(BUSINESS WIRE)–Autodesk announces the availability of Project Photofly, a technology preview of a web service that allows users to easily create 3D models from photographs using the cloud. Project Photofly is currently available for free* on Autodesk Labs.

The Autodesk Project Photofly technology preview enables architecture, design, media & entertainment and manufacturing firms to easily create 3D models from a series of photographs.

Photofly breaks the barrier to entry to image-based modeling because of its automatic calibration process. The manual calibration of photographs enabled by other technologies is complex and requires a strong expertise to get a good result. Project Photofly utilizes an automatic calibration engine, called “Camera Factory,” which is made available as a web service through a Windows-based client called “Photo Scene Editor.” Customers connect to the Camera Factory through the Photo Scene Editor, and then use their favorite Autodesk 3D modeling software (AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk 3ds Max, etc.) to consume the data in DWG format to model on top of the images.

“Reality capture gives designers and engineers the ability to better measure, analyze, document and plan for projects.”

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SAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Autodesk Inc. has announced that a modified version of PixelActive’s CityScape 1.8 will be shipped with Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011 software, to provide users with rapid urban development capabilities within a more intuitive user interface.

“This version of PixelActive’s CityScape adds support for common GIS imagery and elevation formats, together with faster tools for modeling road networks and terrain, that will help enhance the existing capabilities of 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design software,” said Ken Pimentel, director of visual communication at Autodesk. “With CityScape, 3ds Max Design users can more quickly grab elevation data and satellite imagery from existing government sources and construct a more accurate context for a proposed building site. The combination of 3ds Max Design and CityScape will help customers save time and money.”

CityScape’s export to the Autodesk FBX 2010 data interchange format allows a more tightly coupled, off the shelf workflow between applications. Users can create richer urban environments in CityScape and then export them as FBX files for further development in 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design. Read the rest of this entry →

Ilion Animation Studios and Pyro Studios Deliver a Unified Creative Vision With Autodesk Tools

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), has announced that its 3D modeling, animation and rendering software was a primary tool used by Ilion Animation Studios and Pyro Studios to help create the “Planet 51” video game and movie. The software was used throughout the pipeline of both the game and film to help produce a visually rich and believable alien world with the look of 1950s America. To date, “Planet 51” is the biggest budget animated film produced in Europe.
“The alien cars behaved very differently than earthly cars; they could float, jump and travel at super speeds. We thought the unique cars would be a perfect focus for the game play, and developed an open-world driving game.” Read the rest of this entry →