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Have a look at the vid. Been playing around some more with LightUp 1.3
Keep an eye on the chrome chair frames and the glass in the doors.
Amazing thing is, this is being captured in REAL TIME. I'm just orbiting & dollying with the mouse. LU and my graphics card (a lowly GeForce 7300 in this case) are doing the rest.
Bonzai's out? This I must see!!!
Fossa --
Windows version seems more stable than the Mac one at the mo, but 1.3b will be released in a few days time and should address the stability prob.
One feature I forgot to mention -- This version has support for exporting the fully-baked model as an FBX, for use in other programs.
Chango -- free upgrades to 1.x versions, AFAIK.
Thanks, Scott --
What's really amazing about it is being able to navigate around that model, in real time, full screen (about 1100 x 900) and see things like the reflections in the chrome and glass update on-the-fly.
Cheers, Kwist --
let me know how you get on... especially regards using ambient (AO)... it seems to slow the rendering down considerably -- although I'm using SU mac, and it's full of holes (memory leaks, etc.)
I've been playing around with the new release, and it's a huge improvement from the previous version -- have a look at the vid below -- it's a really quick 'n' dirty render (two lightsources, no ambient, problems with facedness in the model, etc) but it calculated in 2 min 20 secs... and then the Slideshow renders in realtime within SU.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=axLEADFfZCc&feature=channel_page
The above vid was made by taking a screen capture .mov of the slideshow in SU.
To say I'm impressed would be an understatement.
Toxic --
Thanks for the shape link...that one's going in!
Hmmm... it's by Dassault Systèmes -- heavy hitters. And it's free! Oooh! Soft shadows!!!
edit: Kwisten ... I'm curious -- how do you mean 'doesn't support renderers'? ... Bonzai says that it can export in 20 different file formats.
Cheers, all --
I CANNOT get AvoCADo to run... I have the latest Java installed, but it keeps saying "invalid or corrupt .jar file". Anyone got it running on a Mac?
I've only tried it in XP under Parallels, but no joy there...it crashes after the splashscreen.
Juju -- it should be in the January issue. Did you see my Turning Torso Tutorial in issue 99? It's on their website somewhere.
Edit: Scott -- a million! Wow. My most complex only has 133 000... I feel like a novice.
BTW, what counts as a 'high-poly' model? How many faces?
Has anyone managed to d/l and run AvoCADo? It just doesn't work on my Mac.
@linea said:
These are free open source apps but both have sketchup-like simplicity. Still under development, but Advocado is quite similar. (Tim Sorry if this is off topic as you probably want to only compare commercial apps).
avoCADo :: Open Source 3D CAD
avoCADo, a new open source 3D CAD project for engineers and artists alike!
(avocado-cad.sourceforge.net)
Linea -- not at all, both look interesting (although their unavailability would disqualify them 
)
Surprised no-one picked up on my reference to upFRONT -- nearly fifteen years ago it was doing inferencing and could do things that SketchUp still can't do --- components cutting walls with thickness, translucent shadows, really cool built-in camera-path tool...
I've still got two boxed copies that I refuse to throw out -- that's how software should be packaged.
Edit: Cheers, john -- I'll check it out.
Remus --
MoI is lovely, and Michael's done some amazing things with new ways of thinking about the interface -- I, for one really appreciate what he's doing . Thing is, it's just not aimed at the same market as SU. (Can't wait for version 2.0, though... it may have construction history in it).
Hah!
Nice one, Frenchy....like it, like it...
JS1973 --
Because that's what the commission calls for. This is for 3DWorld magazine.
I wish upFRONT was still around 
... hah! that reminds me:
Design Workshop refuses to die...
@tinanne said:
How about Blender?
PS, your avatar freaks me out!
Yeah, forceps delivery...what can you do?
The question is apps that work like SketchUp. Fossa, I don't plan on using it, I just need to mention them in my review of SU 7. And modo and Blender are so far removed from SU that they're not contenders.
I know the Google chaps (and chapesses) read these forums, but I'd like to put in a plea to fix SU4. Because it's got the shadow volume bug fixed in it.
Can't see it happening, though.
I can still use 4.0 under Windows / Parallels, but the rendering quality & antialiasing is sh1te.
I know, I know...
I've got to give three alternatives for this review I'm doing...trouble is, I can't think of anything...there was something ISTRC from AutoDesk...can't find it now, though.
(Banzai doesn't count...it's not out yet).
Ta,
Cheers, Gaieus...gotta get my facts straight for this review...
No embedded animations really is pants 
Just struck me:
LayOut can't produce stand-alone presentations, can it?
There's no equivalent of a 'Viewer' app for it, is there?
Ah... right, cheers!