Zermatt [and in 2009: Virtual Building Explorer]

[Anonymous]

Has anybody heard some news about the zermatt engine? We know it sort of stopped beeing developed any further but any idea if there is still a future for this product?

Thanks Carsten

[Eduardo Rolon]

This is what I want

http://www.vimeo.com/3365942



Whomever gets to this interface first wins.

[Erika Epstein]

Eric wrote:
I guess that's a good thing, but are you certain only one license is required? If so, do you know if it can be installed on multiple computers within the same company with the single license purchase? I don't see how it would make sense to purchase a license for each user.

The licensing is done over the web. This allows you to put it on any ONE machine at a given time. If you activate the license from one workstation then to move it to another you deactivate the license and then activate it again from the next machine.

http://download.graphisoft.com/ftp/marketing/ac12/vbe/vbe-userguide.pdf

[Erika Epstein]

While activated VBE creates a self-executable file that can be installed on any machine. It contains the project model. The license is only needed to generate the self-executable file, not to view it.

I too can see the viewer being quite useful to anyone whom you would want to familiarize themselves with the building. In addition to clients and consultants firms might also find it useful in-house
- to present a project to rest of the firm,
- for the higher ups that might not be that good at navigating with-in archicad itself
- I was also thinking of the possibility to put it on websites for projects that are wanting public support
- for building owners as a leasing tool

[Erika Epstein]

Krippahl wrote:
After all, there must be a slight chance that the universe is not Chazzcentric...

Krippahl wrote:
For instance, I have currently a 4000m2 school in the build. The builder wanted to know which wall went where, as there are 7 types of different internal walls (mainly because of acoustic related issues).

There was one mode that allowed you to highlight an element and it gave you some feedback similar to tracker as to what it is. That could be improved upon.

Also you can turn off layers as mentioned elsewhere and then view the rest which might address your second point. I can't remember if you can also change some layers to wireframe to aid in seeing the solid elements in some context.

[Chazz]

Erika wrote:
for the higher ups that might not be that good at navigating with-in archicad itself

I'm far from a "higher up" and I've been using AC for ages but I still have a hard time navigating inside buildings. It's hard.

Erika wrote:
I was also thinking of the possibility to put it on websites

Yes. This is what needs to happen. VBE would be best if it could run inside a browser, without a plugin, 100% in JAVA, a la the DWF viewer. I think I made this point previously but I can't resist misquoting you and then latching on to what you wern't really saying in the first place.

[David Collins]

I think the fact that you can load the model and launch the VBE from within ArchiCAD is significant, as opposed to exporting to a file with a "save as" add-on, closing ArchiCAD, opening the VBE and loading the exported file.

In fact, the VBE can be seen as the long-awaited enhancement to OpenGL in ArchiCAD that many of us have been asking for, i.e., an OpenGL viewer with real-time shadows and enhanced ambient light. Seen in this light, the ability to export a stand alone 3d model is a very welcome and unlooked-for added feature.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

Erika wrote:
......
Also you can turn off layers as mentioned elsewhere and then view the rest which might address your second point. I can't remember if you can also change some layers to wireframe to aid in seeing the solid elements in some context.

This probably might be beyond the VBE at this point (maybe version 2 or 3), but Layer-combinations like we have them in ArchiCAD would be an absolute joy to have with this thing. Imagine being able to pre-select or pre-define different Layer-combinations for clients, engineers, or consultants as each specific case dictates.

After all, it already has some semblance of View favourites or pre-set views(minus Marqueed/cropped views) which can be saved with the VBE file as well as camera paths for fly-through animations.

Layer-combinations would conceivably allow an architect to present different design schemes (material settings, design options etc) to a client from within the same VBE file.

I think this VBE, IF handled correctly by GS, could go a long way in increasing awareness outside the 'niche' collective that ArchiCAD currently finds itself in (at least here in North America), than any marketing efforts that GS could half-heartedly put forth. Especially since GS customers also tend to happen to be their best sales-people.
But that's a big 'IF' way back there.

It certainly beats (clients or consultants) having to download the trial version of AC and familiarize themselves with the basic interface just to be able to view 3D information as is the current set-up, and which I'm sure, a lot of third-parties would be reluctant to do.

[David Collins]

Bricklyne wrote:
Layer-combinations would conceivably allow an architect to present different design schemes (material settings, design options etc) to a client from within the same VBE file.

Layer combinations are also high on my wish list.

As well as:

- Fix the bitmap orientation issues: for example, vertical wood grain on door panels in ArchiCAD sometimes comes into the VBE running horizontally. VERT/COOR texture orientation statements in GDL objects are ignored.

- The ability to insert a few extra light sources with optional shadows would be much appreciated. Right now, not much in the way of interior atmosphere is possible.

- The plan overlay with the view indicator is a nice feature, but it could use some refinement. The wireframe overlay is pretty crude.

- A "merge geometry" feature similar to Artlantis would be useful, so that a large model could be compiled from several separate files. I think the stand-alone VBE is probably capable of handling more polygons than ArchiCAD can export.

- The global illumination feature smears an awful lot of black soot around. It would be nice if these "shadows" could pay a little more attention to the color of the surfaces they inhabit.

- Add an optional shotgun and a few client zombies. Seriously.

[Karl Ottenstein]

My red-cyan glasses finally arrived today ($15 for 3 pairs of snazzy black horn-rimmed ones from amazon - pictured in the snow here) and I am quite pleased and impressed with what they add to the VBE experience. Even standing several feet back from my laptop screen, the effect is quite good, so that multiple people can definitely view at the same time.

The screenshot feature built in to VBE captures whatever is on the screen (surprising, huh?!) .. so if the red-cyan analglyph mode is turned on, then you get a 3D image out.

In the downloaded models, the effect is nice, even more so if global illumination is enabled.

In a client model that I viewed, a very busy timbered ceiling felt quite different with the 3D glasses ... so busy that I would suggest a major revision after walking around, an issue that did not stand out without 3D.

(My left eye is still a little dizzy feeling from the red lens.)

I notice that there is a split screen mode to the 3D output which produces separate images for the left and right eyes. On-screen, I'm not sure how you would use this? I assume it is for hooking up some kind of external headgear with separate images projected for each eye? Anybody know if that's the case, or how to use this split mode?

Cheers,
Karl

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Karl,

Do you have a joystick as well?

[and easy on the innuendo, the rest of you]