snow

So instead of waiting for ADS/Luxion to make a link/plugin, or waiting for .fmz files to be opened directly into Keyshot, I decided to explore the best workflow for this process. The thing I like about this is that there is very little work to be done in Keyshot, you can essentially import your model, drop in an HDRI, maybe change the lighting scheme and you have a rock-solid render in a matter of seconds. IMO Keyshot is much faster than Maxwell or V Ray and it is much simpler if you're looking for something out-of the box, but still produces stellar results. Anyways, export your model as OBJ. The options to change here are... Export Method > Plain Objects > Smooth : AS FACETTED and check TRIANGULATE ALL FACETTED When importing, the OBJ, set the UP ORIENTATION to Y, Materials and Structure > check KEEP INDIVIDUAL PARTS, and Group by MATERIALS. The only thing to look out for here is that your formZ model should not have shared materials for objects that are to be different textures. That is, don't set the same plain white texture for a brick wall and grass if you are not going to use different textures in Keyshot. After this you can keep the rendering or use any of the preset materials to improve accuracy. Transparency doesn't translate, so these are best replaced within Keyshot. Not sure if this will help anyone, or maybe it'll give people another reliable option for a renderer with formZ. Screenshots attached.

I honestly haven't used this workflow in a few years... so I cannot answer this question. sorry!

I, too, am happy to see this. Is it wrong to want more of this? I'd like to see ADS post updates once a week or bi weekly discussing what they are actively working on. I don't understand the secrecy. This isn't a Marvel movie.

It’s not ignorance, it’s adaptability. FormZ is great software, but it is no longer my daily driver because it simply cannot keep up with the rest of the pack. Sure, one can argue that Apple’s recent hardware changes are limiting formZ’s potential, but the true thing keeping formZ from its full potential is the software itself, not the OS on which it’s being run. All over this forum are complaints of the dated UI, buggy tools, and lack of 3rd party rendering support—none of which are new issues—therefore, it’s a moot point to wag your finger at Apple when other 3D software packages are keeping up just fine… I guess I was just lucky and jumped on that boat when I had the opportunity and the solution solved itself.

This is an exceptionally poor take. formZ just has a problem keeping up with the technologies that Apple implements in their hardware. THAT is the issue. there are likely hundreds of professional software that runs on macOS without a problem. Everything from spreadsheets, to photo manipulation, to movie editing, to 3D modeling, rendering, and compositing. Houdini, Nuke, Unreal, Octane, Premier, After Effects, Maya, Cinema 4D, Photoshop (entirety of the Creative Suite), and even the Microsoft Office suite are arguably more professional than formZ and run just fine on M1. Blaming Apple for formZ not working properly is like blaming Tesla for not playing for favorite mix that's stored on a cassette. So sure, keep jamming away on your favorite cassette, no one will stop you. but the sound quality over the years has diminished. The choice is yours....

" What is Native CAD for M1 Now This leaves an opening for the competition. Vectorworks, the world’s most popular CAD/BIM platform on the Mac, is already fully native as it uses the Parasolid kernel. Parasolid had moved to ARM chip support for iOS apps on iPad and iPhones years ago. Moving to M1 support was relatively quick for them. Autodesk supports iOS as well, which means their geometry engines working on those iOS apps are already partially compatible with the M1." maybe it's time ADS ditches the ACIS kernel and moves to Parasolid?

Yes I'm sure that is convenient, but USB-A is on it's way out, and unless you find comfort in a sea of dongles, using WIBU (or having to notify tech support) are not viable solutions for modern software. The technology exists to allow installs on multiple computers and when you switch a computer, the transition is seamless. I use it almost everyday. FormZ just needs to catch up.

formZ 6 users...

It's 2022. By now, this process should be accessible by the end user or at the very least be automated. ADS support/devs have enough to worry about and shouldn't have to spend time releasing licenses for users.

My understanding of what this thread is about is minimal, but I haven't seen any potential suggestions for the software. Since the G0, G1, G2..., etc. already exist in formZ in the NURBS blend tool, can these settings also be applied to the rounding tool? Maybe when the rounding tool is called there's an option for these curvature types? Or perhaps these options belong in the controlled rounding or plain rounding tools? I don't use anything other than rounding, so I'm not certain of the capabilities of these other tools.

the floating dims have been an issue for years. when they are finally gone, we will likely miss them.

Smooth modeling has its perks such that you can produce mathematically correct smooth geometry like cylinders, spheres, wires, NURBS, etc. BUT, for those saying "use smooth" have to understand in some industries--like the videogame industry--ALL modeling is polygonal and poly count is crucial for a successful project. Modeling in smooth and then select all convert to facetted is not an ideal option because you often want different resolutions per object. Objects in the foreground deserve more resolution than those in the back, so in order to keep from clicking and converting on every object in the scene, just skip the convert step and create in facetted. Also, smooth modeling in formZ is not without its problems. I personally prefer to work with smooth geometry (my models often go into solidworks, so keeping smooth edges helps give more accurate dimensions for engineering), and quite often smooth objects fail to be modified by moving points. Example: If I have to resize a bracket/wire /1" metal tube, I switch to wireframe view, set topological level to points, select the points on the edge, and MOVE the points. This fails about 20% of the time where FormZ just rubberbands the points and corrupts the geometry. then I have to switch to orthographic view, draw a line, split, move, and union. It's incredibly annoying. Modeling in facetted would not have this issue. Lastly, I'm on 8.6.5 on Windows 10 and I didn't have an issue with the object doctor destroying a 60 sided extruded polygon?

It was mentioned in the VRay forum about a 9.2 beta being tested and I'm curious if there is any 9.2 information that can be exposed to the public/non-beta testers? I don't want this post to turn into a formZ wish list or airing of grievances, but rather I'm asking for a little transparency from the developers and testers. What issues are being addressed in the new version? What new features are being implemented? Some video clips or screen captures would be great to see! No need to be super specific here, but I think a little transparency can go a long way for the users. This is why movies and games release teasers and then trailers before the final release... lets build up some buzz and excitement!

@R2D2 the image of macOS on a windows laptop is making my brain do weird things.

soo PowerZ? formCADD? ZCADD? I kinda like ZCAD. either way, I'm here for it.

that's part of the problem with the gallery. some of the really good stuff is buried deeper than it should. no offense to the current and previous submissions, but really the gallery should put the BEST foot forward and organize by category i.e. architecture/interior design, product design, set design, tradeshow exhibits, engineering, exploratory modeling, etc.

I just installed 8.6.5 (build 10275) on my 15" 2013 Retina Macbook Pro because my Windows work computer is out of commission. This is a fresh install and I removed the preferences folder (after launching it a first time, and relaunched again). Some of the palettes on the right are unusable. Note I have my display scaled down in the macOS preferences, but even if I have it on "normal" the materials/objects/layers in the palette dock are still unusable. Can anyone confirm if this is fixed in v9?

I figured. Thanks for confirming it is now fixed.

Thanks, ZTEK. What OS are you using? I wonder if I upgraded too far to the point where Apple deprecated the QuickTime image format and it's no longer working with an older version of formZ. I'm using 8.6 on macOS 11.6.

update: I plugged into an external monitor at the office and that alleviates the issue. But I'm still curious if anyone has experience with this. I'd look pretty ridiculous walking into a coffee shop or co-working space with my 15" MacBook and and external monitor JUST so I can run formZ properly. Oh, and I'm on macOS 11.6.

good stuff. *eyeroll*

I'm aware of the differences as I currently use both in my everyday workflow. But every time I justify one of formZ's quirks bugs I ask myself "I wonder if I should spend more time in C4D". I believe most of the stuff I create in formZ is able to be done in Cinema, but with a little extra time to properly figure it out. And, it's possible that some of that stuff is BETTER in C4D because of it's non-destructive modeling techniques when being called to revise concepts. This is why I'm curious if someone made that transition to formZ to C4D for all modeling, if it is worth that extra time and beginning frustrations to do all work in Cinema.

Do you do all of your work in C4D or are you modeling in formZ and exporting into Cinema?

Go on, we're listening...

I'm looking to do more more animation in Cinema4D while using formZ as my primary modeler BUT a huge issue before I do this is that groups do NOT export with FBX, OBJ, or 3DS. I'm using 8.6.5 on Windows. Can anyone tell me if this is the case in version 9? (draw 5 cubes, group, export FBX, import into C4D-- are all objects separate or within a null?) I've tested using Rhino and Sketchup and both programs allow me to group objects, export as FBX, import into C4D, and those objects show up within a null.