Datasheet

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CHAPTER 1 GETTING TO KNOW VIZ
The new features and additional skills movies are located on the Autodesk website and an active
Internet connection is required to view them. When you no longer want the dialog box to appear
as VIZ opens, simply uncheck the Show This Dialog at Startup option in the lower-left corner. The
dialog box can then be opened by choosing Help  Welcome Screen from the menu bar.
Throughout this book, you will change the viewport rendering mode: the way that VIZ interac-
tively displays the scene. New to VIZ 2008 is the Hidden Line rendering mode, which displays the
scene objects in wireframe but does not display an object’s edges for faces that are oriented away
from a camera or the viewport. The Hidden Line rendering mode displays the scene objects quickly
while maintaining an uncluttered picture of the scene.
When VIZ utilizes image maps during the rendering process, the files are not actually included
in the VIZ file but pointed to at rendering time. The filename and location must be consistent for
each occurrence of the rendering for the rendering to be completed. In VIZ 2008 the file paths can
be absolute, pointing to a specific location, or relative, pointing to a file path relative to the current
file location. The relative path option can make it easier to relocate the file to another computer or
for staff in different locations to render the same file.
The DWG import and export functionality and the DWG File Linking have been updated to coincide
with the 2008 family of Autodesk products. Support for the latest versions of Revit is also included.
The mental ray renderer that now ships with VIZ 2008 has been upgraded to version 3.5 of the high-
level, production-quality rendering system. This version includes final gather presets and easier-to-use
controls, and the new Arch & Design and Car Paint materials for architectural and vehicular projects.
You can also render larger images in separate portions using the split and stitch options.
All aspects of a VIZ scene can now be externally referenced (XRef’d), including both scene
objects and materials. Controllers, the features that determine how animated objects are managed,
can now maintain dependencies between XRef’d objects.
All items using the same style, in an imported or linked AutoCAD Architecture (formerly Archi-
tectural Desktop) file, can be quickly selected using the new Select Similar command.
Getting Started
Although many of VIZ’s components are typical for a Windows program, quite a few are unique.
To begin exploring the VIZ 2008 interface, start the program by doing one of the following:
◆
Double-click the Autodesk VIZ 2008 icon on the Desktop.
◆
Choose Start  Programs  Autodesk  Autodesk VIZ 2008  Autodesk VIZ 2008.
You’ll see a variety of components in the VIZ window (see Figure 1.2)—some that are familiar
and others that are not.
The Large Icons Option
The images in this book use the Large Icons option to better display the toolbar buttons. To activate this
option, choose Customize  Preferences to open the Preference Settings dialog box. In the UI Display
section of the General tab, check the Use Large Toolbar Buttons option, and then shut down and reopen
VIZ for the option to take effect.
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