Peak3D

Table of Contents

•  Brief Description
•  Who Cares?
•  Features
•  Prices and Licensing
•  Current Notes
•  Download
•  Mailing List

Brief description

Peak3D, a 2D/3D computergraphics modeler enables you to create fully interactive three-dimensional objects and scenes.

Peak3D includes many innovative tools which make it unique in its field. These include a new high performance Boolean 3d algorithm, an integrated 2D editor including 3D view and a binary filter which provides simple editing of geometric subelements such as points and edges.

All facilities needed for advanced development are already integrated in this software, including various light sources, multiple cameras, a texture editor based on POV-Ray 3.0, and most of all, a programmable interface for extending Peak3D.

Peak3D is shareware and can be tested without cost for up to 21 days.
Currently available languages: English and German.
Operating Systems: Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP *)

 Click here to visit the Peak3D Online-Tour

Who cares?

Beginners: Come into the fascinating world of 3D computer graphics. Use our product to compose complete scenes from scratch. At the same time, you learn the basic principles of 3D-modelling. Visit our tutorial pages to discover the advantages of Peak3D.

Advanced users: Create complex scenes in the shortest time. Multi-threaded functionality and Interrupt redraw provide delay-free response to your input. Modification of geometric subelements including vertices, faces, and edges can be easily performed by slightly suppressing inactive objects. Peak3D offers a high performance algorithm for boolean operations and complete control over parametric properties. These features make it possible to reduce the time needed to download virtual reality applications. Benefit from a programmable interface which enables you to extend Peak3D for your own requirements.

Experts: Peak3D can be used for projects for which your current software fails or provides unsatisfacting results. Exchange data using Peak3D plug-ins or built-in file filters to export your objects or scenes into a desired file format.

Programmers: Do you have new ideas you want to develop, or have you already implemented your own algorithms for 2D/3D computer graphics, but lack a suitable user-interface? Provide access to your own algorithms through a COM-based interface, or implement your own objects through means which are programming languague independent. Please contact usprogramming support for further information.

Robotics: Peak3D can be used as a remote server for robotic simulations. Peak3D provides several COM objects which allow you to control Peak3D remotely from your applications, and Peak3d may be controlled by multiple applications at the same time.

Features

• An interactive user interface which is professional, optimized, and adaptable, based on fully object-oriented programming.
• A modern 32-bit architecture and multiple threads deliver fast-loading executable files and high performance.
• A programmable interface based on the COM standard enables file filters, new object types, and utilities to be implemented easily, as well as supporting external object properties and object modifiers.
• A remote COM server capability which allows the object structures of other applications to be made accessible to Peak3d, and which enables their functions to be controlled remotely through Peak3d. This feature may be used, for example, for external robotic simulations where Peak3D manages the entire graphical component.
• Transparent editing of individual items is provided by a binary filter which fades out objects which are not participants at the current operation.
• Extended zoom functions enable selected objects to be quickly sized to fit within into the current work space.
• The interrupt regeneration mode makes it feasible to perform operations with very complex objects in real time.
• Parametric curves and surfaces (NURBS/Bezier) are represented accurately using suitable mathematical techniques.

• Ability to read and write standard DXF (AutoCAD) and EPS (Adobe) files, as well as specialized ASC (Peak3D), PLY (triangle), and P2D (Peak3D) files.
• Various flexible methods are provided for creation of Bezier curves including polylines, polygons, quads, and arcs.
• Extensive editing functions are provided not only for working with complete curves, but also for their constituent segments and vertices.
• Objects may be assigned differing colors to improve object clarity.
• An object browser allows selection of objects by name or color, modification of object visibility, and full control of the sequence of appearance by Drag and Drop.

• Ability to import DXF (AutoCAD), 3DS (3D-Studio), OFF (Geomview), and P3D (Peak3D) 3d geometry files,
• Ability to interpret "Range image" files (in BMP format) as either a 3d grids or optimized triangle approximations.
• Ability to export DXF (AutoCAD), 3DS (3D-Studio), P3D (Peak3D) and POV (POV-Ray) geometry files.
• Support for polygonal objects, cameras, point lights, directional lights, and spot lights.
• Hierarchical arrangement of objects. Restriction between individual levels support translation, rotation, and scale transformations, and models with complex forward-kinematics.
• A highly performant algorithm for calculating 3d boolean operations provides superior speed, reliability and optimization depending the structure of generated surfaces.
• Extended direction and point of reference options are provided for the standard translation, rotation, scale, mirror, and alignment transformations.
• An extensive suite of editing functions includes automatic edge-visibility, uniform normal vectors, autosmoothing, welding functions, and much more.
• Editing functions are provided not only for 3d objects as a whole, but also for their face, edge, and vertex subelements.
• Freely definable, interactive, real time view regeneration is provided for orthogonal as well as perspective projections. In addition, one may choose light source views and camera views.
• A very fast hidden line preview feature, including optional silhouette edges.
• A browser for objects, cameras, lights and materials with fast switching between tree-view and list-view modes. Items may be selected by name, type, color, material, visibility control, object hierarchy, or material assignment by drag and drop.
• Hierarchical, object-oriented structured material editor based on POV Ray 3.0, including system parameters.
• NASA terrain elevation data can be imported in the form of an 8-bit gray-scale bitmap, and an optimized triangle approximation can be generated on the basis of this data.
• An animation player plug-in is proivided for 3D-Studio VUE files.

Prices and Licensing

Peak3D is shareware. According to the terms of the license conditions for this shareware, Peak3d may be used without cost for up to 21 days. After 21 days, you are required either to register your copy of Peak3d or to fully remove this software from your computer.

You can use http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic for converting EURO into your currency.

There are lower prices for orders which contain more then 10 Peak3D licenses. Please contact peak3d@peak3d.de in such a case and ask for special conditions.

Upon receipt of the registration fee and the order form, you will be considered to be a registered user of Peak3D at the current version level. Updates within a version level are free for registered users and need no further registration. New version levels are expected annually and will be announced in this place as they become available.

Once registered, an acknowledgement including a registration key will be sent to you by E-mail, fax, or by postal mail. The registration key serves to deactivate the shareware lock in Peak3D. This key is generated using the registered user's name and may only be used by this registered user.

Plase refer to the license conditions if there are any questions about the registration process.

Current Notes

New Build 27.12.2001

New subversion (01.10)! Upgrading from an earlier unregistered version will reset the evaluation period up to 21 days!

Revision history of Peak3D

Download

Click here to  Peak3D Version 01.10 (Build 27.12.01, approx. 1 MB, operating system: Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME/XP *)).

This downloadable file was generated with our SmartInstall and contains all modules required for the execution of Peak3D. In additional, this package includes some sample scenes and a help file.

After downloading this file, simply execute the downloaded file and follow the instructions presented by the installation process.

Mailing List

Register yourself for the Peak3D mailing list. There is no cost for this service and you will always be one of the first to be informed with news regarding Peak3D.

You can remove your name from our database at any time by simply sending an e-mail to subscribe@peak3d.de with the subject given as REMOVE.

*) Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.

(c) Markus Pfau, 27.12.2001