VIMtrek: Rendering Architects Speechless

The latest video games feature gorgeous graphics and blazing fast speeds but architectural design software is painfully slow to navigate and even slower to render. Why the difference – especially since architects and game designers both create virtual worlds?

VIMtrek is answering that question by bridging the gap between gaming software and architectural rendering programs. Using the backbone of cutting-edge game engine technology, the VIMtrek Producer application is able to rapidly convert Autodesk Revit® designs into immersive, beautifully rendered, and interactive environments, and then share these locally or over the Internet.

"This is what we are calling 'where sense meets sizzle,'" said Nicholas Jeffery , COO of VIMtrek. "The ability to see realistic rendered buildings is nothing new, but to be able to see them in a truly immersive, freely navigable gaming environment with all the augmented data attached to all the objects and the collaboration features, such as VIMnotes—it will blow you away."

Though current architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry standard rendering programs are able to convert design drafts into photorealistic visuals, the renderings are static, take hours to complete, and require a high degree of expertise and computing power. VIMtrek requires little or no technical training, no massive computing power, and renders designs in a matter of minutes. If you can find the up, down, left, and right keys on the keyboard, you can immediately navigate and collaborate within the virtual building, in real time.

"Visual rendering is an important function in the design process, but because of limitations on budgets and schedules, it is simply not reasonable to stop and render projects when we want to review or discuss a change," said Rodney Mims Cook of PolitesCookArchitects. "VIMtrek will change the use of 3-D technology and make it part of the daily creative process. We can design, render, change, and render again as many times as we want in an hour, let alone over the course of an entire project."

"Game engine designers have had to push the envelope to render complex scenes with millions of polygons in fractions of a second because that space alien chasing after you has to be rendered at 60 frames per second – and it has to look amazing!" said gaming industry veteran and frequent commentator on online virtual worlds, Tracy Spaight . "The majority of makers of CAD and BIM software haven't faced these sorts of demands and thus haven't looked to the gaming space for solutions. VIMtrek has successfully married the best of game engine technology and rendering programs to create a breakthrough piece of software."

The VIMtrek Producer and Viewer software is available through value-added resellers or via vimtrek.com.

Comments

[sustainable architects]

3D Architectural design software enables anyone remotely interested in architecture design, home design or home landscape design to completely transfer their ideas to visual evidence and fully express their creativity. 3D designing software has been around for quite some time now, but it has been mostly accessible to professionals.