Thu, 06 Aug 2009 Bonzai3d review
We view Bonzai3d, the new rapid modelling tool from the developer of form•z
- Manufacturer: Autodessys
- Pros: Fast object creation; good range of modelling tools; varied viewport rendering modes; smart interface; content library; 3D Warehouse support
- Cons: Intel Mac and OS X 10.5 only; fairly expensive for target market; no full instancing support
- Price: $499 (£303.86)
- Star rating:
AutoDesSys bonzai3d, while it inherits some of the functionality of form•z, has its own identity. Like Google Sketchup Pro, it offers support for Google 3D Warehouse, but ships with its own content library of trees, furniture, doors, and windows that can be reused as symbols. It also has sketching tools.
As you might expect, these are a bit of a mix between the ‘pickup and draw’ Sketchup variety and traditional primitive creation/manipulation tools found in most 3D packages. Each row in the palette contains a suite of related tools that pop open when the cursor is positioned over the icon. The complete tool suite pops up to the right of the icon. Hovering over each tool or menu item brings up a description, and when the tool is clicked an options palette appears. This can adjust settings for the tool before or after objects are created.
The sketchy feel extends to Doodle, a rendering plug-in that gives the model in the viewport a pencil-drawn look at the click of a button. There are a number of other shading modes, including OpenGL-driven full shading with shadows. Object snapping is enabled, so it’s easy, for instance, to align a brick texture exactly to a wall and to orient the brick direction horizontally.
Bonzai3d supports NURBS curves and surfaces and a number of tools are worth a mention. The 2D Derivative tool, for example, can create a new face, line or edge derived from the surfaces of other objects. The 3D derivative tool begins by working in a similar fashion to Sketchup’s main extruding tool, but then adds options that allow for delicate fine-tuning. You can derive 2D and 3D walls in a similar fashion, while terrain models can be generated from a set of contour lines and a closed shape that represents the boundary of a site. Real-time Boolean operations are also available when reshaping objects and faces. You can choose to save models in bonzai3d format or as form•z models, and most common 3D formats are supported for import/export.
MACWORLD BUYING ADVICE >
1 |
2 | NEXT >
Contact Us
DiggSubmit your own review for this product
Search reviews
Search Google
Newsletter signup
It's easy and free to get the latest news headlines, reviews and opinions straight to your email inbox. Sign up NOW to make sure you receive the latest Mac news, reviews and tutorials on your favourite topics.
Macworld reader poll
What version of Adobe Creative Suite do you use?:
Have your say in the
Macworld Forums!
Register now
Stay on top of the latest, breaking Mac news and chat with other Mac professionals and enthusiasts about the issues that matter to you. Register with Macworld today to join our forums and receive our twice-weekly email newsletter, Macworld Mainline.
RSS
Have the latest content delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog, news, or reviews feed.
Latest PC industry news
MACWORLD MARKETPLACE
 |
LogMeIn Free - Remote Computer Access |
 |
TemplateCloud |
 |
Amsys |
 |
About NAD |
 |
Sphero is a completely new type of gaming system. |
 |
MeteoGroup |
 |
Beat the Credit Crunch - Lease your Mac from Hardsoft |
