Tech Soft 3D has released the latest version of HOOPS Visualize 2019, bringing with it a whole bunch of new features designed to bring an extra dimension of photorealism to engineering CAD.
The new release includes features for VR, AR and MR applications, which apparently are now collectively being referred to as “XR”—the first we’ve heard of it (hopefully, the “XR” term will catch on, because writing “VR, AR and MR” all the time is pretty clunky).
For those who are unaware, Tech Soft 3D was spun out of Autodesk to maintain development of the HOOPS platform, and the HOOPS graphics engine can be found in hundreds of different engineering applications.
So, what is new in the latest release? Let’s have a look.
PBR
The latest release brings PBR (no, not that PBR),or physically based rendering, to the show.
You can see how that changes things in Figure 2.
AR/VR
- Using native toolkits on mobile platforms, AR applications can now recognize surfaces (walls, tables, etc.) without the need to have a QR code printed out and placed on a surface. HOOPS Visualize 2019 provides this new functionality along with multiple AR samples.
- Developers can now use the VR teleport operator to implement teleport navigation from one location to another within a Building or Plant model, versus flythrough. Flythrough with VR can sometimes make users experience motion sickness, and the teleport operator provides a more pleasing VR user experience.
GPU Power
- Utilizing GPU Querying and Selection for DX11, developers can now specify which GPU to use for the application, helping to ensure that their customers have a high quality user experience.
Object Highlighting
- Significant improvements have been made to HOOPS Visualize highlighting mechanisms, making it more powerful, flexible and searchable.
“The expectations of today’s software developers are higher than ever, and graphics need to be realistic and fast loading—this is where HOOPS Visualize 2019 shines, and we think that our partners will be thrilled with the enhanced graphics capabilities,” said Erik Hultgren, product manager of Visualization Solutions at Tech Soft 3D. “We also continue to expand our format support. By supporting visualization of FBX files for AR and VR applications and providing new surface recognition functionality for mobile AR applications, it helps our partners stay on top of the latest technology trends to grow their businesses and delight their customers.”
If you’d like to know more about HOOPS Visualize 2019, then you can do so over at this link.
A trial is also available, so interested parties can take the product for a 60-day test-drive before purchasing it.