Network rendering is one of my top three enhancements for PhotoView 360 2013. It will definitely save people time when processing final renders or fully rendered animations. Have a look at the video to find out more.
October 1, 2012 Tags: Network Rendering, PhotoView 360, Rendering, Solidworks
Category: misc., PhotoView 360, SolidWorks 2013 2 Comments 
The application of appearances has been made easier with enhancements to the appearance target and the addition of the appearance filter. Check the video.
September 25, 2012 Tags: PhotoView 360, Rendering, SolidWorks 2013
Category: misc., PhotoView 360, SolidWorks 2013 No Comments
PhotoView 360 users now have the ability to use Modo materials as appearances! The video takes you through the process step by step.
September 14, 2012 Tags: PhotoView 360, Rendering, Solidworks
Category: misc., PhotoView 360 7 Comments
Copy/paste has returned for SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 in 2013. It’s nice to have it back. The video also shows a nice little tip/trick to consolidate appearances so make sure you watch in it’s entirety.
September 11, 2012 Tags: 2013, PhotoView 360, Rendering, Solidworks
Category: misc., PhotoView 360 No Comments
A great enhancement to PhotoView 360 2013 is the “Rounded Edge” option found in the appearance property manager. This will not only save you a lot of time but also enhance your images. Watch the video to find out more.
September 10, 2012 Tags: PhotoView 360, Rendering, SolidWorks 2013
Category: PhotoView 360 2 Comments
Unfortunately PhotoView 360 for the i-pad doesn’t exist ;( I was thinking with the recent release of e-drawings for i-pad 3DS may be thinking of releasing more mobile versions of their software and if they are I’m wondering if Photoview 360 is on the list. What do you think? Would it be crazy to release a mobile version of PhotoView 360? Lets take a closer look.
Every so often I run into people who’d like to see the stand alone version of PV360 re-released. If you can remember back to 2009 and 2010 PhotoView 360 was a standalone application. It had no connection with the SolidWorks file, had a very minimal UI and was very easy to use. It was light on functionality but if your goal was to make a good looking basic rendered image quickly it was the perfect software. The same reasons users like standalone PhotoView 360 on their computers also makes it a good candidate for a mobile device.
No connection to the SolidWorks file: PhotoView 360 loads the display data from a SolidWorks file, essentially the same information e-drawings (and e-drawings for i-pad) does. This means it doesn’t require SolidWorks be loaded and therefore the overhead to run SolidWorks can be left behind. In the case of a mobile application this is important. 3DS has already shown the display list data can be successfully loaded and manipulated on a mobil device with e-drawings for i-pad. This makes PV360 for i-pad a more realistic possibility.
Minimal user interface: Mobile devices have limited screen real estate so it’s important their UI be as efficient as possible. like the computer version the PV360 mobile version could have a minimal toolbar and flyout window housing the material and environment library. Very similar to the e-drawings for i-pad app.
Easy to use: In terms of ease of use for rendering applications it’s tough to beat PhotoView 360 standalone. Load your file, drag and drop some materials, choose an environment and your finished. Well almost, you still have to process the image and that’s the largest hurdle I think for rendering on an i-pad.
Performance: We all know rendering software requires performance for the realtime updates as well as processing a final image. In the case of PhotoView 360 CPU performance is crucial. The latest version of the i-pad has a dual core CPU. For rendering power that’s not very performance minded but since the screen is small the realtime updates may be quicker than you expect. Final render processing however would be a lengthy process. Of course the next generation of tablets will no doubt have quad core chips and more RAM to go with it.
So, is PhotoView 360 for the i-pad practical thinking? Probably not at the present time but the near future may make this reality? What do you think?
May 10, 2012 Tags: app, mobile, PhotoView 360, Rendering
Category: PhotoView 360, Uncategorized 3 Comments
If you’re a PhotoView 360 user you may have noticed an increase in a flow of PhotoView 360 information from SolidWorks. This is very welcome in my mind and I have to believe other PhotoView 360 users like this new information exchange as well. This flow of information can be found at the SolidWorks forums and it’s coming in a couple of flavors.
The first flavor is training orientated. Ron Bates, Manager of Graphical Applications at SolidWorks has been running a monthly PhotoView 360 training series titled PhotoView Friday. In the Series Ron covers a specific PhotoView 360 topic and dedicates about 30 minutes of video time covering the information. Topics range in subject matter and he likes to take requests so feel free to let him know what you’d like to learn more about. Ron has just posted PhotoView Friday Episode 3 where he covers matched environments and background images as well as some depth of field information. If you missed the previous PhotoView Friday episodes don’t worry, they are all posted in the PhotoView 360 area of the SolidWorks forum. He’s leaning towards rendered animations in Episode 4 which is one I will surely 
want to see.
The seconds flavor is geared towards a sharing of technical information. Again, Ron has been spilling the beans on what PhotoView 360 users can find in the upcoming service packs. He created a video for SP3 which showed the preview window speed increase and for the upcoming SP 4 Ron has also given us a look at what to expect.
Marlon Banta, Senior Product Definition Specialist at SolidWorks has also posted a very in depth look at Factors that affect PhotoView 360 render performance. This certainly has to be one of the longest posts I’ve seen in the forums and Marlon leaves no stone unturned. Nice job Marlon.
A big thanks to both of these gentlemen for keeping PhotoView 360 users better informed. 
May 22, 2011 Tags: PhotoView 360, Rendering
Category: PhotoView 360, Uncategorized No Comments
The Photorealistic Rendering Using SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 Step By Step Guide is now shipping! Everyone who has purchased during the pre buy period will receive their book very soon as they all shipped on 4/22/11. Special pricing on both the PhotoView 360 and Creating Animations guide will remain in effect until Wednesday April 27th.
Photorealistic Rendering Using SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 is a new step By step guide from DS SolidWorks. This guide replaces the PhotoWorks guide and is specifically written for PhotoView 360 2011. At 562 pages it covers all aspects of PhotoView 360 as well as RealView and OpenGL graphics modes in SolidWorks.
Just to clarify and in the interest of full disclosure. This guide was not written or published by me. I was contracted by DS SolidWorks as a technical consultant for the guide. I also receive a portion of the sale from each guide purchased from this website. Now that we have out of the way let’s see what’s inside.
Photorealistic Rendering Using SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 is a self study guide. It’s meant to teach rendering techniques, theories and tools at a pace you choose. Each chapter builds on the previous one introducing new tools and concepts through case study examples that guide the reader along with step by step instruction. Example exercises can also be found at the end of each chapter giving the reader a recap of the chapter and allowing them more samples for practice. The included DVD gives the reader all the model files necessary to follow along with each chapter in both completed and uncompleted states.
Chapters 1-3 give you an overall view of the different types of rendering available in SolidWorks. You look at the history of SolidWorks visualization tools and the differences between Open GL, RealView and PhotoView 360. You’ll also be exposed to the PhotoView 360 user interface found in SolidWorks 2011.
In Chapter 4 you’ll create your first rendering of a 3D Connexion Space Navigator. You’ll explore the basics of rendering creation covering appearances, scenes and lighting set up.
Chapters 5 and 6 very thoroughly cover the different types of appearances. You’ll learn how to create, adjust, save and map appearances. You’ll also learn about the appearance hierarchy.
In Chapter 7 decals are covered. Not only will you learn how to create, map and save decals but, you’ll also be exposed to non traditional uses of decals.
Chapter 8 is all about cameras. Cameras can be used in both SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 and have benefits not only for rendering but model visualization as well.
Chapter 9 talks about the different methods to output your rendered image. You’ll also explore ways to make the render preview faster, some of the output options, how to schedule renders and how to utilize your saved images in other applications.
Chapter 10 digs deeper into scenes and lighting. You’ll look at both direct and indirect lighting, shadow control, direct lighting effects and using background images.
In Chapter 11 the power of Display States and Configurations are shown. Both are excellent ways to easily explore different rendering options such as lighting and appearances.
Chapter 12 covers the advanced lighting options and effects available in PhotoView 360. You’ll also set up a reusable basic rendering studio.
Chapter 13 gives a better understanding of reflective and transparent appearances and some of the techniques used to make working with them easier.
Chapter 14 is a gallery of images all created with PhotoView 360 and is meant to give the reader a good understanding of what’s possible using the software.
There are also three appendix’s that cover in great detail appearance settings and recommended hardware.
You can view a full table of contents here.
April 23, 2011 Tags: Animation, PhotoView 360, Rendering, Step by Step Guide
Category: PhotoView 360 No Comments
The modo for SolidWorks Kit has been announced at the Luxology website. The modo for SolidWorks Kit has been over a year in the making and is born from a collaboration between Luxology, modo and SolidWorks users. If you’re a SolidWorks/PhotoView 360 user who wants/needs to enhance your visualization capabilities for both rendering and animation modo is a great choice and the modo for SolidWorks Kit is a must have tool.
Who’s the modo for SolidWorks Kit for?
What’s included with the modo for SolidWorks Kit?
A closer look at some of the specific modo for SolidWorks Kit specific tools.
One of the things I really pushed for in the modo for SolidWorks Kit was a friendlier more comfortable user interface for the SolidWorks/PhotoView 360 user. As a SolidWorks user I know I was completely overwhelmed with my initial usage of modo. So many tool bars. Such foreign terminology. Where do I begin? These were all thoughts that ran through my mind and that was before I tried to import a SolidWorks File. I really feel one of the greatest benefits of the kit for the SolidWorks/PhotoView 360 user is the user experience. The interface is a combination of SolidWorks and PhotoView 360 and should be very familiar to those users. The typical SolidWorks user is going to be working in SolidWorks for modeling and only switching to modo for rendering and/or animation work. They will switch between both softwares multiple times a day and don’t have time to learn a new interface, they want to be able to open and go. The modo for SolidWorks kit allows them to do this. In terms of rendering, your SolidWorks files import in a state ready to render. Your SolidWorks appearances and decals import seamlessly and changing them in the kit UI is an easy drag and drop operation. The entire experience is very much like PhotoView 360 2010 standalone with the exception of more control. Depending on the level of control your comfortable with, you can choose to browse through and adjust the almost unlimited settings available in modo or use the render, material and environment presets to “auto pilot” you through the process.
The modo for SolidWorks Kit also includes SolidWorks like navigation tools. Navigating your models in modo can be a challenge for the SolidWorks user since it’s based on simultaneous keyboard shortcuts, mouse button control and movements. The modo for SolidWorks Kits adds the same navigation controls found in PhotoView 360 2010 standalone and they allow the user to navigate their model in modo the same way you would in SolidWorks.
modo for SolidWorks Kit render specifc user interface
The import options are also key. modo 501 will import a SolidWorks file without the modo for SolidWorks Kit. When this happens you’ll notice all geometry is imported as a static mesh and instanced (similar to a pattern in SolidWorks) geometry is not orientated correctly. You also notice the item list and shader tree are not well organized and finding the things you need can be time consuming. The modo for SolidWorks Kit gives you greater flexibility for importing your SolidWorks geometry and cleans up both the shader tree and item lists making their management much easier, saving the user time.
modo for SolidWorks Kit import options
A closer look at the other kits included with the modo for SolidWorks Kit.
Over the past couple of years Luxology has expanded or automated modo capabilities through the use of kits. Kits are inexpensive tools the modo user can leverage to speed up their process, very similar to a SolidWorks plug-in. The modo for SolidWorks Kit is bundled with two other Luxology kits, Product and Automotive Design (PAD) and Studio and Environment Set 1 (SES1). Both of these kits were developed by 9b Studios and are a great compliment to the modo for SolidWorks Kit. It’s important to note the modo for SolidWorks Kit is compatible with all the currently available modo kits. You are not limited to the PAD and SES1 kits. As an example, the image below was created using the modo for Solidworks Kit and the Splash Kit.
modo for SolidWorks Kit and Splash Kit
The Product and Automotive Design (PAD) Kit is a preset material system that gives the user up to 350 possible combinations of materials. The PAD kit expands on the preset materials available in modo and makes creating high quality materials like grills, knurled metal, leather grain and wood, just to name a few much easier.
Click for more information about the PAD Kit
The Studio and Environment Set 1 (SES1) Kit is 51 environment presets with a twist. Not only are there 51 different HDR images for a variety of lighting but there are also controls included to easily add a shadow floor, adjust the light intensity of the HDR image, change the background color and rotate and re orientate the environment. As an added bonus the SES1 kit is compatible with PhotoView 360 2010 and 2011 making it a very versatile kit for the SolidWorks/PhotoView 360 user as well as modo user. The helicopter images at the top of this post were created using the modo for SolidWorks Kit and the SES Kit.
Click for more information about the SES1 Kit
A closer look at the training videos included with the modo for SolidWorks Kit.
There are ten training videos included with the modo for SolidWorks Kit and they contain over 2 1/2 hours of information. The training videos cover everything you’ll need to know to get up and running with the modo for SolidWorks Kit. Each bundled kit also includes it’s own training videos to fully explain their usage as well. The ten video training titles are:
For more information about the modo for Solidworks Kit you can attend one of the 60 minute webinar’s showcasing the modo for SolidWorks Kit features. You can also find more information as well as a modo for SolidWorks Kit overview video at the Luxology store.
If you’re a SolidWorks/PhotoView 360 user who creates renderings and animations using the SolidWorks provided visualization tools and would like to make a jump to the next level of product visualization modo and the modo for SolidWorks Kit are great choices. The two combined give you the look and feel of the popular PhotoView 360 2010 standalone user interface with the added power and control of modo. If you think the modo for SolidWorks Kit will fit into your workflow and you would like to purchase a copy I can offer you a discount code shown on the graphic below.
Full Disclosure: I was contracted by Luxology to help develop the modo for SolidWorks Kit and create some of the video training material. For a limited time I will receive a portion of each modo for SolidWorks Kit sale.
April 18, 2011 Tags: Modo, modo for SolidWorks kit, PhotoView 360, Rendering, Solidworks
Category: misc., Modo No Comments
Service Pack 3.0 for SolidWorks 2011 has been released and there are some great enhancements included for PhotoView 360.
First up we see some great speed enhancements in the render preview. Lot’s of users noted the integration of PhotoView 360 into SolidWorks 2011 slowed the render preview performance. There was a couple of tricks to speed up the render preview. You could keep the render preview smaller in size or if you preferred using the integrated preview you could use split viewports. These tricks helped with speed but render preview was still slower than the standalone version of PhotoView 360. SP3 has introduced some new code which has greatly increased the render preview speed. You can see a head to head comparison in this video created by Ron Bates and posted at the SolidWorks forums.
Second, the PhotoView 360 appearance surface finish controls have seen some added capability. In 2011 displacement was added to surface finish in PhotoView 360 which gave it more capability than PhotoWorks. In Service pack 3.0 stencil has also been added. What is stencil? It allows you to use some predefined and create your cutting tool to add perforations. PhotoView 360 did have some perforation appearances in the rubber and plastic folder but the user was limited as to what they could control. In SP 3 PhotoView 360 adds diamond and circular perforations (hole mesh) and the user has control over the hole size. Even better the user can create any custom cutting tool using a Black and white image to create their own perforation appearance. Shapes like hexagons, ovals, slots will work and so will things like text, logos…any black and white image you can create can be used as a stencil (hole mesh). Recently I did some guest blogging over at the Javelin technologies blog and I created a 22 minute video discussing surface finish controls and the new enhancements found in SP3.
Overall SP3 shapes up to be a good one for PhotoView 360 users. Makes me wonder what we’ll see in the next release.
March 25, 2011 Tags: Bump, Displacement, PhotoView 360, Rendering, Stencil
Category: PhotoView 360 No Comments
