanced large scene navigation mode

The following video shows AR capabilities of SimLab Composer AR/VR Viewer:

All details about the app is available here

SimLab Soft started 50% end of year discount on SimLab Composer.

From today and until the end of the year the price of a node locked license of
SimLab Composer Pro: $99
SimLab Composer VR: $199

Wondering what you can do with SimLab Composer VR?

Check the following videos:

Happy holidays to all of you and your loved ones.

Deadline: Friday, 3rd November

Description

Sketchup usersinterested in creating a model that can be translated into a VR experience in a very easy way, can enter the competition and get the chance to win a Simlab Composer VR edition for free which is a powerful all in one 3D software. This challenge is a great opportunity to win a powerful software and become a contributor to the Simlab Showroom Collection.

Policy

• You have to be a sketchup user
• You can upload up to 5 models but only one model will win
• You should be the designer of those 3D models and you have the full ownership of them
• The top 3 most liked models will win, so there will be 3 winners.

How to Participate

• Design or use one of your awesome Sketchup models
• Import the model to Simlab Composer, download Simlab Composer for free here
• Add VR experience to your imported model by adding a VR cameras easily, check this tutorial
• Open Simlab VR Showroom and sign up an account
• Upload your model into the Showroom
• Tag your model using the Showroom tags feature with the keyword “skvrcompetition” and add any other tags you want that’s relevant to the model

Benefits

• Professional lifetime license(s) of SimLab Composer VR (value of 400$)
• Benefit being a part of the SimLab Composer community and Simlab Showroom community
• Show your talents and the quality of your 3D models and get feedback on them and check other users models as well and give feedback

Tips

• We recommend that you render your model using our Simlab Composer renderer since it’s a powerful renderer and have a lot of features, for more info about Simlab Composer rendering capabilities
• You can design anything you want but we encourage you to design something architectural or interior
• For more info/tutorials/tips about VR and Simlab Composer, you can check our website, our forum, and our youtube channel
• You can share your design on social media using the hashtags #simlabsoft #simlabvr #simlabshowroom
• Employers are looking to hire artists with demonstrated experience and skills. Sharpen your skills, show off your talents, and build your resume with the competition experience.

For more info and support contact: support@simlab-soft.com

Good luck and happy designing.

What is a 360 Image?

A 360 or a panorama image, is a special type of image that allows the user to experience being inside a 3D scene, the user can view the scene on a mobile, or using Facebook or other viewers.

Rendering 360 Tutorial

The following tutorial shows how to render a 360 (Panorama image) for a 3D model using SimLab Composer

Posting 360 on Facebook

This tutorial shows how to post a 360 image on Facebook.

Remember you need aspect ratio, width to height to be 2 to 1, also save rendered image as JPEG

Posting 360 images on a website

Using the free Photo sphere viewer from Google, rendered 360 images can be posted on a web page as shown in the following link

SimLab Soft have added and improved a lot of features in SimLab Composer.

Below is some of our top new features and updates, but there is many many more updates and features you can explore them by visiting 8.1 Product Page on the website.

New Features:

• VR Workbench: Clipping Plane, Teleportation Points, Light/Shadow Baking, SimLab VR/Desktop Viewer on Mac
• 3D PDF: New highlighting option to distinguish 3D objects that are associated with actions, New option for stopping animation on scene navigation.
• WebGL/HTML: Highlighted 3D objects containing actions, Animation stops on camera movement.
• Rendering: Region Rendering, Roughness Map, 360 Images,Alpha Channel Emitter, SimLab HDR Creation, Pass Light
• SimLab Showroom: Ability to join SimLab Community, Ability to upload and download models, Ability to vote for favorite models, Showroom app is now available on Mac (macOS greater or equal to 10.12). The ability to export to SimLab VR Viewer app for mobile.
• Mobile: SimLab VR Mobile Viewer App

All of this in one package so you can enjoy our tools and succeed in your business. You can try it for free for 21 days or you can upgrade for free if you're a current user of SimLab Composer 8.0