Informatix releases the free Google SketchUp & SketchUp Pro Ruby Script along with a new pricing policy for Piranesi.
Making it easier for designers to create award winning presentation graphics

23rd October 2009, Cambridge, UK – Informatix Software International, a global provider of CAD software solutions, today announces the availability of the free Prianesi Google SketchUp ruby script along with a new concurrent pricing structure for the Piranesi product to ease the cost of software ownership.

The free ruby script for SketchUp enables users to export their models created in either the free or Pro versions into Piranesi, the leading artist impression tool on the market, and create artist impressions of the model.

The script itself allows the user to export the model from SketchUp to the EPix file format, where they can quickly convert rigid, hard-edged models into a softer, expressive artist’s impression. Piranesi v5.1 is more than just a painting tool – it is a graphical persuader that excels at turning conceptual 2D and 3D models into wonderfully atmospheric, stylised and persuasive visualisations.

“The popularity of Google SketchUp within the architect and designer community makes it the perfect partner to Piranesi. Both products complement each other with their designer friendly user interfaces and there is no doubt that with the combined capabilities of SketchUp and Piranesi designers will be winning more projects and awards for their presentation alone.” Steve Evans, managing director of Informatix Software International

Piranesi’s unique ability to generate stylish illustrations with a truly hand-painted feel sets it apart from other visualisation tools. At the later stages of the project, after initial concepts have been approved, Piranesi can again be used to produce an artist impression of the finished visuals for distribution to all parties involved, or for competition submission.

Pricing and Availability
To support the use of the free SketchUp ruby script Informatix are also announcing a concurrent licensing model for Piranesi v5.1 which comes into effect today.

Prices start at £200+VAT with the additional option to purchase unlimited concurrent user licenses on a per site basis on an annual subscription or over a 3 year period. Costs include support, maintenance and upgrades throughout the subscription period.

“ The concurrent licensing model allows architect and designer practices to achieve more from their software investment. By offering them this solution they are able to get a quicker return on their software investment, especially when they opt for the free version of SketchUp. For example, a practice with 100 architects may only need to buy 10 licenses, but this gives everyone in the practice the ability to use the software as and when they need it.” Paul Lloyd, global operations director at Informatix Software International.

The ruby script is available to download immediately via our website: www.piranesi.co.uk/trial

Piranesi is a trademark of Informatix, Inc.

Google and SketchUp are trademarks of Google, Inc.

Enhanced workstation performance combining the latest innovation in CAD software
Informatix Software International partner with Hewlett Packard to enable users to innovate through design

Cambridge, UK – 19th August 2009 – Informatix Software International, a global provider of CAD software solutions, today announces a partnership with Hewlett Packard to provide customers with a bundled package of MicroGDS 3D Pro and Piranesi 5.1 pre-installed on the HP Z400 workstation.

This bundle creates the premier solution for rapid design of projects and presentations. Combining the best 2D and 3D presentation CAD software with the best Artistic rendering program installed on the award winning HP Z400 workstation this partnership delivers what customers are looking for today for existing projects along with the ability to create the 2D and 3D impressions of the future.

"The HP Z400 Workstation provides a platform to maximise the investment made in the Informatix solution. The performance of MicroGDS on a HP Z400 Workstation increases both productivity and user satisfaction in an industry where time is an expensive commodity." Mark Arthur, HP.

The HP Z400 delivers an enhanced workstation performance to transform the way you work. Supporting the latest Intel Dual- and Quadcore processors, the next-generation system architecture enables faster and efficient performance. To enhance the experience the ATI FirePro V3700 workstation graphics card combines a new ATI OpenGL optimised driver with the award-winning ATI FireGL graphics technology, delivering a new level of graphics performance and reliability for professional 3D graphics users. This workstation allows you to run more tasks and applications simultaneously, which compliment the core functionality within the Informatix products bundled in this offer.

MicroGDS is a true multi-user product that has been designed with ease of use, collaboration and quality in mind. Developed on the Windows platform in 1993 MicroGDS is fully compatible with Microsoft Office, allowing users to embed quotations or specification spreadsheets, presentations and word documents into the file. The actual file sizes reduce the bandwidth and storage requirements of the business making it easier to work with multiple users on the one project simultaneously. With it’s own PDF creation tool and full documentation management there is no need to purchase additional Adobe or other desktop publishing licences.

“Informatix are delighted to partner with HP, bundling MicroGDS with the HP Z Series Workstation will give our users the best Hardware platform to run one of the best 3D multi user CAD programs, and give customers that edge to win and deliver new business more effectively” Steve Evans, Informatix Software International Limited

This functionality does not compromise the 2D and 3D capabilities of the software. MicroGDS reads Google SketchUp files enabling a quick transfer of concept imagery into accurate CAD drawings and even supports AutoCAD DWF, DWG and DXF file formats. The LightWorks® rendering engine accelerates the creation and handling of 3D models resulting in a more complete tool for generating impressive rendered images. These are just a few of the capabilities of MicroGDS.

With full integration into Piranesi 5.1 the user can take their 2D or 3D image and convert it into a breathtaking presentation images creating dramatic impact. The final outputs of these workstations are second to none.

This partnership offers users the ability to take advantage of the benefits of both companies. By combining this powerful workstation with the superior capabilities and output of MicroGDS and Piranesi, both large and small businesses will compete on a level playing field relying on their own design innovations to make them stand out from the crowd.

Pricing and Availability
The HP and Informatix bundle is available immediately from Informatix Software International from £2995.00 + VAT

Informatix Software International Limited is proud to announce that version 5.1 of Piranesi® - its award-winning "3D painting" technology – will be released in May 2009 on Windows® and Apple Mac OS X. This is the first new release under the ownership of Selective Software Holdings.

The power of Piranesi comes from its ability to combine different tools and effects together. Piranesi 5.1 enhances its power even further by promoting a number of tools and effects, such as lock highlighting and stroke recording.

The new image cutout cursor can be used to position entourage more accurately, reducing the amount of time spent tweaking cutouts.

Another useful enhancement is the ability to draw filled shapes and create arbitrary shaped planes.

Piranesi now provides direct access to the extensive Google® 3D Warehouse providing a seamless link to the Sketchup® files which you can use as cutouts. Piranesi 5.1 also has full support for Sketchup 7 files.

Piranesi can now save and load colour palettes, so you can now download palettes from the internet, in Photoshop® or other formats, and load them directly into Piranesi. This gives you more control over your designs and impressions.

Piranesi 5.0 enabled you to automatically record styles used in a session. Piranesi 5.1 takes this a step further by recording your actual paint strokes as well. This means that you can ‘play back’ the same strokes in different views, maintaining a given theme or corporate look.

Both Piranesi and Vedute can now read FBX® files. This mean that Revit® users can now easily work with Piranesi.

This is also the first simultaneous release of Piranesi on Windows® and Apple Mac OS X.

The new version of Piranesi has been developed to make the Piranesi experience more pleasurable, whilst offering new enhancements to enable customers to win more business.

Piranesi is a registered trademark of Informatix Inc.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Apple and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google and Sketchup are trademarks of Google Inc. Revit and FBX are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

On January 28th, Selective Software Holdings (SSH), a British-owned company with interests in software marketing, purchased the UK business of Informatix Software International Ltd (ISI) (www.informatix.co.uk) from Informatix Incorporated, the Japanese parent company.

ISI was established in 1997 to develop and market the CAD and rendering applications, MicroGDS and Piranesi, acquired from the original developers, Convergent Group, a US consultancy business.

The company, which will retain the Informatix Software International name, will now be owned and managed entirely within the UK. ISI owns the rights to market its products world-wide, with the exception of Japan, where such rights will be retained by Informatix Inc.

The on-going support and future development of MicroGDS and Piranesi, together with any future new products, will continue to be undertaken by the existing technical team at the Cambridge, UK development centre. New versions of MicroGDS and Piranesi are due for release later this year.

The new management team is fully committed to continued investment in both products and over the coming weeks will make public road maps for the future development of each of the products. The staff and management of ISI will continue to offer excellent service and support to its end-user customers and resellers worldwide and will ensure that the products are maintained to the highest level.

The MicroGDS product family is designed to meet the 2D and 3D CAD needs of architects, engineers, facility planners, and interior designers no matter how big or how small an organisation or project.

MicroGDS is an easy to learn product, packed with features which will ensure that users can create and edit their work more quickly and reliably than with other CAD products. On larger projects, the advanced multi-user capabilities allow many team members to work on the same drawing at the same time without conflict, even if they work from different sites.

Piranesi excels at turning conceptual 3D models into wonderfully atmospheric, stylised and, most importantly, persuasive visualisations, with a whole host of effects to allow the user to focus the eye and the attention to the key elements of the design. Piranesi is also adept at delivering both photorealistic and non-photorealistic renders of fully-detailed images either for marketing use, planning applications or even award submissions.

The key differentiator with Piranesi is its understanding of “depth”. Unlike other rendering applications, when a “cutout” (eg a person, tree, vehicle etc) is placed into a render, Piranesi scales the cutout depending on where it is placed, ie larger towards the foreground, smaller in the background, as well as placing it behind or in front of existing objects without the need for masks, resulting in increased productivity.

ISI’s products are available through a network of distributors and resellers worldwide, and direct from the company’s Cambridge office.

Special Guest Piranesi impresses SAI at its annual AGM, but potentially makes their membership approval process more challenging

 

For a software product that professes to offer its users the ability to create artist’s impressions, there can be no greater test than to be subjected to the critical eyes of the Society of Architectural Illustration.  So when Piranesi received a very warm reception from the members and committee of the SAI at its Annual General Meeting recently, it represented praise indeed for Informatix Software, Piranesi’s creators.

Used by architects, designers, landscape architects and architectural illustrators around the world, Piranesi produces computer-generated artist’s impressions that look hand-rendered: soft, subtle watercolours, sketches, even traditional engravings.  In the hands of one without artistic training, Piranesi can effortlessly produce impressive visualisations from 2D and 3D CAD models, but in the hands of a skilled artist, the results can be truly awe-inspiring, and several of the Society of Architectural Illustration had already been impressed by the user gallery on the Piranesi website at www.piranesi.co.uk.

And they’re not easy to impress.  Founded in 1975, the SAI has hundreds of members in the UK alone and has spawned similar organisations around the world.  Whilst its primary objective is to encourage the use of architectural perspectives and models as a vital part of the communication process between architects and their audience, the SAI also values its role as figurehead of a discipline where excellence of illustration is a pre-requisite.   This means that a strict, critical assessment is carried out on every applicant’s work, and not everyone makes the grade.

Walking into the AGM to present Piranesi’s capabilities, Informatix’s marketing manager Jeremy Jones admits to a few nerves:

“I was always absolutely confident that Piranesi’s creative abilities to convert plain rendered models or elevations into stunning visualisations would impress the members of the Society,” he said. “Thankfully they forgave any creative naivety on my part and focused on Piranesi’s extensive range of tools that mirror their traditional methods, such as configurable ‘paintbrushes’, and real-world paint effects.

For many years, the architectural software industry was obsessed only with making the most photorealistic images possible, but that’s often not what either an architect, or a client, wants to see, says Don Coe, the SAI’s chairman.

“The problem with photorealism is that it disengages the client’s imagination from the project – the client presupposes that all design decisions have been made, from the exterior finishes to the door handles, and occasionally is disappointed if the real building differs even slightly.  With non-photorealistic images, the client’s focus can be drawn to just the features of the design that are important, and allows the architect to effectively gloss over elements that are yet to be determined.  From an architect’s point of view, if the visualisation is stylishly presented, it reflects well on the artistic creativity of the project. Photorealism simply doesn’t compare.”

From what he’s seen of Piranesi, Don Coe is happy that Piranesi offers a good computer-generated option for traditional illustrators:

“Piranesi is the first application that I’ve seen that successfully mimics both traditional paint styles and methods.  It seems to be easy to use, and the results it delivers are very impressive.”

But as the SAI’s chairman points out, Piranesi causes something of a problem too:

“Our selection criteria for membership are quite strict, and illustrators have to demonstrate great technical ability and artistic flair.  Increasingly, the capabilities of software products like Piranesi are becoming so artistically proficient that it’s becoming difficult to spot what’s been done using standard software out-of-the-box (without any bespoke settings) and what has been the result of true illustration skill.”

A 30-day free trial of Piranesi is available to download from www.piranesi.co.uk.

About Informatix Software International Limited

Informatix Software International Limited was founded in 1997 to develop software for the architectural, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Based in Cambridge, England, Informatix sells its products across the globe through an international network of distributors and online via its website. Informatix maintains strong links with Cambridge University, and has collaborative agreements with a number of best-in-class technology developers.

Contact address:
Informatix Software International Ltd, 509 Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, CB1 3JS, UK
Tel:       +44 (0)1223 246777    Fax:       +44 (0)1223 246778

Macworld UK nominates Piranesi 5 for Mac as Creative Design Software of the Year 2008

 

Leading UK Mac magazine Macworld has nominated artist’s impression software Piranesi 5 for a prestigious award:  Creative Design Software of the Year. 

“The launch of version 5 for Mac in December 2007 was a major technical step forward for Piranesi, with major improvements to the UI, additional context-sensitive tools and help, and most importantly it’s our first Universal Binary product, allowing it to run natively on the new generation of Intel Macs” said Jeremy Jones, Informatix’s Marketing Manager. 

Macworld’s reviewer, Nick Spence, praised Piranesi highly in the March edition of the magazine, calling version 5 ‘a worthy upgrade’, and found the apparently hand-rendered results that can be achieved through Piranesi’s extensively-configurable painting tools and effects ‘compelling’ and ‘impressive’.

Up against some real software heavyweights in its category, Jeremy Jones is proud to have received the nomination, regardless of whether Piranesi picks up the gong.  “The nomination,” he said “is a dual endorsement: primarily of the excellent performance of Piranesi as a creative design tool; and also of the wonderful team of developers we have at Informatix.  It’s a great achievement.”

The winners are announced at the Macworld Awards Ceremony at the IndigO2 in London on 12th June 2008.

About Informatix Software International Limited

Informatix Software International Limited was founded in 1997 to develop software for the architectural, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Based in Cambridge, England, Informatix sells its products across the globe through an international network of distributors and online via its website. Informatix maintains strong links with Cambridge University, and has collaborative agreements with a number of best-in-class technology developers.

Contact address:
Informatix Software International Ltd, 509 Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, CB1 3JS, UK
Tel:       +44 (0)1223 246777    Fax:       +44 (0)1223 246778

Informatix Software launches new website for Artist’s Impression software Piranesi which showcases customers as much as the product

 

We all know what to expect when a software company launches a new website: lots of dry product data, maybe some screenshots and definitely some text about how much it can change your working life.  Informatix Software’s bold new website for Piranesi is different.  For a start, wherever you look you will find breathtaking images that look hand-created - subtle watercolours, minimalist sketches, evocative pastels – all created not by Informatix’s marketing department, but by Piranesi customers, and credited with their names and company details.

You’d be forgiven for almost believing that this was a site to promote the architects, interior designers, landscape architects and illustrators that use Piranesi every day, rather than the software.  This unusual approach is designed to help site visitors quickly understand what Piranesi offers, says Jeremy Jones, Informatix’s Marketing Manager:

“Telling the story of Piranesi isn’t about showing extensive feature lists.  Anyone who reads the product information on the site will discover that Piranesi is a hugely powerful and flexible ‘3D painting’ tool with an amazing ability to create photorealistic and non-photorealistic images quickly and simply.

“But that’s what it is, not what it does.  The real message behind the product is simple: Piranesi enables our customers to create wonderful, stylish artist’s impressions of their design projects, which will genuinely wow their clients.  What better way to express that than by showcasing the illustrations themselves?”

Looking round the site, it’s clear that Informatix is rightly proud of how Piranesi customers are using the tool to win business in markets all around the world.  The central part of every page is always dedicated to a customer image, with most accompanied by a short passage about the image and its creator. 

If demonstrating Piranesi’s potential helps promote the individuals and firms who are submitting images, then Informatix is happy to assist, according to Jeremy Jones. 

“Our users are wonderful ambassadors for Piranesi,” he explains. “The website’s user forum is a great example.  Lots of customers share their latest images, seeking advice on little touches to improve their creative output still further, and most of that advice is provided by other users, rather than Informatix.  Showcasing some of those customers’ work is a little ‘thank you’ for that help, as well as a great way to illustrate the flexibility that Piranesi offers, as there’s a huge variety of personal styles on show.”

Of course, seeing what can be achieved by others, it’s impossible to resist the temptation to find out what you can create yourself with Piranesi, a thought actively encouraged by Informatix’s Marketing Manager:

“ Download the 30-day free trial, and have a go at producing a masterpiece.  To help you along the way, the site contains tutorial videos, screenshots, and support is always just an email away.  Submit your finished image to us and you might see it in the gallery, or even as a main page image.”

The new Piranesi website offers a huge amount of information, offers a chance to promote your skills and your organization, but most of all, it offers inspiration – it shows how Piranesi can help turn your plain-rendered concepts into visual masterpieces, capable of impressing the most hard-hearted of clients.  And that’s reason enough to visit the new site at www.piranesi.co.uk

About Informatix Software International Limited

Informatix Software International Limited was founded in 1997 to develop software for the architectural, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Based in Cambridge, England, Informatix sells its products across the globe through an international network of distributors and online via its website. Informatix maintains strong links with Cambridge University, and has collaborative agreements with a number of best-in-class technology developers.

Contact address:
Informatix Software International Ltd, 509 Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, CB1 3JS, UK
Tel:       +44 (0)1223 246777    Fax:       +44 (0)1223 246778

Informatix Software announces the release of Piranesi version 5 for Mac

 

The power of persuasion just got better for Mac users with the launch of Piranesi version 5 for their platform. Known as the ‘Graphical Persuader’, Piranesi is an exceptional artist’s impression tool designed to help creative teams around the world deliver breathtaking visualizations of everything from building and landscaping plans to product designs and animation storyboards.

For years, creative teams have been handed scraps of paper by their firms’ senior partners and told “We’re pitching this to the client tomorrow morning – give me an artist’s impression by this afternoon”, or a landscape architect has heard a client say “I just want something really ‘wow’ – can I see it tomorrow?”. And for years they’ve built a quick 3D model, exported it to Piranesi and quickly and easily painted it up with colour and texture, and applied and extensive array of effects, producing impressions ranging from the sharp, stark and monochromatically modernist, to the soft, subtle, watercolour with a believable hand‐painted feel.

For the Mac members of those creative communities, life will be getting significantly easier thanks to the launch of version 5 of Piranesi’s ‘Graphical Persuader’ for their platform. Already winning plaudits for its Windows version, Piranesi developer Informatix Software, expects its corps of Mac users to be equally enthusiastic about the new release, which runs on Mac OSX, from 10.3.4 right up to Leopard.

“Piranesi version 5 represents a big step forward for our Mac customers, with extensive functional enhancements and a wide range of UI improvements – plus it’s a universal binary, meaning that it will run natively on Intel Macs too,” said Simon Bennett, Informatix Software’s Product Manager.

“All changes are designed to help our customers produce even more creative results, in an even quicker timeframe,” adds Simon. “Piranesi is most frequently used at the initial concept stage of a project, where details are limited, and Piranesi’s strength is that its softer, suggestive impressions allow you to focus the client’s attention firmly onto the central elements of the design proposal.

“And for all our customers, time is a vital factor. The ability to convert rough 3D designs into powerful, persuasive visualizations of your idea quickly can often make the difference between the success and failure of a pitch.” Piranesi’s ability to paint in 3D accurately without needing masks, and its extensive ready array of creative filters combine speed and creative flexibility into a single, affordable package.

Jeremy Jones, Informatix’s Sales and Marketing Manager, noted the exceptional value for money offered by Piranesi’s latest release: “Version 5 sees another increase in the number of in‐built brushes, textures, multi‐fills, cutouts and effects to nearly three thousand, providing an extraordinary range of creative options instantly on hand for customers, offering even greater freedom of expression to produce breathtaking artists’ impressions.”

A 30-day trial version of Piranesi is available to download from the website at www.piranesi.co.uk.   Licensed in either single or concurrent user options, Piranesi version 5 for both Mac and Windows is available for £395 direct from the Piranesi website, or via Informatix’s global reseller network.

To download a trial version of Piranesi, visit www.piranesi.co.uk, or to request a demonstration CD, email info@piranesi.co.uk or contact Informatix Software on +44 (0)1223 246777.

About Informatix Software International Limited

Informatix Software International Limited was founded in 1997 to develop software for the architectural, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Based in Cambridge, England, Informatix sells its products across the globe through an international network of distributors and online via its website. Informatix maintains strong links with Cambridge University, and has collaborative agreements with a number of best-in-class technology developers.

Contact address:
Informatix Software International Ltd, 509 Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, CB1 3JS, UK
Tel:       +44 (0)1223 246777    Fax:       +44 (0)1223 246778