case study

CAD software developer and distributor uses Iray+ to provide realistic light and shadow distribution

Lightworks solution enables Cadalog to use Material Definition Language materials to enhance overall aesthetic

Cadalog

Cadalog, Inc. is an international CAD software development and distribution company. Its mission is to distribute CAD and computer graphics to Asia. Cadalog also distributes its own products, such as SU Podium, a photorealistic plugin for SketchUp and SU Animate.

http://www.cadaloginc.com/

Headquarters:: Bellingham, Washington, United States

Seeking high-quality visualization

Cadalog, Inc. specializes in the distribution and localization of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer graphics products for the Asian market, specifically for the architectural and interior design review sectors. Cadalog resells SketchUp Pro software, which accounts for its largest revenue stream. It also produces multiple plugins for SketchUp, which provides high-quality visualization.

SU Podium software, which is a central processing unit (CPU) based rendering plugin for SketchUp, is one of the most popular plugins created by Cadalog. In response to customer demand for flythrough animations, it created PodiumWalker software to complement SU Podium. Yet this new plugin didn’t provide the high-quality visualization that Cadalog had hoped for. Instead, it produced flat lighting and lost details in the shadows. Cadalog generally found the photo accuracy and realistic rendering quality was less defined than it had strived for. This is when Cadalog started to search for something else to combat these visualization issues.

Credit: Matt Leavell.

Appreciating the render quality and speed

Having seen examples of the render quality of Iray+ with companies such as Daz3D, Cadalog began comparing the speed of other ray tracing options against Iray+ to solidify its decision. The Cadalog chief executive officer (CEO), David Wayne, appreciated the render quality and speed of Iray+ as well as the reasonable licensing price, so integrating Iray+ was the logical way to fulfill the firm’s needs. Wayne reached out to NVIDIA to inquire about additional photorealistic rendering to enhance PodiumWalker. Wayne was directed to Lightworks, a Siemens business, which assisted them in integrating the Iray+ software development kit (SDK).

Once Cadalog’s software was integrated with Iray+, it produced a further plugin, ProWalker. Cadalog’s next priority was to ensure it made the integration as seamless as possible for customers that were already using SU Podium and PodiumWalker. They wanted to achieve this transition by providing the user with an easy-to-use menu of tools and a unified interface for lighting and materials.

Credit: Zeus Shih.

Achieving perfect fly-through animation

Cadalog found using Iray+ helped them take an enormous step forward. By closely comparing the previous product, PodiumWalker, against ProWalker they found there was a drastic improvement in photorealistic light and shadow distribution. There were also improved Material Definition Language (MDL) materials that greatly enhanced the overall aesthetic. As a result, Cadalog achieved its goal of providing the excellent fly-through animation their customers had been hoping for.