Esri ships CityEngine 2011
Esri has released an updated version of CityEngine, the 3D city-generation software it acquired from original developer Procedural earlier this year.
New features of CityEngine 2011 include support for georeferenced data, an improved user interface, and support for reflections and ambient occlusion in the 3D viewport.
Esri has also reduced the number of editions of CityEngine from Procedural’s old four-product line-up to two: Basic and Advanced. According to Esri, “All current CityEngine customers under subscription will be automatically migrated to one of these licenses.”
The new Basic edition is node-locked, lacks support for GIS data input, and exports only in OBJ format. The Esri website doesn’t list RRPs for either edition, instead providing an email address users can contact for a quote.
The old edition of CityEngine optimised for export to Vue remains on sale at time of writing. We’ll update if we hear more about its future availability.
Updated 8 November: We’ve spoken to e-on software, who tell us that CityEngine Vue remains in active development, and that the two developers plan “strengthen the interface and relationship” in coming months.
Read a full feature list for CityEngine 2011
Download a 30-day trial (requires registration)