The last plane type, the alpha plane, is used to define a plane that has a diffuse material and an associated alpha channel to define areas of transparency. Each is assigned a default material which can be edited using the material editor to achieve the look that you are after, including the use of powerful procedural materials. The infinite planes are Water planes, ground planes and cloud planes. There are three types of infinite planes and one alpha plane. Planes in Vue are like primitives but are unbounded in that that extend to infinity. You can however import numerous file types to import you own geometry built in other modeling apps. There is no vertices manipulation or advanced deformers etc, but really that is not the goal of Vue in the first place. Where Vue falls short is through any geometry manipulation past what I have mentioned above. Primitives can also be combined through the use of built-in in boolean operations that include union, difference and intersection. Manipulation of scale, size and position can be done either numerically or through the use of handles and the manipulation icon that appear next to the object when it is selected. You simply choose the primitive you want, and it drops into your scene. Like most other 3D apps, primitives in Vue are not much different. Vue d'Esprit groups its objects into 11 categories: Primitives, Infinite planes, alpha planes, terrain, vegetation, polygon meshes, rocks, planets, lights, groups and finally the camera. Once you have established an atmosphere for your scene, the next step involves creating objects in your environment. Keep in mind that everything in Vue can be edited manually with the atmosphere editor to suit your specific aesthetic requirements, so even if you do choose a preset, it can be modified to suit your needs.ĭialog for choosing a new atmosphere preset There are literally dozens of presets to select for starting points in your scene. By simply pressing "new" in the file menu, a graphical popup appears and prompts you to choose a predefined environment or load one from disk. The first step in creating a Vue Environment is to select an atmosphere. For the most part I found the interface easy to navigate, but did find that its deviation from standard windows menu standards a bit odd for the first little while.Īs far as sticking to standard 3D app terminology and functionality, I found Vue d'Esprit quite easy to pick up and navigate without having to search the documentation. One thing the interface is not, is a standard windows interface, but rather one with a very organic, soft and bubble feel that you would usually equate with the MAC environment. The interface in Vue d'Esprit is also very unique and pleasing to look at and work with. Personally I have always preferred hardcopy manuals, so I didn't mind too much. The online help on the other hand is pretty weak and is really only good for quick reference if you have forgotten something. Whether you want to animate clouds or create a forest, there is a short and very concise quick step tutorial to get you up and running. A cookbook style tutorial section steps you through almost every possible scenario that you will run into in Vue d'Esprit. The last section of the guide was also a real treat. Each section is filled with numerous graphics to help explain concepts and show interface functionality. From there they move onto describe the interface in detail and then each major feature set. The beginning of the guide runs you through a simple 30 minute tutorial that introduces you to the basic concepts and features that are found in the program. Although its unique size sets it apart from most user guides, measuring 8" wide by 6" high, I found the layout very easy to follow and easy on the eyes. Considering the very inexpensive cost of this application, I was amazed at the features as well as the quality and speed that could be attained with just a few mouse clicks.įirst off I would like to say that this is probably one of the best written and well laid out user manuals that I have come across in a very long while. With release 4 comes a completely redesigned interface, much improved OpenGL views, powerful terrain modeling tools, volumetrics, and drastically improved rendering speeds to name just a few. By Jeff Mottle ( you have ever needed to create realistic scenery or environments for your architectural scenes, then the new release of Vue d'Esprit is worth a look.
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