Autodesk has updated 123D Sculpt+ to add some great new functions and new starting forms, including skeletons, base shapes, and fully-textured example sculptures. Now you can use the "pose tool" to add posable joints on sculptures.
The update also comes with new materials, such as chrome to clay, enhanced Pixlr filters, and new texture brushes to work with. Once you have created your masterpiece, 123D Sculpt+ lets you check it out on the community with its Preview functionality. No more having to download the 3D model before viewing it! You'll also be able to Export as OBJ files with textures for use in other 3D tools such as Autodesk Maya or 3ds Max.
There is a ton of stuff to check out in the update for 123D Sculpt+, so download it for free from the App Store.
Autodesk has released FBX Review, an app for reviewing 3D assets and animations on-the-go, onto the App Store. Using the app, users can view 3D content without using a 3D authoring tool, thus helping to speed up asset sharing and iteration.
Whilst viewing content on the app, users can switch between multiple shading options and toggle lights, shadows, and tessellation within the scene. Multiple file types can be opened using the app, including .fbx, .3ds, and .zip.
FBX Review is available now on the App Store for free.
SketchBook Pro for iPad has received a new update that features integration with deviantART, which allows users to share their work directly from the app to the website. It also lets users browse through deviantART, checking out different groups and galleries all while within the app.
Homestyler is celebrating the return of "Downton Abbey." Yes, that show with all the drama that takes place in that really big house! Speaking of that property, how fun would it be to actually design some of those rooms? Well, those of you who use Homestyler can now decorate the drawing room, dining room, and Lady Mary's room from the show.
This means that during your next Downton party, you'll be able to show off your personal designs of the Downton home to all your friends! I think I should host a Downton party...
Oh yeah, and in news that's less important since it has nothing to do with "Downton Abbey", you can also mess around with additional new features in the Homestyler app. This includes the ability to create a new room with the option to start with a photo, gallery choice, or empty space, 3D analysis and real scale to provide room dimensions, sharing 3D images and custom designs with friends through social media and email, the ability to "heart" things (like "Downton Abbey" designs), and find friends!
Autodesk announces that 123D Creature is now available for free. This opens the door for even more artists to create and share their monstrous ideas in real life with the 123D Creature app.
Are you thinking about redesigning your living space? There's an app called Homestyler that can help you visualize and experiment with ideas for decorating your home. Use your iPad to take an image of your living space and begin placing 3D models of real furniture in your room. See what your walls look like by using a new color of paint. Experiment even further by adding lights to your ceilings, paintings on your walls and more.
• See how realistic models of actual branded rugs, paintings, mirrors and more look in your space
• Browse the Design Stream for pics, articles, how-to’s and more
• Share your designs with friends and family through FB and email.
• Browse Portfolio Pages of professional designers in your area
• Find designers who have the style and expertise you need
Autodesk is a well-known software company that makes the programs that game designers and developers use to create the games you play and love, from indie hits to AAA console and PC titles. They're taking a step closer to the consumer realm wiht the 123D series, notably 123Creatures, an app for iPad that lets you design a creature from the wireframe on up, letting you realize your designs in true 3D, which can then be sent to a 3D printing service from within the app itself. Cool stuff, really.
Autodesk Digital STEAM Applied Mechanics is an app designed for teaching students the basics of applied mechanics through game-based learning activities. The app focuses on five interrelated topics, Energy & Work, Force, Power, Loading and Mechanisms. This is just one of three learning apps from Autodesk with the other two being Visual Design and Measurement.
✓ Provides a fun way to make the connection between physical theory and the practical application of mechanics and technology
✓ Engages users to learn about applied mechanics through a combination of imaginative resources, including interactive games and animations
✓ Includes definitions of the applied mechanics used in the games, as well as practical application of the content
✓ Challenges players to use knowledge derived from the games to resolve a series of applied mechanics problems
✓ Teaches the principles that can help guide users to develop the next-generation technological devices and appliances
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Autodesk has released a new update for Socialcam, a popular app that allows users to easily capture and share videos. Some of the new features include a complete redesign of visual effects, 720p HD video, and HDR (high dynamic range) video option.
Full List of Features:
✔ Unlimited video length and storage
✔ Private accounts and private videos
✔ Vintage and experimental video filters
✔ Titles, Themes, and Soundtracks
✔ Share to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Email/SMS
✔ Fast upload in the background (no spinners)
✔ Videos stored in the cloud
✔ Watch on any smartphone, computer, or tablet
✔ Upload existing videos from your camera roll
✔ Browse, like, and comment on friends’ videos
✔ Instantly notified when your friends take videos
✔ Live feed of your friend's favorite videos
123D Creature from Autodesk is an iPad app that allows you to create your very own 3D creatures. 123D Creature features an easy to use tool that makes creating characters as easy as drawling a stick figure. Once you've created your own creature, you will be able to export it as an image, a 3D model, share it with the 123D Creature community, or even print it with a 3D printer.
Features, from the App Store Description:
✓ Start by creating a skeleton – drag joints to create new limbs, or to adjust their position.
✓ Adjust the thickness of your creature’s skeleton by dragging the shaping rings.
✓ 123D Creature will keep your model symmetrical automatically.
✓ Once you’re done creating the basic skeletal structure of your creature bake it in the digital kiln before adding additional sculptural detail.
✓ In the sculpting room you can refine the surface shape using tools from the popular 123D Sculpt app.
✓ Use the airbrush to paint on color, or use Image Paint to rub areas of a photo from your image library onto your creature to add realistic details.
✓ Bring your creature into the Render room where you can adjust the lights, background, and filter effects to generate amazing scenes and images.
I can remember spending hours of my childhood tinkering with a little game called Mouse Trap. They aren't fond memories though because the game was frustrating when the mechanisms didn't work, and they rarely worked. Regardless of the game's failings, it did instill a love for the Rube Goldberg model in me. I am now, and will forever be, intrigued by falling dominoes, steampunk apparatuses (apparati?), and the creation of Rube Goldberg machines in Garry's Mod for Half-Life 2. If you aren't familiar with Rube Goldberg he was an American cartoonist who popularized the concept of outlandish machines performing simple tasks. Most of his illustrations featured insane contraptions doing ordinary tasks like pouring coffee or feeding a pet. Needless to say, his name is now synonymous with the concept.
So, Imagine my surprise and excitement when I found out about Autodesk's new app/game Tinkerbox which happens to be based around the Rube Goldberg concept. They aren't really known for their games, but then again, Tinkerbox is more than just a game. The well-respected developers at Autodesk who brought you Sketchbook Pro, AutoCAD, and Fluid FX have released a physics, engineering, puzzle, hybrid game with an educational flair (what a mouthful). The experimental app is hard to define with one word concepts, so I will just give you the full breakdown.
Tinkerbox is a free-to-play game with various physics puzzles built in. Not only can you solve these puzzles and learn engineering and scientific concepts, but you can also create your own Rube Golberg style machines and share them with with your friends. If you aren't the creative type you can also just download other peoples puzzle machines for the solving. The trailer reveals a plethora of creative options, so I can imagine you will only be limited by your creativity and the amount of time you invest in the app. Oh, and if the theme song in the trailer doesn't get you pumped about this free app, then I have no idea what will.
Autodesk has even created a website for the game that features tips, news, and a selection of top notch inventions (their name for Tinkerbox creations). The game is free and well supported, so hopefully if it is popular enough we will see some interesting updates down the road.
