So why now? Why is this trend growing? The answer, I suspect, is that Apple has achieved something that very few companies, let alone computing hardware manufacturers, ever have. There’s there’s Luxology and its Modo system, which has been OS X-native for a long time.
Bunkspeed shipped HyperShot for OS X some time ago and it stacks up very nicely in comparison, particularly with the high end Mac Pro, eight core workstations. The Mac Book Air: Not just any old laptopĪlongside the core 3D design tools, there are many other related applications around. However, the system is looking very stable, very slick and can’t be long off from its official launch. McNeel announced ‘iRhino’ over two years ago and it’s been in a long and extensive beta program ever since. That ever present, ever popular, but strangely quiet, surface modelling system which has gained a massive following in many industry sectors.
Maya and SketchBook Pro have been on OS X for some time, but the company is expanding things not only with its CGI-focussed tools like Mudbox, but with a suite of industrial design tools including AliasStudio, which is to debut on the platform later this year. Many see this as the sole reason that NX is now appearing on OS X, but having just installed and worked with NX 6, and the inherent Synchronous Technology it contains, it works nicely on the platform.įurthermore, this month alone, we’ve seen that Autodesk, after a 15 year hiatus, is jumping back on the bandwagon in a big way.
It’s ironic because Apple uses NX to develop the majority of its products, but historically had to use Windows due to a lack of Apple support. Perhaps the biggest irony is that Siemens released NX on the Mac platform a couple of years ago. Both old names and new are jumping on the bandwagon. SolidThinking, enjoying somewhat of a renaissance following the acquisition by Altair Engineering, has been on the Mac for a similar length of time.īut things have also stepped up of late. Ashlar Vellum has been developing its range of hybrid modelling tools for the platform for decades. There have been many 3D design tools available for the Mac for quite some time. While I’ll never claim to have any form of crystal ball gazing abilities, it seems that I, along with a growing number in the industry, could see that the Apple platform offers some real potential. And the trend of the last six months has made that move somewhat prescient. So adopting a platform that seemingly has very little in the way tools for that process, would seem counter intuitive.īut the interesting fact is, it does. After all, 3D technology is my driving passion and the reason I decided to get involved in DEVELOP3D. Looking back, it seems odd that I, the Windows zealot, would get hooked by such things. The majority of the CAD-using world will continue to rely on Windows hardware to make things happen, but for those that adopt the Apple platform it soon becomes much more than just another computer And slowly and surely I found myself being seduced by the shiny interface, the more elegant way of working and the delight that is multi-touch.
Right? However, more and more I found myself opting for the Mac OS X boot option.
After all, that is how things are done in the design world if you’re serious about developing products using 3D tools. I needed to have my Windows comfort blanket. I panicked for the first few months, immediately installing Bootcamp and XP so I could run all those ‘business critical’ applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as all those lovely 3D CAD apps. I took a turn to the dark side and did something I swore I’d never do. After decades of ridiculing them, of teasing the many graphics designers I’ve worked with about their one-button mouse, I did it. Job done.īut on visiting the Apple Store in San Francisco, with a little post-hangover/lunchtime beer buzz, I had, what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity. The usual workflow for this sort of thing means load up, whip out the credit card and order – it arrives in plain paper packaging a week later and away you go.
Just as we were in the final stages of launching DEVELOP3D, I knew I had to buy a new laptop. A weekend was spent enjoying the sights, sounds and if I’m totally honest, the bars, of one of the world’s great cities. It started in San Francisco, just a little over a year ago. Al Dean comes clean and professes his love for all It’s been brewing for years, but finally a platform long dormant in the 3D design world is making a break for the mainstream.