Software accelerates design workflow.
Share:
Press Release Summary:
ImageStudio uses mental ray® rendering technology and supports Image Based Lighting. Images can be saved in BMP, TIFF or JPEG format, or as QuickTime® VR file. StudioTools 11 aids creation of rolled surface edges, allowing designers to model edge finish details. Color correction and replacement tools provide sketch and photo manipulation functionality. PortfolioWall v1.6 assists design teams in accessing, presenting, and annotating visual 2D and 3D data.
Original Press Release:
Alias Delivers New ImageStudio Rendering Software and Upgrades StudioTools and PortfolioWall Industrial Design Software
Premier Industrial Design Solutions Accelerate Design Workflow for Automotive and Product Designers
Toronto, Canada - Sept. 23, 2003 - Alias Systems, a Silicon Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: SGI) company, announced today that it has released Alias ImageStudio(TM), a completely new application for rendering, as well as a significant upgrade to Alias StudioTools(TM), computer-aided industrial design software, and an improved version of Alias PortfolioWall(TM), a presentation tool for digital images. These three new and enhanced software products make important improvements to the speed, power and efficiency of automotive and product design workflow.
"With this broad scope of new releases, Alias® continues to innovate and evolve its premier industrial design tools, especially in the areas of sketching, visualization, concept and Class A modeling," explains Peter Mehlstaeubler, Alias Vice President, Product Development. "These products represent an important step forward in our continuing goal to advance the art of industrial design by providing the most productive 2D and 3D design software tools available."
Alias ImageStudio
While the art of 3D rendering normally requires a high level of technical software skill and can take months to master, ImageStudio makes it possible to create professional rendered images in a fraction of the time. The streamlined nature of the new rendering software helps a designer spend less time preparing 3D rendering for presentation, leaving more time for designing and modeling. For instance, with ImageStudio a designer can bypass complex shader and lighting set up requirements to create an image in as little as one hour.
ImageStudio uses mental ray® rendering technology and supports state-of-the-art "Image Based Lighting" for high quality, realistic images. The software accepts 3D files from StudioTools, Maya® and files in the industry standard IGES data format. Rendered images can be saved in common image formats such as BMP, TIFF or JPEG, or as an interactive QuickTime® VR file.
Alias StudioTools 11
StudioTools 11 is the next major advance in a long line of leading Alias industrial design solutions. New tools in StudioTools 11 speed the creation of rolled surface edges, allowing designers to efficiently model edge finish details. Modeling enhancements include the ability to quickly represent cut and parting lines on concept models, allowing designers to add details and experiment before they need to take steps to create final geometry.
New image manipulation functionality streamlines the concept design workflow. Color correction and replacement tools provide a designer with all the sketch and photo manipulation functionality required to fine tune a concept, eliminating the need to move to a different application. Also new are image deformation and warping tools for stretching or pulling an entire sketch or parts of a sketch, a feature that makes concept experimentation quick and easy.
Enhancements in the ability to visualize and project sketches onto 3D concept models further enrich the StudioTools unique design workflow that combines sketching and modeling for rapid concept development and evaluation. Other enhancements provide more reliable data transfer with CAD systems and the ability to handle very large data sets from scanners.
Comments from StudioTools 11 Users
"StudioTools 11 has a cleaner, more efficient interface, as well as a number of enhancements that allow us to create anything our clients can imagine," says Kyle Houchens, Owner, The Outside Digital Art and Design. "The new tesselator creates very clean stereo lithography files for rapid prototyping, and the sketch tools just keep getting better. We get everything necessary to go from art to part while maintaining exact design intent. I look forward to each new release of StudioTools, since I am assured that our competitive edge will get just a bit sharper."
"I find the new user interface in StudioTools is excellent. I enjoy the clean, streamlined appearance and find it helpful in speeding up my workflow," says Chevis Watkinson, Senior Industrial Designer I.D.S.A., National Presto Ind. "I also greatly enjoy the enhancement made to the sketching tools. I find less need to jump between various programs to achieve the desired results I need. Release 11 helps me achieve a higher quality design within what seems to be shorter and shorter deadlines."
Alias PortfolioWall 1.6
PortfolioWall is an easy to use presentation tool that assists design teams in quickly accessing, presenting and annotating visual 2D and 3D data. The latest release has a contemporary interface that is more consistent with the Alias family of products and has a new 3D data viewer that offers improved tessellation for high quality display. The new release also handles large data sets faster, an especially useful feature for automotive applications.
Many of the improvements in PortfolioWall offer better integration with StudioTools software including support for native StudioTools wire files. StudioTools users may export sketch image planes for viewing in PortfolioWall and Release 1.6 will also save files in JPEG, TIFF, BMP or ALS formats.
Cost, Availability and System Requirements
Pricing for StudioTools 11 starts at $7,500 USD. Products in the family are DesignStudioTM, StudioTM, AutoStudioTM and SurfaceStudioTM. The software runs on Windows® XP, Windows 2000 and SGI® IRIX® operating systems.
ImageStudio pricing starts at $3,999 USD. PortfolioWall 1.6 pricing starts at $3,000 USD. Both products run on Windows XP and Windows 2000.
All products are available now. International pricing may vary. Please contact your local Alias office or reseller for details.
About Alias
As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias develops software for industrial design and visualization markets, film and video, games, web and interactive media. The company's design customers include AT&T, BMW, Boeing, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Italdesign, Kodak, Kwikset, Mattel, Price Pfister, Renault, Rollerblade, Sharp, Trek Bicycle, Teague and Timex.
In 1997, John Gibson, Rob Krieger, Milan Novacek, Glen Ozymok and Dave Springer were awarded a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the development of the geometric modeling component of the Alias PowerAnimator system. StudioTools is based on this software code.
Alias Systems is a wholly owned, independent software company of SGI with headquarters in Toronto and custom development center in Santa Barbara.
Please visit the Alias web site at www.alias.com or call 1-800-447-2542 in North America. International contact numbers include: Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa +44 (0) 1494 441273; Germany, East & Southeast Europe +0049 89 31 70 20; Italy +39 039 6340011; France, Spain and Portugal +33 1 44 92 81 60; Japan +35 797 3500; other parts of Asia Pacific, +81 3 3470 8282 and Latin America, +770 393 1881.
©2003 Alias Systems, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. All rights reserved. Alias is a registered trademark and the Alias logo, the swirl, the StudioTools logo, ImageStudio, PortfolioWall, StudioTools, DesignStudio, AutoStudio, SurfaceStudio and Studio are trademarks of Alias Systems, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited in the US and/or other countries worldwide. Maya is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. used exclusively by Alias Systems, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. SGI and IRIX are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. in the US and/or other countries worldwide. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. QuickTime is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. mental ray is a registered trademark of mental images GmbH & CO. KG. in the United States and/or other countries. All other products or companies mentioned are trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Alias, 210 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 1J7, Tel: 416-362-9181, Fax: 416-369-6140.
