SimLab Composer

[Ralf]

SimLab Composer is an interactive 3D scene building application, which allows the user to combine geometries from different sources (MCAD/CAD and visualization applications) to build 3D scenes.

3D scenes created in SimLab Composer can be exported to many popular file formats including 3D PDF.

The new release of SimLab Composer adds KeyShot (bip) format to the export options, which will enable KeyShot users to take advantage of its 3D scene building capabilities.

In addition to the simple to use rotate, pan and zoom draggers, SimLab Composer provides the user with snap to ground and snap to object utilities, which makes creating 3D scenes easy and fun.

The user of SimLab Composer is able to create copies and instances of existing parts and assemblies in the scene.

SimLab Composer’s ability to maintain CAD tree structure makes it easy for the user to Hide/Show parts, assemblies, and sub assemblies.

SimLab Composer enables users to perform advanced material management, which includes changing the material structure, and controlling material assignment on the surface, body, part and assembly levels.
To learn more about SimLab Composer scene building capabilities please click here
To learn more about SimLab Compose please visit SimLab Soft

SimLab Composer is supported on Windows and Mac

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks Ralf - looks very interesting.

I haven't tried it yet, but I will. It looks like it may be an option for getting high resolution images without spending lots of money...

 

[Ralf]

Hi David,

The screenshot shows an 3D PDF Alibre assembly -> Imported as 3D PDF -> SimLab Composer.
Here you can move/rotate, assigning materials, textures, lights...to all 3D parts -> export or rendering->Multicore...
.

 

[Giecon.nl]

Just installed the trial. Very promising, apply material/color to faces or parts, add text, move rotate parts, add light sources, backgrounds. Best thing is it renders in the background, you can go on with other work while it renders. Also the license policy is similar to Alibre, you are allowed to install on to machines.

 

[Fx.CAD]

Just bought a license. At an introductory price of $149 -worldwide unique price may I say-, it is an unbeatable offer... Thank you, Ralf, to share your findings !
In German, there is a nice expression "Eierlegende Wollmilchsau" to describe my impression... In French (my language), we don't have an expression like this...

 

[jhardy1]

Ralf,

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I downloaded the trial, had a play, and promptly bought a licence. Modelled in Alibre 12.1 Standard (no KeyShot), rendered in SimLab:

 

[jhardy1]

A couple more renders all modelled in Alibre 12.1 Standard, and rendered in SimLab:

 

[Fx.CAD]

@ jhardy1 : I'm just wondering, Is it a wooden cable ? :wink:
Yes, SimLab Composer is a great software, with a simple workflow: 3D PDF or STEP (AP214) out of Alibre, import in SimLab, assign materials with drag and drop and render (rendering technology licensed from Luxion)... I couldn’t detect a rendering size limitation, I think the limit is more on the hardware/rendering time side...

 

[jhardy1]

@ jhardy1 : I'm just wondering, Is it a wooden cable ? :wink:

Ralf,
I used "Cardboard" as the best simulation of rope from the supplied materials. I thought of using a "Wood" material, but none of them came out looking much like rope (in my inexpert hands, anyway!)
I tried making my own "Rope", unsuccessfully - as this my first attempt at photo-real rendering, I haven't really got the hang of defining anything very complex yet.
Cheers!

 

[Fx.CAD]

jhardy: No offense, but I'm not Ralf... :lol:
I agree, rope material is hard to reproduce. Do you have googled something like "free rope seamless texture" ? Maybe using a copy of the cardboard material with a rope texture image could get you a bit closer to the *ultimate photorealistic rope*... Just my two cents.

 

[jhardy1]

jhardy: No offense, but I'm not Ralf... :lol:
I agree, rope material is hard to reproduce. Do you have googled something like "free rope seamless texture" ? Maybe using a copy of the cardboard material with a rope texture image could get you a bit closer to the *ultimate photorealistic rope*... Just my two cents.

Sorry Fx, sorry Ralf! :?
I'll have a play with rope textures etc at some other time. Right now, I need to do some REAL work - and for my needs, the standard library of materials (metals, plastics, stone, etc) will meet most of my needs.

 

[WoodWorks]

SimLab Composer is simply wonderful. It can import an AP214 STEP and allow face texturing, or just use the 3D PDF output from Alibre for Part texturing. It is great for wood textures. Combined with the free Wood Workshop texture generator program, I've got it made. Can't beat the $149 introductory price either. It seems to do everything that Keyshot can do as well, and output even better textured 3D PDF files for my clients review.

Thanks Ralf for bringing this program to my attention.

 

[WoodWorks]

Here is a sample toolbox made with Alibre 12.1 and rendered with SimLab Composer v2.

They license their rendering engine from Luxion. The Diamond Plate is a free online texture.
Notice the Diamond Plate on one side, and just flat metal on the inside (Possible with STEP import).

 

[WoodWorks]

http://www.simlabforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=73

This is a link to the Simlab Composer forum where I have posted two renderings of a spherical wooden shelf design I did for CNC machine manufacturing.

Approval was granted today (by the wife and co-owner of Kelsey WoodWorks) and I am now a proud owner of Simlab Composer. It will probably be a couple of days before I get done playing
with the software and get back to work. As soon as I run out of previous design projects to render. Note the edge banding on the shelves, which is different from the faces of the shelves.

 

[HaroldL]

Good looking design and images, the design looks vaguely familiar though. :? I wonder, where did I see something like that before, oh yeah, here... viewtopic.php?f=52&t=9139&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30#p53670 :lol: :lol:
Seriously though, I can't take all the credit for the model I made; I saw a similar one in Popular Mechanics.

What is the shelf spacing and overall size of your design ? It looks like it could be pretty big.

H.
v12.1

 

[WoodWorks]

I originally created the Alibre model back in October 2008, after a similar picture of the shelf was posted in the ShopBot forum. Since I had seen the shelves at various internet sites, I was unsure of the actual design ownership or rights. Hence, I gave away copies of the Alibre model via the ShopBot forum to anyone who asked. There was so much interest in the shelves on the ShopBot forum, I refined the model and made it fully parametric two weeks later. I have the parametric model, and two manual nestings on 4'x4' sheet and a 4'x8' sheet. I have just been going through my old models and testing Simlab Composer v2 with renderings of anything interesting.

I have successfully created new wood materials and am working on learning how to better light my designs. Not bad for less than 2 weeks of spare time experience.

Thanks for posting your link. I knew I had seen the shelves in the Alibre forum, but could not locate it when I went back to look. The model posted is the one with 96" as the longest shelf (largest to fit on a standard sheet of plywood and most router CNC beds). I may have to create another version of my model to create a shelf like yours. My model always starts with a shelf down the center vertically and horizontally. My full sheet nesting has a 48" sphere radius with 37" back offset and 12" shelf spacing. Half sheet nesting uses a 36" sphere radius with 27" back offset and 9" shelf spacing.

I have attached an actual photo sent to me by one of the ShopBot owners who built the shelf from my design. My eventual goal is to be able to render my model with a similar brick wall background.

 

[HaroldL]

Wow, 96 inches long that's a pretty big shelf unit. Is the back offset the same as the shelf depth?

I had no idea that that design had been around for this long. But I suppose when I saw it in PopMech it had already been around for a while.

So what's your impression of SimLab so far? What is the max resolution it will render?

I've been tempted to give it a try. What with the issues with HyperShot and KeyShot I'm a little put off until they get their collective acts together. I've downloaded KeyShot but it still has some of the same issues as HyperShot when importing Alibre stp or STEP models.

H.
v12.1

 

[jhardy1]

So what's your impression of SimLab so far? What is the max resolution it will render?

I've been tempted to give it a try. What with the issues with HyperShot and KeyShot I'm a little put off until they get their collective acts together. I've downloaded KeyShot but it still has some of the same issues as HyperShot when importing Alibre stp or STEP models.

HaroldL,

(Hope I am not butting into a private conversation here! )

I am very impressed with SimLab - especially at the US$149 price. As far as I can tell, render image size is limited only by your patience (and probably your computer's memory capacity, etc). Trying to see what it's limits are, I have successfully rendered 4,000 x 2,000 pixel images on a fairly standard laptop (Core 2 Duo, 3 GB RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium) - I don't think I will bother to go any bigger than that!

I have had no trouble whatsoever importing Alibre models - it doesn't recognise native Alibre model files, but I have had 100% success with exporting from Alibre as STEP 203 (I got Alibre 12.1 Standard with Translate before it was withdrawn from the Standard package), and then importing the resulting STEP file into SimLab - no issues at all.

I strongly suggest you download the free trial, and then apply on-line for a limited trial licence. (Until you activate the trial licence, you can't save or render. Once you activate a trial licence, you get full functionality for a limited period of 30 days or so.) I was happy enough that I bought a full licence well before my trial licence expired.

My only "gripe" is that the documentation is a bit weak - quite a few minor typos, and not much explanation of the advanced rendering terminology and methodology. Being pretty much a complete "newbie" to photo-realistic rendering, I don't really understand the concept of HDRs, tweaking the lighting, customising materials and textures, etc. Having said that, the software is very self explanatory, and runs pretty much "drag and drop", so I haven't had any trouble using it, but I suspect I will need a bit of practice to create truly stunning renders. For my purposes, however, I am already very impressed with my own work. (If I do say so myself! )

Hope this helps!

 

[JL82]

Are there the engine of Luxion on the SimLab?

Have somebody done same model both the Keyshot/HyperShot and SimLab? I would like to see the quality of the rendering on the same picture.

Other question: Can I be put a picture to the background on SimLab?

 

[Ralf]

Hi Juha,

Are there the engine of Luxion on the SimLab?

Please take a look: