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"I've been working and teaching in the 3D creation/visualization business since 1995 and have worked with several leading CAD and modeling programs, including AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max and Viz. Since switching to form•Z for modeling I have been able to reduce production time and model the most complex geometry. Without question, form•Z is the most powerful, versatile efficient modeler I have used."
John Francis Leo
Principal: Maraizon International
john@maraizon.com
There are really two kinds of CAD: one for drafting, another for design. Where drafting involves delineating known quantities, design requires nonlinear problem-solving and exploration. When it comes to three-dimensional, design CAD, form•Z is the tool of choice, offering the most powerful and versatile set of modeling tools found today.
Supported on both Windows and Macintosh platforms, form•Z is used throughout the field of 3D design, from city and regional planning to product design, illustration to advertising, automotive design to motion picture special effects. The program was used to create the spaceships in Star Wars Episode I and Space Cowboys. Mattel, Hasbro, Walt Disney's Imagineers, Apple Computer are just a few of the many companies using formZ today.
Having been initially developed as a tool for architecture, form•Z is also the architect's essential design tool of choice, used by firms large and small throughout the world. In recognition of its excellence, the program received the Best of Show Award from Cadalyst Magazine at the American Institute of Architects Convention of May 2001.
FEATURES
Smooth objects, existing side
by side with facetted and nurbz objects, are now available for the primitives (cone, cylinder, sphere, and torus), the revolved objects, the helixes, the sweeps, and most geometry. An example of Facetted and Smooth geometry can be seen in the cylindars to the right. As Smooth objects carry the parameters that created it, geometry is resolution free. The number of polygons present can be chaged at any time. Advanced operations of form-Z, such as Booleans, can be applied to the smooth objects alone or in combination with polygonal objects.
 Parametric objects, including facetted and smooth, can be freely edited and reshaped, after their initial generation. Editing is typically interactive and graphic, which allows you to dynamically observe the effects of your manipulations.
Trimmed parametric surfaces that can result from Boolean and Trim/Split operations preserve their parametric nature and controls. Most notably, the trimmed surfaces can be exported parametrically.
 Conversion of objects from one type to another can be fluently executed with a click of the mouse. Each of these types offers distinct possibilities of reshaping through graphic editing.
 Advanced rounding and blending can be applied to parametric surfaces and objects. Transending the constraints of facetted objects, Smooth blending is capable of handling many more irregular shapes of edges than the facetted rounding does.
 More subdivision methods are provided for meshing surfaces to transform low resolution cages, or approximate models, to smoothly detailed models. With these subdivision capabilities, form-Z takes a position at the forefront of supporting evolving techniques for efficient animation oriented 3D modeling.
 Light groups, constructed through operations in the Lights palette, offer some extra conveniences in setting up scenes for rendering, including the manipulation of light attributes and status at the group level.
Importing/Exporting the parameters of all the smoothly parametric objects is now possible, especially as required for prototyping and manufacturing purposes.
A new import/export translator for Newtek's LightWave has been introduced.
 Many other improvements have been made to the program, including the Cover/Uncover Wire tool and revisions made to the Pick tool that allow picking faces inside of boundaries whiile also having the the clicking on edges option on. Objects can also now be picked by clicking inside of boundaries along with edges.
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"This version of form•Z will confirm once again that you guys are really aware of what your users expect...I am a form-Z user for seven years, and you know why? Because you are constantly evolving side-by-side with your users.
Keep up the good work"
Carlos Rego, Lisbon, Portugal
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form•Z is the product of auto•des•sys, Inc. (automated design systems) is a privately held company. It started informally in January 1989 and was incorporated in January 1990. It is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
From the very beginning auto•des•sys aimed at offering advanced 3D modeling technology on personal computers at an affordable price. Such technology previously only existed on large machines and in research laboratories. This aim was partially achieved when the company's flagship product, form•Z, was first released in 1991.
Architects Toolbox serves as authorized dealer in form•Z, offering a value-added version of the program that can't be found anywhere else.
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