But as distressing as that was for some, it was also followed by the good news, in 2015, that part of Mantle’s DNA would be used as a basis for a new API, Vulkan, which was recently released, and which promises to do even greater things, and sustain a flexibility of use never-before seen.

To convince yourself of Vulkan’s capacity, I’ve made a list of some of its most surprising features. Let’s check them out:

1. It is a close to metal API for 3D graphics designed by AMD

First of all, what you need to know about Vulkan is that it is a low-overhead API intended for compute applications and 3D graphics. One of the things that makes it different, some would say superior, to its predecessors, is that it’s designed to run across different platforms and OSs.

As such, you’ll be able to use it on desktops, gaming consoles, tablets, and mobiles as well. Not only that, but it is be compatible with all major operating systems.

2. It ensures lower CPU load

The smart guys from Khronos did a swell job of making their new API as lean as possible, and less driver usage is just one of them. In order to deliver on low-overhead efficiency and cross-vendor portability (that’s right, you read that well: Vulkan is no longer limited to AMD GCN hardware), it uses simple drivers.

It features layered architecture, which makes validation and debug layers much easier to unload. Thus, the application is in charge of memory allocation and thread management. Vulkan has direct GPU control, and is a unified API to run on all types of platforms.

3. It has an ecosystem with three accessible layers

Some of you may have worried that although drivers will run smoother thanks to reduced error management, it will translate into more man-hours of work. That’s why Vulkan features three different levels that developers can access according to their different needs.

They are as follows:

• Direct use of Vulkan ensuring optimal control
• Access to libraries and layers that can make development faster
• Use fully optimized game engines over Vulkan

4. SPIR-V will replace GLSL

Vulkan will run on the SPIR-V intermediate language, which means it uses a translator to make the cross from GLSL. But this releases Vulkan from older OpenGL luggage and enables more flexible and reliable front-end language.

Game developers will be able to use OpenCL C kernels, and Vulkan back-ends. But thanks to the use of SPIR-V, Vulkan will be available across different platforms and devices, from mobile to high-end desktop.

5. It promises to make developer life easy

As you’ve already gathered, Vulkan is intended to streamline a lot of developer work. Besides suggesting the development of experimental languages, Khronos also promises a future of device-specific languages, shared tools and frameworks. Another bonus is the possibility for a lot more of processing to be done offline, more optimizations executed offline, and multiple source shaders.

6. It empowers independent devs and freelancers

This is primarily because Vulkan enables cross-platform programming. So if you’re working at home on your spare time, or as a freelancer, or work out of your own office as an independent, you will no longer need to use the same software as your employers or clients.

Moreover, it will be easier to develop your own projects. And here are just a few more benefits: kernel compilation time is reduced, and so is runtime shader. You will have complete control and visibility of memory allocation, and thus be able to tweak memory allocation. No more issues with cross-vendor portability.

7. The Vulkan is still growing strong

Instead of feeling disappointed that Vulkan still has a ways to go before it’s completed, you should be happy it looks and works so great already, and be excited that improvements and upgrades are yet to come.

Now you can really allow your imagination to run free with what you can already do with Vulkan, but with what Vulkan will be able to do in the future. 3D graphics and game programming have just become a whole lot easier and streamlined. Work that looks great, and runs great.

8. It still has a few weak points

I haven’t been trying to sell you on Vulkan just to reveal its disadvantages now, but I think there are sides to it that could still be improved. You should get the full picture of what the new API is, so that if you’re looking to start on a new project, you can weigh the pros (many, I believe) and cons (few, as you’ll see). For some of you, these may not even be concerns.

However, I think that many developers will find it a downside that Vulkan is less compatible with legacy hardware, and may be less effective on desktops. Since it’s a relatively new product, it doesn’t benefit from the same support as other APIs, and certain scenarios may lead to increased complexity of code.

Takeaways

Well, there you have it, folks! We may have to wait by the end of the year when Vulkan is released (or perhaps even longer until it starts to gain wider adoption), to see whether it will make a significant change in development, but I feel like Khronos are going in the right direction and sooner or later, this is the kind of API we’ll be wanting to use.

Even though I suspect Vulkan will catch on much faster and easier with mobile, I see that as advantage marketing-wise and product development-wise.

The post 8 Things You Need to Know About the Vulkan API appeared first on CAD Culture.

Computer-aided design software and computer-aided design hardware have been becoming more and more popular as time has gone on. Don’t recognise those long-winded names? We bet you’ve heard of the 3D printers making their mark in the manufacturing business.

CAD software like Rhino 3D is used in a wide range of industries, from interior and fashion design right through to architecture and vehicle structures. But why is it so popular? And why has the ever-popular jewellery industry jumped on the bandwagon?

The answer is that CAD has a versatility and number of benefits that cannot be seen in the traditional methods of design. Both traditional and contemporary methods are used by jewellery designers today, yet it’s fair to say that in many cases, CAD saves a lot of time…

A brief history of jewellery making

Before CAD and CAM existed, the traditional and most-used process to design and create jewellery required not only great skill, but a lot of patience.

Starting with a piece of paper and a pencil, the designer would sketch, rub out and re-sketch a design until it was completely perfect and accurate so it could be used to hand make the jewellery out of metal, or carve it out of wax to use in the metal casting process.

Once carved out of wax, it would go into the investment process before being placed in an oven. When the wax burned away, the preferred metal was poured into the cavity left by the wax – and voila!

If the designer or manufacturer wants to create duplicates of the original model, they would use rubber moulds. However, if they want a slight variation on the original, an entirely new model would have to be created.

The benefits of CAD in jewellery design

As we said, sounds quite time-consuming, right? Which is where both CAD software and CAM hardware steps in with its advantages when it comes to jewellery making, including:

• The steps of the process can be completed significantly quicker, depending on the design
  
• In many cases, CAD aids the accuracy of design and minimises time taken for ‘trial and error’
  
• Replications can be made more easily benefiting mass production
  
• Significantly cuts the cost on amount of materials used in previous methods
  
• Relatively easy to create variations, giving you a chance to express your creativity
  
• In many cases motifs can be ‘copied and pasted’ into other projects
  
• Aids in the design of smaller and more intricate features with zoom feature
  
• Can create photo-realistic images to give an idea of how the finished item will look
  

With CAD, changes can be made at the click of the mouse, and your project – with more detail than ever before – can be left to the incredibly intelligent CAM systems like 3D printers to become a reality.

Large replicated amounts, designs with variations and complex designs can be tackled by experienced designers using this software and hardware. Their precise and time-saving qualities just prove how technology has revolutionised the jewellery industry, among many other industries too.

Of course, design and engineering skills are necessary for both traditional methods and the contemporary method of CAD, which is why we offer specialist training in how to use CAD software, Rhino 3D to design jewellery.

Take a look at our Level 1 and Level 2 training courses, or to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post How jewellery design has improved with technology appeared first on CAD Culture.

Interior Design

Through detailed digital designs, interior designers use CAD software to bring their ideas to life. CAD allows designers to show their clients what rooms will look like upon completion, right down to paint colour.

Landscaping

CAD software allows landscapers to conceptualise breathtaking creations, and figure out where best to place landscaping components such as patios, gardens, trees and fences.

Fashion

Most high-end designers will make an initial design for a collection by hand, using CAD software later on in the design process. This software can determine the most efficient cut of fabric, as well as adjusting the scale for different clothing sizes. The software can then demonstrate how the clothing will look and move on a body, by placing it on a virtual model, allowing designers to make any changes if they don’t like the initial result.

Cartography

No longer are maps charted by hand. Instead, modern cartographers use CAD software to record road maps, topographic maps and even climate.

Architecture

Buildings are one of the most expensive investments many people make, so it’s essential that all initial plans are flawless. Architects utilise CAD to work alongside 2D floor plans and 3D schematics of commercial or residential structures. Not only is CAD used to design the actual architecture and layout of a new structure, it determines specifications such as measurements, volumes and weights prior to beginning construction.

Civil engineering

CAD is used by civil engineers to design and plan urban infrastructure, such as office complexes, parks, industrial units and bridges.

Aerospace

The price of any single aerospace product can be in the billions, with the industry making aircraft, missiles, satellites and space vehicles. CAD software plays a fundamental role throughout the initial design process to meticulously calculate everything before the product is built.

Automotive

CAD software is used in all parts of the design process to create prototypes of vehicle body styles, engines, tyres, upholstery, and circuitry boards.

If you want to learn how to utilise CAD software to design gorgeous and unique pieces of jewellery, nut don’t know where to start, take a look at our Rhino 3D Level 01 and Level 02 jewellery design courses. For more information, contact us. You can alternatively call our South African office on +27 82 864 8589 or our Australian office on +61 405 786 874.

The post Industries that rely on CAD appeared first on CAD Culture.

Fathers of CAD

In 1957, Patrick Hanratty developed the first commercial computerised numerical control (CNC) programming system called Program for Numerical Tooling Operations (or PRONTO), whilst working for General Electric. Five years later, Ivan Sutherland presented his Ph.D thesis at MIT, “Sketchpad, A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System. Some of the features included the first ever graphical user interface, with a light pen to manipulate the objects displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT).

The 1960s saw further developments, such as the first digitizer and DAC-1, the original production interactive graphics manufacturing system. By the end of the 1960s, Computervision, M&S Computing, Applicon, SDRC and Evans & Sutherland were all created to commercialise CAD programs.

The 1970s saw Ken Versprille’s major breakthrough of NURBD for his Ph.D project that allowed the formation of the modern 3D curve and surface modelling. Alan Greyer, Charles Lang and Ian Braid were developing the Part and Assembly Description Language (PADL) solid modeller.

CAD Revolution

By the 1980s, commercial CAD systems such as CATIA began being used in aerospace and automotive industries, amongst others. The first IBM PC in 1981 really set the path for large-scale adoption of CAD in industry. By 1982, Autodesk was formed and the following year saw the release of AutoCAD, the first CAD program for IBM PCs.

The 1990s saw PCs powerful enough to support computations required by CAD, seeing SolidWorks released in 1995, the first solid modeller designed for Windows. It was quickly followed by Solid Edge and Inventor.

CAD today and tomorrow

Modern CAD programs are characterised by their improvements in levels of analysis and management of products, including modelling, engineering, and manufacturing and maintenance.

Companies such as Siemens are developing technology to combine the precision and control of feature-based design, with the speed and flexibility of explicit modelling. This would allow for designers to spend less time on construction, design changes and importing new data. Additionally, CAD developers are making use of Cloud storage to offer immense design power to a range of mobile devices as well as computers.

The post A Brief History of Computer Aided Design (CAD) appeared first on CAD Culture.