Posted March 22, 2017

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, announced that Lumiscaphe SA, editor of the Patchwork 3D real-time visualization software for photorealistic 3D prototypes, will integrate the Appearance Exchange Format (AxF™) into the upcoming version of Patchwork 3D software.

 

Developed by X-Rite, AxF is a vendor-neutral format that enables full communication of visual appearance data in a single, editable file in order to improve the virtualization process. Patchwork 3D support of AxF allows users to incorporate a new level of realism into their virtual designs. X-Rite and Lumiscaphe are showcasing the AxF integration in Patchwork 3D at Laval Virtual in Laval, France this week.

 

“We are excited to be working with X-Rite to support the AxF format in our upcoming versions of Patchwork 3D," said Florian Kerviel, production manager at Lumiscaphe. "The physically realistic details are what make or break a virtual experience, or allow virtual prototypes to be used effectively in the design process. Our customers are very demanding as far as the quality of the visual aspect of their products and materials are concerned. Our support for AxF is an important development for Patchwork 3D and our customers, as it will allow them to create increasingly accurate virtual presentations.”

 

“AxF is quickly becoming the common language for communicating appearance characteristics such as color, texture, gloss, transparency and opacity of physical materials in the virtual world,” said Dr. Francis Lamy, executive vice president and chief technology officer, X-Rite and Pantone. “With AxF, Patchwork 3D customers can bring digital prototypes and renderings to life with accurate digital material representations that have the same visual appearance characteristics as their physical counterparts. This speeds approval times and design cycles allowing designers to achieve an entirely new level of creativity and realism.”

 

Patchwork 3D's ability to create photorealistic 3D models, as well as the virtual experiences and renders based on these models, is one of the keys to its success. The inclusion of support for X-Rite's AxF format in Patchwork 3D is a natural evolution of the current materials available in Patchwork 3D.

 

TAC solution showing in France

 

Laval Virtual attendees can see a demonstration of X-Rite’s award-winning Total Appearance Capture (TAC™) ecosystem and the AxF integration with Patchwork 3D at the Lumiscaphe booth. TAC is an appearance solution that captures physical material appearance for use in virtual design applications. This is the first time the full TAC ecosystem will be on display in France and offers customers a unique opportunity to see this cutting-edge technology up close.

 

The TAC ecosystem is comprised of the TAC7 scanner, PANTORA Material Hub desktop application, and Virtual Light Booth (VLB). Physical material samples are scanned using the TAC7 scanner, which captures appearance properties digitally to create AxF files that store and share appearance data with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), and state-of-the art rendering applications, such as Patchwork 3D.

 

Show attendees have an opportunity to see how AxF files can be used within the Patchwork 3D software and applied to designs.

 

The recently announced VLB is the industry’s first immersive virtual light booth that allows users to accurately and efficiently visualize and compare 3D digital material renderings side-by-side with physical samples. The VLB combines the X-Rite’s SpectraLight QC professional light booth technology with a high-resolution, color-calibrated LCD display, color management technology and motion tracking sensors.

 

This allows the VLB viewing environment to control all parameters influencing the perception of appearance from illumination to contextual to observational factors. With the VLB, design teams can easily vary these conditions to see changes in material performance. This helps ensure consistency between digital prototypes and final physical products.

 

Designers can make more informed material selections reducing approval cycles and accelerating time to market.

 

For more information regarding the TAC ecosystem and the Virtual Light Booth, please click here.

 

For more information on Patchwork 3D, please click here.

 

Source: About X-Rite/Pantone