Act-3D releases Lumion 7.0
Act-3D has released Lumion 7.0, the latest version of its real-time visualization software, adding support for transparency, SSS and procedural weathering, along with area lights and a new procedural foliage system.
New materials options, including slider-driven procedural weathering
Which of the new features you get depends on which edition of the software you’re using. If you’re using the standard version, the changes are primarily materials-related.
The software now supports transparent and translucent materials – there is a series of presets for curtains – including a simple slider-driven implementation of subsurface scattering.
There is a similarly slider-driven system for adding procedural weathering to materials, with effects ranging from edge wear to surface rust and algae.
Users also now have the option to save custom materials as Favorites.
Lumion Pro only: procedural foliage, plus support for area and linear lights
If you’re using the Pro edition of the software, you also get a new system for covering selected geometry with instanced foliage, intended for creating hedges or growing ivy and other climbing plants up walls.
The update also adds a number of features that will be familiar to users of offline renderers, including support for area lights and linear lights.
Experimental support for OpenStreetMap data
Other new Pro features include the option to generate accurate 3D backdrops for scenes by importing real-world data from OpenStreetMap.
The system, which is still officially in beta, automatically converts the 2D data into simple 3D geometry.
New export options, more stock content
In addition, users of both editions can now publish rendered animations directly to YouTube from within Lumion, and export still images to the MyLumion online portfolio platform introduced in Lumion 6.3.
The library of stock content that ships with Lumion has also been updated, with 771 objects, including plants, furniture and vehicles, added to the Pro edition, and “approximately one third” to the standard version.
Pricing and availability
Lumion 7.0 is available now for 64-bit Windows Vista and above. The standard edition of the software costs €1,499 (around $1,670); the Pro edition costs €2,999 ($3,690). You can see a comparison table here.
Read a full list of new features in Lumion 7.0 on Act-3D’s website