NewsDear PYTHA customer, dear PYTHA friends,

It’s been more than 35 years since we developed a small program for simulating perspective renderings.

Over the decades, this has grown into extremely powerful software that is now used by many customers all over the world.While the original PYTHA was only able to render perspectives with lines (wire frame models), today it designs and virtually presents complex scenes, interiors, furniture and much more, generates technical drawings and parts lists, and sends data to CNC machines.

This year we are pleased not only to present the latest from the PYTHA world with this newsletter, but also to recount the mile-stones and history of PYTHA in our PYTHA anniversary book.

We hope you enjoy reading the news and having fun trying out the new features!

Your PYTHA team

In autumn 2017, our Australian PYTHA team invited over 100 guests to celebrate 20 years of PYTHA in Australia together. The PYTHA users were wowed by the latest PYTHA develop-ments during the user meet-ing, while the evening dinner on the roof terrace of the Hol-iday Inn Hotel – complete with live music – treated them to magnificent views of the city skyline and the world-famous Sydney Opera House. On day two, the user meeting continued and the 20-year celebrations ended with a festive gala dinner at Luna Park.

20 years of PYTHA Australia

The PYTHA anniversary bookOur passionate development of PYTHA here in Aschaffenburg, Germany began more than 35 years ago. We took this opportunity to design a special anniversary book containing milestones, history, but also outstanding examples from our customers. Please contact your dealer to secure your personal copy.

Incidentally: the ‘PYTHA textbook’ and our 35th an-niversary book have both been added to the German National Library! PYTHA anniversary party in Sydney

News

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PYTHA dealers The PYTHA plot sheet

In recent years, PYTHA’s plot sheet function has been transformed into a powerful layout area in which you can design your plans and prepare them for printing.For V24, the PYTHA plot sheet was once again the focus of the developers’ attention.First, data processing in general has been optimised. This allows drawings to be edited more quickly, meaning that you will benefit especially in large scenes with a lot of texts.

PYTHA can fully automatically display the position numbers in the plot area for all parts of a drawing detail (“Plot” menu a “Position number”). A Default is available to define the appearance of this labelling. Here it can also be specified that the part name, the article number or the name of the assigned CAM program should be displayed instead of the position number.The display quality of this labelling function has also been revised for V24.

Nowadays, drawings and plans are often no longer printed, but passed on to customers and colleagues digitally in PDF format. The advantage of this file format is its compatibility with virtually every computer, smartphone and tablet. PYTHA can now export plot sheets directly as PDF files.

In PYTHA V24, details can be rotated on the plot sheet. This makes it possible, for example, to place the views of a room according to the floor plan (see drawing below) and to unfold it graphically. Texts and dimension lines are of course rotated as well.

PYTHA support now in China, India and SingaporeWe warmly welcome our new distribution partners Sharique Tharani from India, Aaron Boo from Singapore, and Sean Huang and Jack Han from China to our fold.

What’s new in the PYTHA modeller

Sharique Tharani lives with his family in Mumbai and is also PYTHA Sales Director for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Such a layout (right) on the plot sheet was previously only possible if the model was copied and rotated in the model area. The two lateral views with the roof slopes would have had to be worked on in this way. But this was an awkward procedure, especiallywhen making necessary changes to the 3D model.This is a piece of cake in PYTHA V24! Here you can simply rotate the plot sheet details.

Sharique Tharani: PYTHA sales India

News

PYOPYO

PYTHA dealers

Each plot sheet detail now has its own explosion factor. Accordingly, it is no longer essential for 3D models in the

design area to be exploded.In the “Plot” menu, select “Tools” a

“Properties” and activate the “Explo-sion” function in the window that

opens. Use the slider to define the distance between the parts. For example, a piece of furniture

on the plot sheet can be displayed as normal in its views without changing the geometry, while the axonometry becomes an exploded view.

Sean Huang lives with his family in Suzhou and has already success-fully represented PYTHA at several large trade fairs.

Aaron Boo’s PYTHA office is lo-cated in Singapore, but he also serves PYTHA’s prospective and existing customers in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Aaron Boo:PYTHA sales Singapore

Sean Huang: PYTHA sales China

Engraving text

In PYTHA V24 you will find a new function in the “Edges” menu: “Engraving text”. This converts any entered text into a chain of edges which is perfectly suitable as a contour for a miller or laser.If a normal font is selected during text input, the outline is created as a chain of edges. The installation of so-called single-line fonts such as “CNC Vector” or “OLF Modern” is recommended. With these, the letter is not created from the outline, but from the centre line.

3D text

The command “3D text” in the “Part” menu has also been redesigned. Now the input dialog box corresponds to that of the 2D text and offers a live preview of the resulting parts.Furthermore, triangulated letters are no longer generated. This means that the individual part surfaces are no longer formed from small triangular partial faces, but from a single face each. Accordingly, the new letters are perfectly suited to further processing (rounding, making a Boolean, CNC milling etc.).Note: both “Engraved text” and the “3D text” can be edited later on. This means that you can make corrections to the text at any time without having to recreate it (right-click a “Edit”).

TrueType font = “normal” textPYTHA’s “Engraving text” function creates a chain of edges from the outline.

3D text created in PYTHA V24 Triangulated 3D text from PYTHA V23

Single-line fontThe letters consist only of centre lines, from which PYTHA creates the chain of edges.

News

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Example graphic

New PYTHA parametric design

The PYTHA modeller has long offered the possibility to mark dimensions as parametric. If a project with such dimensions is imported or loaded by drag and drop, PYTHA queries the parametric dimensions one by one. Here you can replace the constructed dimensions with new values and thus adapt sizes and distances to the new place of use.PYTHA’s parametric design has been completely revised for V24. The result is a new version of the familiar functionality which is significantly more powerful and flexible. All parametric settings are now easily defined with the help of a clear dialog box. We briefly introduce the functions of this dialog box below:

The light on the left is a simple way to illustrate some of the new functions. The information can be applied to complex elements in the fields of interior design, trade fair construction, shopfitting etc.• In the plan view on the left you can see that the horizontal width of the

lampshade has been dimensioned. Since the old parametric design always used the “Extend” tool for size changes within the software, it was not possible to parameterize round parts. The new parametric design offers the optional “Stretch” command. Size changes with rounded parts are therefore no problem!

• If only the horizontal width were parameterized, this would result in an oval cross section. To correct this, the vertical width is also parameterized. Exactly the same term (in this case “Lamp width”) is used to name the dimension. This allows PYTHA to recognise that the dimensions are identical and to query this value only once later on.

• In order to set a dimension for the parametric design, two points must be picked as usual. Previously, the order in which these two points were picked defined the direction of the extension. In the new parametric design dialog box, you can conveniently set whether to extend in the direction in which they were picked or against it. In addition, you can now change the size symmetrically from the centre. As soon as you change the “extension direction” in the dialog box, a green arrow symbolises the new direction of movement. In the example of the lampshade, it is important that the size is changed from the centre and that the position relative to the other parts is thus maintained.

• In the past, a parametric dimension always had an effect on all parts of a project. The change in size of the lampshade therefore also affected all parts of the suspension element. With the new parametric design, you can explicitly determine which parts will be changed by a dimension.

When querying values after opening a parametric object, the query is now followed by the view of the modeller.

In the example, dimensions were set for the lamp both in the top view and in the front view. PYTHA now automatically switches to the respective view and zooms in on the queried dimension. Even with unknown library elements, what is currently being changed is therefore always clearly visible.

• Thanks to the “Stretch” extension type, the height of the lampshade can be parameterized. Here, too, all other parts are taken out of the dimension’s active parts.

• In order to change the size of parts, material must be inserted or removed at one point. This point is called the dividing point.

PYTHA V24 lets you not only easily pick the dividing point, but also define any number of dividing points along the dimension line. Set dividing points are displayed as an orange line on the dimension line.

In the example on the left, the dividing point of the parametric dimension “Room height” was picked below the lamp geometry. The parameterization moves all parts in height, but does not change their geometry.

• The new parametric design dialog box now offers the option of entering a formula instead of a dimension text. This allows the definition of complex dependencies between parts using “if/then formulas”. This extremely powerful function is explained here using a simple example:

NewsExample graphic

In the case of the light, we want the suspension element to be automatically stretched in high rooms. It should remain unchanged in low rooms. To do this, you dimension the area to be changed (see graphic, dimension “Sus-pension element”). In the “Define parametric design” dialog box, a formula is entered in the “Dimension description” field as follows: ifthen(condition, value1, value2). If the condition is fulfilled, then value1 is used as the dimension, and otherwise value2. The condition can either refer to variables defined throughout the project (“Environment a Define variables”) or, as in our example, to the “Dimension description” of another parametric dimension. Since we want to build a dependency on the dimension with the description “Room height”, the formula is ifthen(Room height > 2600, 1500, 696). This means: if the dimension „Room height“ was specified with a value greater than 2600 mm, the “Suspension element” will be stretched to a length of 1500 mm. If, however, „Room height“ is smaller than 2600 mm, then 696 mm will be used for the “Suspension element”.

This is, as already mentioned, a simple example. Of course, it is possible to define multiple conditions and also use mathematical equations instead of numerical values, but that might be a bit much for our newsletter!

• In addition to pure text and the formula just described, the dimension text can also define a variable. This function is always used when many iden-tical dimensions occur in a project which still have to be changed during the design process. Imagine a shelf whose sides can be made of either 19mm or 38mm panels. Thanks to the parametric design, you can leave this decision open during the entire design phase and even switch back and forth at any time.

To do this, first dimension the thickness of all shelf sides in the project. Parameterize all these dimensions and activate the “User variable” option

in the “Define parametrics” dialog box. Always enter the identical name in the “Dimension text” field. In our example: “Shelf-side-thickness”. If this library element is now opened by drag and drop or import command, there are two possible ways to proceed:

1. In the “Edit variables” dialog box (drop-down menu “Environment a Edit variables”), a variable with exactly the same name (“Shelf-side-thickness”) has already been stored. a In this case, PYTHA will apply this numerical value.

2. No value has been stored in the “Edit variables” dialog box. a PYTHA will query the dimension once and use it for all shelf sides. At the same time, a corresponding variable is created in the “Edit variables” dialog box.

In both cases, you can open the “Edit variables” dialog box at any time and change the value of the variables. Then select “Dimensions a Parametrics a Execute” in the menu and select all loaded shelves. All shelf sides will have the desired panel thickness immediately after confirmation.

• The latter point represents a further innovation in PYTHA V24: with the “Execute” command (“Parametrics” menu), the parametrics of a library element can be brought to a new query at any time.

• In many cases, the order in which parametric dimensions are queried is crucial. For example, the formula described above, which changes the length of the lamp suspension element, can only work if the room height has already been queried in advance. You will also find the new “Change order” command in the “Parametrics” menu. This lets you sort the parametric dimensions at any time.

• Even with the old parametric design system, common numerical values could be defined as a proposal for a dimension. With the new one, you can also force the system to only use these values.

• Imagine that there are material or manufacturing-based limitations for the length of a part. The new parametric design system lets you specify that values are only accepted in a certain numerical range.

• Under “Parametrics a Settings”, all parametric dimensions can now be hidden or, alternatively, all “normal” dimensions.

PYTHAPARAMETERIZATION

The above example demonstrates the capabilities of the new para-metric design system: In the cabinet shown, the panel thicknesses were modified (while maintaining the overall width), and also the height and position of the dividing side were changed.

News Two-point perspective

With both the real camera and the virtual computer camera, vertical edges that do not run parallel to the image plane result in converging verticals. These are lines that are actually parallel to each other, but seem to converge at one point in the image. This effect always occurs when the camera is tilted up or down.In PYTHA V24, a check mark will suffice to remove converging verticals: press the “Define” button be-low “Camera” in the “Rendering” menu. In the dialog box that opens, activate the new option: “Two-point perspective”. The perspective rep-resentation of the PYTHA modeller is no longer calculated with three vanishing points, but with two, meaning that con-verging verticals dis-appear.

Note: the new per-spective is always calculated based on the current “master camera” and not nec-essarily on the visible perspective.

On the exhibition stand

viewed at an angle from above, clearly

falling lines can be seen (orange arrows).

PYTHA can eliminate the

converging ver-ticals with only one

check mark.Panoramic images

Panoramic images can now also be calculated in the PYTHA modeller. To do this, make the desired settings in the “Rendering” menu using the “Parameters” button and then calculate the panoramic image using the “Render panorama” button underneath. You can view the resulting image file on your computer, smartphone or tablet without further editing using the standard panorama apps.

k factor

When creating the 2D revolve of a bent sheet metal part, it is now possible to optionally consider the so-called k factor. It causes the sheet metal part you want to revolve in 2D to be shortened in line with practical requirements (depending on sheet metal thickness, material and bending radius/angle).

Even with concave/convex shapes, the bend allowance (or-ange line) is calculated correctly on the inside in each case.

Sheet inner side = 0Half sheet thickness = 0,5Sheet outer side = 1

NewsDecisive details

Tool previewWhen moving and copying from point to point, there is now a live preview of the expected result. In the case of multiple copies,

for example, this lets youalready judge whether the

specified number is sufficient

while entering

the values. You have

the option of deactivating this

preview in the “Move”

dialog box.

Separate partsIn PYTHA, individual parts can be loosely connected to form one part using the “Unite” command (Tool menu 2). (Not to be con-fused with “Boolean”, where the parts merge.)The new “Separate” command (Tool menu 2) can be used to undo such a unite – even for complex part structures.This tool is particularly interesting for imported 3D models that may originate from other design programs.

Import-exportFrom V24, PYTHA supports the following import interfaces: DWG, DXF, OBJ, 3DS, STL and SKP (SketchUp). Data can also be imported in XML format.Supported geometry export interfaces are DWG, DXF, STL, OBJ.

Random positioning

Have you ever had to arrange parts in such a way that it looked as if they came to rest by accident? If such a task involves only a few elements, it can be quickly solved with the usual tools. But if you have to place hundreds of parts, it quickly becomes a never-ending undertaking.In V24, PYTHA offers a simple solution to such challenges: under “Tool menu 1 a Position” you will find the new “Random” button. What’s special about this PYTHA tool is that it’s so easy to use: select the parts to be randomly arranged and enter values to define a rectangular or block area in which the objects are to be arranged. PYTHA takes care of the rest automatically. Positioning blades of grass, carpet fringes, lottery balls in a container etc. becomes child’s play.

For the two examples above, these four slightly different blade-like forms were con-structed.Then numerous copies of the four basic bodies are made (in this example 200 for the knotted ball and 500 for the section of lawn). The rest is done by PYTHA!

For the example on the right, the procedure is identical: the golf ball is constructed and reproduced in the desired quantity. Subsequently, a dis-tribution area is defined for random positioning, which corresponds to the size of the vase interior.

distribution area with high z value

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News New part functions

Coons face

PYTHA’s “Coons face” function spans a free-form surface between four touching boundary curves. For PYTHA V24, the resulting mesh has been revised. It now forms a homo-geneous structure that facilitates further processing and results in better shading.

V23 V24

Iso surface function

By clicking on “Parts a Various”, you will find the new “Iso surface”

function. PYTHA users who love maths can now

define surfaces accord-ing described by the

formula f(x,y,z)=0.

Several functions are provided as examples

(see graphic on the left).

Prism

If you want to convert three- dimensionally deformed sur-faces into a closed 3D part, you usually use the “Parallel object” command (“Parts” menu).In this case, the existing par-tial faces are moved parallel to the normal vector to form the 3D part. The new “Prism” command (menu: “Parts a Various”) works similarly, but it moves the partial faces parallel to a freely selectable direction.

Initial situation: several adjacent faces form one surface structure.

The “Prism” command extrudes the surfaces parallel to a freely se-lectable direction.

Operation

Reduced working environment

Would you like to simplify the PYTHA interface a little for a new employee? No problem! Now you can hide individual functions that you don’t need. Simply right-click on the corresponding key and select “Hide command” in the following context menu.In this way you can also hide entire vertical menus. This even makes the associated icon dis-appear.Via the drop-down menu “View a Ul configurations” you can undo the changes and show the complete set of commands again.Here you will also find the com-mand “Save configuration” to save reduced menus perma-nently. If you have saved several reduced PYTHA interfaces, you can easily switch between them at the push of a button.

Switch languages without restarting the software

As you construct your scene, you can now switch user languages without having to restart the soft-ware. In the “Environment” drop-down menu, click on “Select language” or alternatively type “CTRL + W”.

News

Cross section

Guideline 2

Guideline 1

Guideline 2

Guideline 1

Cross section

Parts list

New parts list attributesA number of new attribute col-umns have been added to the PYTHA parts list: second CAM program name, mitre dimension, material thickness. Of particular interest is the option of includ-ing project header data in the parts list. This option helps to identify the part origin when combining several projects.

Group displayFor a parts list consisting of groups, a listed group tree can be closed by clicking on the minus sign and reopened by clicking on the plus sign.

Export parts listsXLSM files can now also be exported for Excel. These files may also contain macros. Parts lists with macros can also be transferred directly to Word.

Sort plot sheetsPlot sheets can now be renamed and reordered. To do this, right-click on the corresponding plot sheet name tab and select one of the options from the drop-down menu.

Initial situation Section linesProfile body made of

Section lines CNC production of profile body

Rail sweep

Also brand new and available under “Parts a Various” is the “Rail sweep” function.While in the case of a simple sweep a cross section is guided along a guideline and forms the part, a rail sweep requires two side-by-side guidelines. They span the cross section between them. If the two guidelines approach each other, the cross section is reduced. If they move away from each other, the cross section is enlarged accordingly.As with the simple sweep, you can generate a circular or rectangular cross section directly in the function dialog box. Alternatively, you can use a previously constructed cross section.

Tool menu 2 a Section lines

Now the “Section lines” command can not only cut parts, but also create one profile body per cut.

NewsDecisive details

Multi-user modePYTHA projects can now be auto-matically locked so that they are not accidentally changed by an-other user who wants to work on the same project simultaneously. Use the “Environment” drop-down menu to open the “Set-tings” dialog box. Here you can activate “Multi-user mode”. If this has been done, a warning will appear as soon as you try to reopen a PYO that has already been opened.The function also works reliably in the network, but only if all us-ers work with PYTHA V24.

Mortise and tenonIt is possible to create a mortise and tenon joint between two touching, non-panel-shaped parts (e.g. chair leg and back-rest). You can define properties such as alignment and shape in a separate dialog box.

Grain directionThe grain direction and the (machine) x-axis of a part are now managed in PYTHA inde-pendently of the pins. These at-tributes are thus no longer lost when parts are recolored.

Minimal surfaces

This new part function can be found in Tool menu 2 and calculates the minimal surface to be spanned by a freely bounded triangle mesh. – Imagine two rings between which a soap (bubble) skin is stretched. You construct the “frame”, and the minimal surface function calculates the resulting soap skin. Accord-ingly, this tool can be used, for example, to easily design taut tent roofs.

Gradient lines

PYTHA can calculate gradient lines from any 3D geometry. Imagine placing a drop of water on the surface of your 3D part. Following gravity, it runs down the geometry and leaves a trail behind it. When using the gradient line tool, PYTHA displays this trail in the form of a chain of edges. This can then be further processed as normal.

The initial shape is a curved ellipse (left). The mini-mal surface function transforms this into the saddle shape on the right.

Two example geometries on which different gradient lines were calculated.

These sculptures were also created using the “Minimal surface” function.

This body is created if you apply the function to the outer sur-face of a cylinder.

News

Melt a Faces (Tool menu 2) improvedCoplanar Faces attached to each other are melted with each oth-er in an instant. The faces to be merged can also have“ islands”, thus creating faces with holes.

Exact numerical valuesWherever PYTHA outputs nu-merical values, these are now displayed unrounded – i.e. with all decimal places. PYTHA’s internal calculations are also performed with unrounded numerical values. This makes even more precise positioning of parts possible.

Slider for max. angleThe maximum angle of a part (“Attributes” menu) can now be set interactively using a slider. The result of the change is im-mediately visible.

Decisive details

Simplify mesh

If you want to enhance scenes with accessories, you often use 3D models from the internet. Often, however, these models are too detailed, leading to unnecessarily “bloated” and unwieldy PYTHA projects. Millions of trian-gles are not uncommon, especially if the models come from a 3D scanner. With the help of the newly developed PYTHA function “Simplify mesh” (Tool menu 2), the mesh of a part can be reduced at will. What is interesting about this PYTHA algorithm is that it recognises shaping edges and preserves them during reduction.

Parquet

This new function allows the distribution of tiles on a surface of any shape, taking into account the widths at borders and gaps. If using irregularly shaped tiles, the arrangement of the parts can be defined with reference points.

Surfaces of any shape can be covered with tiles.

You can use reference points to influence the positioning of the tiles.

Reference point

Original 3D scan of a sculpture of Lu Yu, the “God of Tea”.

This 3D model was reduced to 100,000 faces in PYTHA. The resulting rendering on the right clearly shows that even such highly compressed models are suitable for visualisations, provided no close-ups are required. Of course, the computing time for image generation benefits significantly from this reduction.

The original 3D model consists of 1,984,632 faces. On the right is a close-up of the resulting rendering.

NewsDecisive details

Texture assignment improved Wood textures are frequently used in interior decoration. The grain direction plays a decisive role in such applications.As of PYTHA V24, the horizontal axis of the image is automatically aligned with the longest part edge. Since this axis usually also corresponds to the grain direc-tion of the wood, we recom-mend saving the image files of the wood textures in such a way that the grain direction runs horizontally.

Face forms the top ledge

Face forms the underside

3D part is used as a rib

PYTHA rib function

In interior decoration, round elements are usually manufactured using a frame construction. Curved frames give the desired shape, with ribs between the frames keeping them at a distance and thus saving material. This shaping base frame is then covered with a flexible material.PYTHA now offers its own function for this construction method in the “Curves” menu, allowing frames for counters, curved walls, round seating areas etc. to be created very quickly and conveniently.

The basis for the rib function is a spline curve drawn in the “Curves” menu. In our example, this consists of two arcs and a straight line:

As soon as you’re happy with the curve, click on “3D data a Ribs” in the “Curves” menu. Blocks are immediately created as ribs along the curve. A dialog box appears in which you can define their dimensions and number.

Being able to position blocks along a curve is helpful. But the real power lies in the functionality that hides behind the “Select” button in the dialog box.Here you can select individually constructed ribs, which can consist of 2D faces and 3D parts. All 3D parts are automatically used as ribs and positioned along the curve in the set number. PYTHA uses all 2D faces as cross sections for sweeps that form along the curve.For the example below, the rib construction shown in the blue margin on the left was selected. This consists of two faces that create the top ledge and underside, and a perforated 3D part in the middle that forms the ribs. The number of ribs is set in the “Ribs” dialog box.

Material on facesAs of PYTHA V24, it is also pos-sible in the modeller to fill the individual faces of a part with a separate material. For example, the edge of a panel can be given a different color.The material assigned to the part still appears correctly in the parts list. This new feature makes it so much easier to create render-ings!

NewsRibs

Tips: The supporting points of the curves snap to the interception points of construction lines. Construction lines can thus be used to design curves in an ex-actly defined size.

If you hold down the SHIFT key (keyboard) while moving the tangents of a curve, the curve is rotated in 5° steps. Pressing the CTRL key releases the connection between the two opposite tangents. Now the tangents can be moved inde-pendently. This creates a corner.

3D part forms the rib of the base frame

Face defines the cross section of the countertop

Face defines the cross section of the counter front

Four faces define the cross sections of the sweeps that form the top, bottom, front and rear sides of the base.

3D part forms the rib of the base

Thanks to the extremely flexible option of freely defining the structure of the frame construction, even complex assemblies can be created. For the example below, the rib construction in the blue margin on the right was selected. At the push of a button, PYTHA not only forms the counter frame with front, frames, ribs and countertop, but also the base frame.

What’s special: the curve and the frame construction remain firmly connected to each other. As soon as you make a change to the curve, it is immediately visible on the 3D part. This lets you create design studies and variant drawings in seconds. Even dimensional changes can be made without any effort.Not only the curve, but also the rib construction remains editable. You can make changes to it or add further parts and transfer them to the frame con-struction at any time.

Curves menu a Circular arc

Since the contours for such frame constructions are usually not constructed from curves but from circular arcs, the PYTHA team has also revised the “Circular arc” command in the “Curves” menu. This command can now be used effectively in conjunction with the new ribs function. As soon as you pick a curve section when the “Circular arc” command is active, PYTHA transforms the spline curve into a real circular arc. This preserves a tangential transition to the adjacent curve sections – so no kink is created. For visual confirmation, the curve is now drawn in blue instead of red. Picking the curve again will reverse the conversion.The revised “Circular arc” function also converts S-shaped spline curves into S-shaped circular arcs. Now every freely designed spline can be converted into a curve composed of real circular arcs, without significantly changing the shape.

The drawn spline curve be-fore conversion.

The resulting curve after conversion into circular arcs.Note: depending on wheth-er the curve section is picked on the left, right or in the middle during conversion, a different circular arc curve is created. PYTHA tries to maintain the shape at the picked position. If necessary, a correction is performed on the opposite section of the curve.

This counter is formed by the rib construction on the right.

News PYTHA RadioLab

Panorama functions

Panoramic images are very popular in photography. Today, many cameras can generate this special image format automatically, and websites, tablets and smartphones can display panoramas with little effort.Use this general popularity to add an interactive element to your design presentation!PYTHA RadioLab offers several options for creating panoramic images. This lets you easily save your scene for all sorts of applications.

• In the “Save image” dialog box, you can use the “PYTHA Pano” tab to save panoramas in PYTHA’s own file format PPF. These files can be opened on computers with the free PYTHA viewer RadioShow. For smartphone and tablet users, the “PYTHA Pano” app is available on both iOS and Android. What’s special about these PYTHA panoramas: you can link several rooms or locations and jump back and forth between them.

• Spherical panoramas can also be created in the “Save image” dialog box (= activate the “Save panoramic image” function). Wherever the application, various programs and apps are available for viewing this type of image properly.

As of RadioLab V24, spherical panoramas can also be calculated with the RadioLab ray tracer.

• One novelty is the ability to save spherical panoramas in such a way that they are automatically recognised as panoramas by Facebook. This re-quires the free program “Exiftool”. (Heise download: https://www.heise.de/download/product/exiftool-35845/download)

After installation, you establish a connection between the two programs in RadioLab via the command “File a Link Exiftool”. From now on, all spherical panoramas you create and upload to Facebook will appear there automatically in a three-dimensional representation.

• If the “Stereo” option is activated in the “Save image” dialog box, RadioLab will even calculate spherical stereo panoramas. Use the “Set-

tings” button to define how the stereo effect is generated.Such panoramas are particularly suitable for use with

Oculus GO and similar VR headsets, because these give you the feeling of being in the RadioLab scene and you can turn freely in all directions. In RadioLab V24, such panoramas can alter-natively be calculated with the RadioLab ray tracer.

PYTHA a CAM

New CAM interfacesThe following new CAM inter-faces have been added in the PYTHA workshop: • MPR = WoodWop format• CIX = BSolid format • XCS/PGMX = Maestro format

Individual borehole pattern geometry

The PYTHA borehole function automatically generates different connection types between two touching, panel-shaped parts. Until now, only connections using either drill holes or grooves could be realised in this way.From PYTHA V24, any user- defined geometry (e.g. Lamello) can be created between the panels. It is also possible to use these connections for bevels.

Zero-point shiftPYTHA’s CAM export now has a direct zero-point shift. The position of the zero point is selected in the default settings of the various CAM systems or automatically read from the “Dimension extra length” attri-bute.

Circle/rectangle at cornerThe two new functions “Circle at corner” and “Rectangle at corner” can be found in the PYTHA “Face” menu and allow for easy positioning of circles and rectangles on existing part faces.A small dialog box allows various parameters to be defined so that boreholes or cutouts can be created instantly.

VR headset: Oculus GO

NewsUser-defined

Individual context menuIf you right-click in the scene win-dow, the context menu opens. Depending on which element is right-clicked, a more or less large dialog box appears with many useful functions.You can now redesign this menu as you wish = change the menu text, the order, remove entries and create groups.This can be done with a new edit dialog which includes a list of all available commands and functions. The definition of the custom dialog can easily be ex-ported and imported.

Individual dialog boxesTo reach the commands of the context menu even faster, you can create your own dialog boxes with them. In the text file “my_rlabcustom-dlgs.txt” (directory see above), define which functions the dialog box should contain. To activate, right-click a “Toolbar a Cus-tom dialog box”.

• RadioLab V24 boasts another panorama highlight: 360° animations. This means you create a tracking shot with moving or animated objects.

Then save this animation not as a normal movie file, but as a 360° panorama. While the film is playing, you can turn your head and look around freely in the scene. Here, too, combining this function with a mobile VR headset like Oculus GO is a unique experience which is bound to impress your customers!

New version of RadioLab VR

In addition to the panorama function described above, PYTHA RadioLab also offers a direct Oculus Rift interface. Here you don’t see an exported image, but can explore the scene live in RadioLab. The PYTHA team have completely revised this interface for RadioLab V24, imple-menting a new, much faster rendering engine. In addition to the performance gain, it now also supports Oculus Touch controllers and RadioLab actions can be played back.

Note: Oculus Rift is a stationary VR headset from the company Facebook. It must be connected to a computer and various sensors. This headset allows you to watch the RadioLab scene live and view panoramas exported from PYTHA.Oculus Go is a mobile solution that does not require a computer, cable or smartphone. This VR headset can display PYTHA panoramas and 360° anima-tions – but not a RadioLab live scene.

Cutaway views in the 3D window

Floor plans and 2D views of a scene can be displayed directly in the RadioLab 3D window. It is no longer necessary to open a separate window.The “Camera” dialog box will have its own tab to control these cutaway views.The 3D window can even be split so that a view and a perspective view of the scene can be seen at the same time.

As of PYTHA V24, the 3D window can be split. In this example, the floor plan and a perspective of the exhibition stand are displayed simultaneously.

News

Bangkirai decking boards

Among other information, the RadioLab info cursor now shows part names.

Tips

Info cursor

When designing visualisations, you often have to open dialog boxes and work through various tabs only to retrieve certain information.In the future, the RadioLab info cursor will do this work for you! As soon as it is active, notifications appear directly beside the mouse cursor. These can tell you the Part, group or layer name under the cursor, which sur-face and texture it has been assigned, how bright it is, where its centre is, etc.

The info cursor can be activated and deactivated either via the context menu or with the “i” key. When activating via the context menu, the type of information to be displayed can be selected immediately. The active type is displayed in the status bar and can be changed with the horizontal arrow keys on the key-board (alternatively right-click a “Info cursor”).The info cursor is not limited to displaying information. Rather, its strength lies in its ability to use keyboard commands to quickly start edits referring to both the area under the mouse cursor and the information displayed. The appropriate keyboard commands depend on the active information type. Below are the currently available types and the keyboard commands that can be used:

• Surface name = displays the assigned surface. Function keys: E launches the surface editor, S selects the surface in the surface catalogue, F selects all faces that also use this surface.

• Part name = shows the name assigned in the PYTHA modeller. Function keys: R,Z,M launches the rotate, zoom, move gizmo; S selects the part name in the parts name list of the selection dialog box. F selects all faces with the same name.

• Layer = shows the name of the layer on which the face is located. Function key: S marks the layer in the layer list (selection dialog box), F selects all faces in this layer.

• Group name = shows the group name. Function keys: identical to “Part name”.

• Light emission = If the mouse cursor is moved over a light source, the cursor shows the intensity of this light source. For normal faces, the dis-tributable indirect light intensity is displayed.

Function key: X switches the light source on/off; with normal faces, the indirect light of the face is distributed. S = selection of light in the light source dialog box, E launches the light source editor.

• Brightest light source = indicates which light source illuminates the face the most. Function keys: S = selection of light in light source dialog box.

E = opens the editor with the settings of the brightest light source.

Info cursorIf the info cursor is active, you can use the SHIFT+i key com-bination to switch between the light and dark font colors of the text and thus improve legibility for surfaces of different bright-ness.

Remember: the keyboard short-cuts shown on the right side of the info cursor text can only work if the RadioLab 3D window has the input focus.If the commands don’t work, sim-ply click once in the 3D window.

Surface editorThe surface editor contains all functions available in Radio-Lab to describe the material of a part. Accordingly, this dialog box has a wealth of settings.In PYTHA V24, a new tab has been added which provides the most frequently used controllers. For trivial surfaces, you no longer have to switch between the dia-log box tabs.

News

Centre1: (1106,1072,665)

This & That

• Texture = displays the texture file used by the assigned surface. Function keys: L,R rotates the texture 90° left or right. E opens the texture image dialog box.

• Action = shows actions in which the face is involved. Function key: X executes the assigned action. F selects all faces of the action

and E opens the action editor.

• Reference points = displays all reference points assigned to the face. First, the first reference point is always marked yellow and its coordinates are out-put. The vertical arrow keys can be used to activate the other reference points one by one (= yellow) to display their coordinates.

S saves the coordinate currently displayed. E calls up the editor for rotation reference points. The previously saved coordinate can be used here.

• Corner points = displays the corner point coordinates of flat faces.

• Edge centres = displays the edge centres of flat faces.

• Face centres = displays the centre of the area under the mouse cursor.

• Bounding box face centres = draws a bounding box around the part

under the mouse cursor (graphic on the right). All face centres of this box can be selected with the vertical arrow keys to display their coordinates.

• Face point = This info type displays 3D point information and has three different display variants; switch between them using the vertical arrow keys:

- position display - texture coordinates - face normal = In this mode, a red or

green dot indicates whether the front or back of the face is visible. Backs can only be seen if they have been displayed with the help of the display dialog box. The X key can be used to delete the usu-ally invisible reverse side of double-sid-ed faces. If the focus is on a back side (= red dot), the X key inverts the face.

Position and direction storage

In many RadioLab dialog boxes it is necessary to enter positions and directions. In addition to the functions available in the dialog boxes, the info cursor now offers the possibility to conveniently enter coordinates.Any information type that displays coordinates can also transfer them to the input fields of a RadioLab dialog box. To do this, press the S key on the keyboard as soon as the numerical values of the coordinates are visible. The x, y, z values are now saved in the working storage. A brief notification in the status field confirms this. Now click in the desired dialog box in one of the three coordinate input fields. They are imme-diately filled automatically with the appropriate value.In addition to pure coordinates, direction information can also be transferred to a dialog box. On the one hand, for example, the info type “Face point a Normal” outputs a direction, and on the other a direction is automatically generated when coordinates are saved by connecting the last saved position with the penultimate one.

Surface catalogueThe surface catalogue has the following new buttons: “New, Select, Original” and “Set”. These are already known from other RadioLab dialog boxes.The “Replace random” command now has its own drop-down menu for defining its properties. Surface spheres can be dragged onto objects in the scene by holding down the left mouse button. In the “Drag’n’Drop” drop-down menu, you define what will be replaced.Note also the commands that appear when you right-click on a surface sphere.

Camera animationRadioLab V24 lets you create tracking shots in just a few clicks.In the dialog box “Camera a Cam. List”, define a couple of useful camera positions to be controlled by the animated camera. At least two camera positions are required. The set order determines the course of the animation.Then right-click on your scene and select “Camera a Start camera animation” in the subse-quent context.At the same place in the context menu, you will also find a com-mand for editing the properties of this animation.

NewsTextures

RadioLab dialog box filter

Particularly with complex visualisations, a vast amount of data is created which is collected in lists in the individual function dialog boxes. These might, for ex-ample, contain hundreds of part names, light sources, surfaces, textures, etc. Until now, if you wanted to edit elements using these lists, you could only do this if you had worked in a very structured way beforehand.In RadioLab V24, all dialog boxes with lists now contain selection filters, al-lowing you to find the desired entry in seconds.Here the filter text entered in the fields is compared with the names in the respective list. The dialog box list then only shows entries that fulfil the criterion. Upper/lower case is irrelevant for the text you enter. In the simplest case, only the beginning of the name is compared. The filter text a selects all list elements beginning with “a” - e.g. “Ash” or “Alpine”. If your filter text starts with an * , the name is also searched for in the middle of the text: “*green” therefore selects both “mint green” and “blue-green”.An exclamation mark ! reverses the selec-tion. Entering “!xxx” therefore shows all list elements not beginning with “xxx”.

Even linked filters can be used for complex searches. With comma , an OR link is indicated: “a,*wood” selects all elements which begin with “a” or have “wood” somewhere in their name. A semicolon ; is used to define an AND link: with “!a;!b;!c”, all names are selected which do not begin with a, b or c.Within an AND link, OR links can also occur: “a,b;*wood” selects all elements whose names begin with “a” or “b” and have “wood” in their names.AND and OR can only be linked on one level. You cannot invert an entire link with “!”.

RadioLab smart filters

In contrast to the text filters described above, the new smart filters go one step further: they filter the dialog box lists not only by name, but even consider the properties of the elements to form the selection. Accordingly, there are separate smart filters for each type of list.Smart filters always start with the @ character, and the use of upper and lower case is also irrelevant here. Different smart filters can be combined with each other. Use semicolons or commas to create a sequence. Links with the text filters described above are also possible.

The following smart filters are currently available in the surface catalogue:@TR selects all transparent surfaces.@SP selects all reflective surfaces.@DEF selects all standard surfaces. @TEX selects all textured surfaces.@TEX= applies a filter to the texture name. “@TEX=*big”, for example, selects all surfaces whose texture name contains “big”. “@TEX=*.tif” selects all surfaces with a TIFF texture.

@TEXPATH= applies a filter to the file name of the texture. Example: “@TEXPFAD=*stone” selects all surfaces whose textures are in a directory containing “stone” in its name.@ALPHAMAP shows all surfaces with alpha texture.

Missing image filesDuring normal saving, textures assigned in a RadioLab scene will remain externally linked. If the scene is reopened later on, RadioLab loads the original tex-ture image again. As long as the textures are still in their original location, the user will not notice anything about this process.However, if the texture collection has been moved in the mean-time or if the scene is opened on another computer, this infor-mation will fail to load. RadioLab will now ask you to reconnect the missing textures.Previously, you had to specify the new storage location for all missing textures one after the other – a laborious task for large projects.In RadioLab V24, this search pro-cess is now intelligently designed. As soon as you have entered the new storage location of the first missing file, RadioLab checks whether the new folder structure in which the file is now located is identical to the old one. If this is the case, it will find the remaining textures independently.RadioLab will remember the last ten search paths. If a tex-ture collection has been moved or if files are repeatedly opened on another computer in the network, subsequent searches will succeed without your inter-vention.

Lighten texturesIn the context menu (right-click), there is now a function that lightens the textures on all selected faces.

NewsThis & That

Texture catalogueUseful commands have been added to the context menu of the texture catalogue.The menu items differ depending on whether the user right-clicks on a texture in the scene or on an image file in a directory.

Combi actionsBy popular request, the actions of a combi action can now also run parallel to each other.

Multicore ray tracing In modern high-end processors such as the AMD Ryzen Thread-ripper, more computing cores are installed every year to increase performance. Processors with up to 32 cores are now available.The algorithm of the RadioLab ray tracer has been completely overhauled for PYTHA V24 so that it supports computers with many cores even more effectively. Processors with more than eight cores benefit from this optimi-sation, rewarding the user with significantly reduced computing times.

Ray trace animationsFrom PYTHA V24, the RadioLab ray tracer can not only calculate still images, cutaway views and panoramas, but now also ani-mations!

@ALPHA shows all surfaces where the alpha channel is active (= both alpha texture and transparency color).

@BUMP all surfaces which use a bump map.@GLOSS all surfaces with gloss texture.@R selects all surfaces that are predominantly red.@G selects all surfaces that are predominantly green.@B selects all surfaces that are predominantly blue.@GRAU (or @GREY) selects all grey surfaces.

This list shows the current state of development. It will continue to grow and soon extend to other dialog boxes such as selection, light sources, textures, etc.

New action: “Exploded view”

New function: “Image storage list”

If different perspectives of a scene are to be saved, then for optimum results a large number of settings must be made per im-age: image type, camera position, image resolution, storage location, anti-aliasing, HDR settings, scene brightness, possible ray tracing settings, etc.If you want to save these images again after changing the scene, most of the settings have to be set again. This is where the new image storage list comes in!With the help of a new dialog box, individual camera positions from different camera lists and cutaway view lists can be collected in an image storage list. For each entry in this list, all settings relevant for the image can be stored independently. If you then use this function to save the scene images, RadioLab will even remember which images have already been saved, which are still missing, and which are not up to date – which is incredibly helpful for your daily work!

RadioLab has a new “Exploded view” func-tion, which can be used, among other things, to animate furniture assembly instructions. Either the faces, parts or groups of a 3D model “explode”.

In addition to the usual radial

“explosion”, an axial direction of explosion can also be selected, making it possible to line parts up.

NewsThis & That

All texts, graphics and images in this newsletter are protected by copyright. Any form of duplication, including ex-cerpts, requires the written permission of PYTHA Lab GmbH. We reserve the right to make technical changes and correct errors.

PYTHA® and RadioLab® are registered trademarks.

Imprint

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63741 Aschaffenburg, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 60 21 / 370 60 Fax: +49 (0) 60 21 / 484 55 Email: pytha@pytha.de

www.pytha.com

PYTHA partners worldwideBelow is a list of the PYTHA dealers where you can not only get the PYTHA V24 update, but also comprehensive advice about PYTHA and the new features of PYTHA Model and RadioLab.

Germany• Aschaffenburg: PYTHA Lab GmbH | pytha@pytha.de• Rüthen/Westfalen: CAD-Systeme Spanke | s.spanke@pytha.de• Schwäbisch Hall: CAD-Systeme Spanke | b.boots@pytha.de• Hamburg: Drei-D-Konzepte Kay Busch | k.busch@pytha.de• Berlin: PYTHA-Vertrieb U. Scherschmidt | u.scherschmidt@pytha.de

Australia PYTHA Partners Australia | m.rowe@pytha.deBelgium U-Tech | u.gepperth@pytha.deChina Suzhou Autonesting Software Co. Ltd. | s.huang@pytha.deGreece EMPHASYS PYTHA Hellas | stoilas@pytha.deIndia 3D CAD PYTHA India Pvt. Ltd. | s.tharani@pytha.deIndonesia APEX Network Pte Ltd | a.boo@pytha.deMalaysia APEX Network Pte Ltd | a.boo@pytha.deNetherlands U-Tech | u.gepperth@pytha.deAustria Reumüller 3D CAD Systeme | p.reumueller@pytha.dePoland CNC Software Polska sp. z o. o. | m.klejnowski@pytha.deSingapore APEX Network Pte Ltd | a.boo@pytha.deSpain Airmatic S.A. | j.marquino@pytha.deVietnam APEX Network Pte Ltd | a.boo@pytha.de

Mission am Nil

More than 35 years of success not only fill us with pride, but also encourage us to demonstrate social and cultural com-mitment.As of recently, PYTHA not only supports German technical colleges and universities in the field of CAD, but also a small carpentry school in Ethiopia. All pupils of this educational institution have physical limitations. While approximately 70 % of participants are deaf, others have difficulties walking and similar impediments. Before the pupils began constructing with PYTHA, they worked exclusively with hand drawings. Now they use the latest tech-nology to design and build kitchens, doors and receptions, for example for hospitals. The project is the brainchild of Mr Viktor Penner, who leads “Mission am Nil”, an aid organisation that works with development aid and social charity projects to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged people in countries along the Nile.

Left: Willy Flassig, Managing Director PYTHA Lab GmbHRight: Viktor Penner Mission am Nil International

Online shop interfacePYTHA now has an interface for online shops.The so-called “automatic XML interface” converts online shop data into PYTHA’s data structure.Please contact your PYTHA dealer for more information.

InstagramIn addition to Facebook, PYTHA is now also on Instagram! Come and find out about the latest developments involving PYTHA.https://www.instagram.com/pytha_3d_cad_system/