SolidThinking has launched the newest version of its flagship 3D industrial design, integrated modeling, and rendering solution — solidThinking 8.0. The hybrid NURBS-based solid and surface modeler is designed to emphasize creativity and innovation and facilitate research, experimentation, and exploration in the early stages of product development, the company states. Available for Windows and Mac OS X platforms, the software is interoperable with every CAD/CAM/CAE system on the market, according to Alex Mazzardo, solidThinking vice-president of product strategy and marketing.

Through our latest release, we offer new ways for industrial designers to enrich and accelerate design inspiration, said Mazzardo. In addition to inviting users to free their minds from technological constraints, solidThinking aims to maximize value and provide cost-saving 3D design solutions.

* A restyled and more streamlined user interface enabling better workflow.

* New 3D manipulators for translation, scaling and rotation.

* Enhancements to point, curve and surface representation for greater precision and improved ease of use.

* New options for interactive visualization in the modeling views, including wireframe on shaded model and environment maps.

* A wizard to help users choose the ideal modeling units and tolerances based on the size of the model.

* Real-time rendering to further improve interactivity during the review and visualization phases of design.

* Progressive rendering for immediate feedback on the final image with a fast preview of the lighting and materials in the scene; subsequent rendering passes that continue to fill in detail until the final high-quality image is achieved.

* Re-rendering of selected subregions of an existing image.

* A new materials library functionality with faster browsing and previewing of materials, environment maps and scene sets; users can also now set up multiple materials libraries.

* Optimized specular final gather for increased rendering speed and lighting accuracy.

* Ambient occlusion for greater depth, performance and realism in the photorealistic rendering phase.

* New complex reflectance shaders for generating more lifelike visual elements, including the ability to integrate and create glossy and blurred reflections, frosted glass, car paints, plastic and metallic effects.

* High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) capabilities and the ability to create spherical images that can be visualized in the background of perspective views while modeling.