Connectivity

Artlantis communicates directly with leading CAD Architecture software (such as ArchiCAD™, VectorWorks™, SketchUp™ Pro, Arc+™), Artlantis has the advantage of import functions for the main CAD formats.

• Direct connectivity
  ArchiCAD, VectorWorks and SketchUp, the major Abvent partners in the CAD Architecture world, export directly to Artlantis format. This direct link provides more complete and better quality data recovery than by going through a classic exchange format.
  
  
• Main Exchange File Formats
  Artlantis imports the most commonly used 3D formats: DXF, DWG,DWF, OBJ, FBX or 3DS. It is worth noting that, for 3DS format files, Artlantis recovers certain data such as map textures and lights.
  
  
• Use Reference File
  The "Use reference file" function enables the user to make updates to a project in the modeler without losing any of the data already entered into Artlantis, regardless of the format selected.

Real-time Preview in global illumination

Artlantis is designed based on the original concept of constant preview window interactivity, with user defined modifications and settings. The new and improved rendering engine lets you generate accurate radiosity images in real time within the 3D preview window. The final rendering is consistent with the 3D preview window, giving you a faithful and accurate representation of the high-quality images you’ll produce from your 3D models.The preview image is calculated each time a change is made to the lighting, subject or environment settings, enabling the user to control all adjustments without losing time. The extremely high speed of its computing engines even provides access, in preview, to the radiosity and raytracing effect settings.

Dependent Viewpoints
Each view of the project can make up a particular study integrating various representations ranging from the calendar date to a light source going out, or a change in the camera angle.

Catalog
Media manipulation is easy and transparent to the user. By simply dragging and dropping, the user can incorporate Shader, Object or Image folders into catalogs where he can then choose the elements he places into the scene.
The same easy drag and drop procedure is used to apply the selected image or texture to dress an object, place a background or foreground image, add a furniture element or a person.

Shaders & Textures

You can dress each object, surface and detail of a 3D scene with its own material (called a "shader") by simply dragging and dropping from a catalog that you create and populate however you like.

• Shaders
  Atlantis makes using shaders simple and instantaneous. You can instantly dress a material with all attributes of a given shader (tint, color, opacity, specular reflection, shininess, blur effect, normal mapping, pattern scale and orientation...) by simply dragging the shader of your choice from the catalog and dropping it to the desired surface in the scene.
  The shader inspector then lets you fine-tune the settings and modify the appearance of the surface using an interface that anyone can use. The clear handling, responsiveness and power of the form and texture operators provide quality rendering and are child's play to use.
  A new function is available for advanced users, they can now create their own shaders through a complete interface.
  
  
• Texture Mapping
  Users can use their own images as materials. You can import your own images by simply dragging and dropping them from the catalog. Then, you need only clone them horizontally and/or vertically to cover the surface you have selected.
  
  
• Additional CD-ROMs
  To complement the standard library, Abvent offers CD-ROMs with theme collections designed specially for Artlantis by industry partners or independent designers. These provide a multitude of materials and textures that you can use for your synthesis images (for Macintosh and Windows).

Heliodons & Lights

Lighting highlights the objects, just like in the real world. From the low-key lighting of dawn to the glare of midday, from the solitude of a crypt to the backlighting of a bay, Artlantis Studio has all of the light sources (spotlight, bulb, sun, sky) and aerial effects (atmospheres, radiosity, turbulence, diffraction, halo) needed to compute the most realistic lighting models.

• Heliodons
  By simply using a heliodon and a lighted sky, you can immediately illuminate your exterior and interior scenes without having to go to the long preparation needed for multiple artificial lights. Calculation of the radiation dispersion and colored bounce immediately creates a brilliantly realistic lighting model.
  
  
• Real Sky Simulation
  The latest version of Artlantis improves all lightings conditions. With the addition of a "physical sky", the sun, moon and stars are now visible elements that cast light onto the project using global illumination. A range of magnificent clouds are also available : cirrus, cumulonimbus or stratus add an extra realistic touch to the skies.
  
  
• Lights
  Whether it is created by a spotlight or a point of light, a 2D view window, in constant interaction with the preview window, makes it easy to position Artlantis lighting effects. The light duplication tools are especially useful when illuminating large scenes (offices, lofts, theaters, panoramas, etc.). In addition to the immediate realism achieved by simply calculating the sky's or sun's radiosity, the level of sophistication of all of the possible multiple-source based settings gives you the luxury of more lead-ins for the most complex and varied scenes.
  
  
• Automatic Light Adjustmnet
  Thanks to its new automatic light adjustment feature, Artlantis dynamically balances the lighting levels in your scenes from dawn till sunset, and from outside to inside a building, and thus allows you to perform photorealistic four-stars images and animations.
  
  
• Neon Shader
  A number of special materials such as Neon shaders, adjustable transparent bodies or colored reflectors instantly contribute to the the realism of certain scenes where the lighting diffuses through real surfaces.

Objects

Artlantis provides a superb object manager that makes it easier to expand a scene layout and make it even more realistic. Whether you are working with vegetation, people, furniture or simple decorative knickknacks, you can manipulate all of these either in 3D or 2D, and make graphic control of these objects dependent on scene-specific factors (such as hierarchy, catchpoint, season). This makes scene layout easier than ever. Artlantis characteristic simplicity also extends to handling catalog elements (shaders, objects, images).

• Objects & Characters
  

You need only drag objects to the desired location to insert them into a scene. Their catch points will react based on their characteristic: This is how, for example, a floor lamp will always be vertical while a sconce will be positioned perpendicular to the wall
The texture of objects can be modified either individually or in tandem. Also, the instancing system allows significant reduction in the amount of memory taken up by duplicated objects.
Objects can be saved freely in Artlantis and can even contain light sources that are reproduced when they are integrated into a scene.
With this new Artlantis Studio version, the new 3D People can now be easily animated.


• 3D Plants & Trees
  Developed in partnership with VB Visual, one of the industry's leading companies, Artlantis' 3D plants and vegetation can be used as simple objects, by dragging and dropping them. Moreover, they have an excellent feature of predefined behavior, such as foliage tint and density, for example, to match the season defined by the Artlantis Studio heliodon.
  
  
• Billboards
  Billboards are special images that the user can drag directly from the catalog to the 3D scene as he wishes.
  
  
• Additional CD-ROMs
  To complement the standard library, Abvent offers CD-ROMs with theme collections designed specially for Artlantis by industry partners or independent designers. These provide a multitude of materials and textures that you can use for your synthesis images (for Macintosh and Windows).

Perspectives & Projected Views

Each projected view, clipping and perspective can be stored independently and recalled from the user-defined list at any time. Every view that is recalled in this manner will be recalculated with all of the parameters that make up its environment (geographical position, camera placement and focal distance, light sources, date and time, foreground and background, etc.) The Batch Render function can be used to calculate these views at any time, on final rendering, with a single mouse click.

• Perspectives
  Storing multiple perspective configurations enables the user to completely analyze lighting variants, seasonal variations or environment configurations.
  Long-distance or close-up interior or exterior visualizations will be emphasized by choosing suitable lighting, masks or by adding images, hues, colorations or atmospheric effects, etc.
  
  
• Projected Views and Clippings
  These plane projections and clips can be adjusted in the 6 directions of the bounding box and provide an extremely enlightening tool for presenting a project.
  These projections and clippings are as easy to use as the current perspectives. They allow scenes to be calculated realistically in successive layers or even overlapping cutaway view.
  
  
• Insertion into the site
  When it comes to navigating the red tape of construction permits, there is more need to resort to image retouching software for montages that are so often complex and tedious, and too often unsatisfactory. Artlantis Studio lets you integrate the 3D scene into a genuine photograph environment with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Animation

The direct combination of object animation and camera displacement allows a complete and scripted exploration of the entire virtual space made with your rendering software.

The atmosphere effects, the realism of the shaders and evolutionary objects, the script development of the lighting sources themselves, every component of a scene set in still images can become a subject of exploration and presentation of your project in its entire spatial environment.

In the 2D view, the Edit Path Mode is very useful to create a path. You may want to use it to move either a camera, an object or a light.

Timeline

You can only get transported by how easy it is to define your timeline graphically, to synchronize displacements, to adjust convergences or breaking effects, luminous illusions, realistic lightings or seasons simulations.

Virtual Reality Panoramas & Objects

The automatic recording of QuickTime files, in objects (VR) or in panoramas (Cubic), enables you to create the most concrete interactive files for the visit and the communication of your virtual model.

Not only much lighter than videos, the QuickTime VR sequences have the benefit to allow you to make, for instance, an online interactive presentation with the degree of precision and resolution of your choice.

New Features in Version 2

	Full radiosity preview The new and improved rendering engine lets you generate accurate radiosity images in real time within the 3D preview window. The final rendering is consistent with the 3D preview window, giving you a faithful and accurate representation of the high-quality images you’ll produce from your 3D models.
	Real sky simulation The latest version of Artlantis improves all lightings conditions. With the addition of a “physical sky”, the sun, moon and stars are now visible elements that cast light onto the project using global illumination. A range of magnificent clouds are also available : cirrus, cumulonimbus or stratus add an extra realistic touch to the skies.
	Automatic light adjustment Thanks to its new automatic light adjustment feature, Artlantis dynamically balances the lighting levels in your scenes from dawn till sunset, and from outside to inside a building, and thus allows you to perform photorealistic four-stars images and animations.
	Integrated image post-processing Save time by doing your image post-processing in Artlantis… no need to use other image editing tools. Artlantis’ new options enable users to modify the luminance, the contrast and the color index of a rendered image during post-processing. It also allows users to add grain, contour lines or a pastel painting effect, for fantastic new stylistic possibilities. These effects are displayed directly in the 3D preview window and can be used individually or combined.
	Shader creator Artlantis new version offers new automatic texture definition. The shaders have new properties : specular reflection, shiningness, blur effect, normal mapping… for a considerable new shading quality. A new function is available for advanced users, they can now create their own shaders through a complete interface.
	Rich Media With an optional collection of 25 CD of media - shaders and 3D objects - Artlantis enables users to quickly work on different scenarios and simulate life-like virtual scenes in a realistic environment. When the new Artlantis version is released, Artlantis family will also introduce 5 new media CD’s : 3D Animated People, Bilboard People, Cars, Stones and Marble Floor. All easily controlled with a simple drag&drop into the 3D preview window, these shaders and objects enhance the photorealism of your scenes.
	And more Productivity Tools: Compatibility with Space NavigatorTM 3D mouse that allows intuitive and powerful 3D navigation ; anchored target point for a camera or a light that follows the trajectory ; magic wand for easy object extraction ; Open GL navigation with shadows ; automatic or manual view point update ; looped object animation, use of a movie as a texture.

Minimum System Requirements:
MacOS® X 10.4.11
Power Mac™ G5 1,8 GHz
2GB RAM
Graphic card 128 MB OpenGL 1.4
Display resolution : 1024 x 768
3 buttons mouse with scrolling wheel
Internet Connection
QuickTime 7.4

Recommended System Requirements:
MacOS® X 10.5
Macintosh Intel Core™ 2 Duo or multi-Cores (8 max.)
4 GB RAM
Graphic card 256 MB OpenGL
Display resolution : 1600 x 1200
3 buttons mouse with scrolling wheel
Internet Connection
QuickTime 7.4

Minimum System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows™ XP SP2
PC Intel™ Pentium 4 or similar 2GHz
2 GB RAM
Graphic card de 128 MB OpenGL 1.4
Display resolution : 1024 x 768
Internet Connection
3 buttons mouse with scrolling wheel
QuickTime® 7.4

Recommended System Requirements:
Microsoft Windows Vista™
PC Intel Core™ 2 Duo or multi-Cores (8 max.)
or AMD équivalent
4 GB. RAM
Graphic card 256 MB OpenGL
Display resolution : 1600 x 1200
Internet Connection
3 buttons mouse with scrolling wheel
QuickTime® 7.4

System Requirements