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(continued...) High quality presentation renderings can be produced using the built-in renderThinking renderer or using the support for third party RenderMan-compatible renderers such as Blue Moon Rendering Tools (BMRT) that can be downloaded from the web.
Materials are readily applied by selecting from the palettes in the Modelling Tools toolbar.
Lights are accessible from the World Browser and can be manipulated directly in the graphics area with highlights and shadows updating dynamically.
In addition to the standard ambient, spot and point light types, goniometric sources can be specified so that professional luminaire manufacturers data can be used to define how much light is emitted and in which directions.
Render quality can be excellent with ray tracing and radiosity available including control such as soft shadows and shadows cast by semi-transparent objects, variable fog and depth cueing and control of atmospheric effects and lens flare.
Handling of ceramic and transparent materials is especially strong as a result of the close links between Gestel and the Italian ceramics and stone masonry industries.
A wide range of file output types is available including the unusual Quicktime VR format that enables an appropriately rendered 3D model to be viewed interactively on screen from any location using the Quicktime Viewer.
A plug-in development kit is available to enable customised functionality.
Macro replays are used as part of the tutorial scheme, illustrating the mouse moves required to accomplish specific tasks.
A demo version of solidThinking is available from the Gestel website and there is a free upgrade to version 4.1 for version 4 registered users.
solidThinking represents a very approachable route to modelling high quality complex sculptured surfaces.
It does not aim to be a complete manufacturing solution and is likely to therefore be seen as part of a suite of tools.
There is always the potential for translation problems but the surface analysis and tolerancing features maximise the chances of dealing with them.
Associativity between tools can also become an issue if multiple design iterations are required but the excellent and easy to use visualisation tools should minimise the need for aesthetic driven changes.