What’s new in Autodesk Showcase 2013

2013 file format

Files saved with this release of Showcase are designed to support the changes that have been made since the 2012 release. Consequently, if you save a file with the 2013 release, it can no longer be opened by prior releases, including 2012.

Graphics pipeline

Showcase 2013 introduces a new graphics pipeline, which provides the following benefits:

• More accurate graphics computation, including the handling of high dynamic range (HDR) images
• More accurate color management including gamma correction of standard images
• More consistent and physically-based control of ray-tracing, environment, accent lighting, and camera properties

Ray tracing changes

Interactive ray tracing settings have been changed to reflect the improved graphics pipeline. To see the updated properties controls, select File > Settings > Interactive Ray Tracing. See Optimize Ray Tracing for frame rate or quality.

Lighting environments (formerly known as "environments")

"Lighting Environments" is the new term for what was previously referred to as "Environments" in past releases of Showcase.

Lighting environment properties are easier to set and have been reorganized to reflect the improved graphics pipeline. There are new tone mapping controls, including an exposure control, to simulate real-world lighting conditions. See Create a custom environment.

“LatLong” shaped HDR images are supported, and you can scale image lighting and directional lighting intensity to real-world values. Showcase sets a correspondence between the environment light intensity values and the exposure value used with camera properties tone mapping.

The result is scene lighting that more accurately simulates real-world lighting scenarios; for example, exterior sunlight, daylight, interior daylight, interior daylight and artificial lighting, and night-time artificial lighting.

Other changes:

• The Environment Library and Environment Properties commands have been moved from the Story menu to the Appearance menu. They are now named Lighting Environment Library and Lighting Environment Properties.
• All Lighting Environments are now editable once you add them to the scene. There may be some issues when doing this with legacy environments. If you want legacy scene environments to be editable, just delete them and add to the scene again.

  It will be necessary to recreate custom environments from older versions of Showcase. Installed library environments of prior versions will be converted automatically.

Camera

This release supports tone mapping in the Showcase camera. This is done so that high-dynamic-range images can be displayed realistically on a standard computer monitor, which tends to have a more limited dynamic range. Showcase tone mapping mimics the response curve of a real camera.

Showcase tone mapping sets exposure parameters using preset values, but allows you to change them if necessary.

To see the new camera controls, select View > Camera Properties. See Adjust camera properties.

Materials

Controls in the Material Properties window have been modified, removed or added, to reflect the new graphics pipeline. While controls for the most part have been simplified, results are comparable or superior to previous releases.

Showcase materials have been updated to benefit from the changes. Material consistency between environments has been improved.

To see the modified Material Properties window, select a material, then press Ctrl+M. See Material property parameters.

Interoperability

• Support for import of multiple Inventor constraints.
• Support for AutoCAD external references (xrefs).
• Support for AutoCAD object enablers. You can now import objects created using object enablers in AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP.
• Support for import of materials from AutoCAD that have the color set “by object”. This means that layer colors can be applied to the Autodesk Materials upon import to Showcase.
• Support for AutoCAD views.

This release also introduces one-click workflows from other Autodesk products, including AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit. From the application menu of these products, click Suite Workflows. See the help in these products for more information.

Performance

• This release includes improved performance for:
  • Animations
  • File import, load, and save
• Support for Intel integrated graphics cards through WARP; hardware rendering is done in hardware emulation mode.

Task UI

The Task UI is a set of controls that appears by default at the bottom of the Showcase viewport.

The controls provide easy access to the most important features of Showcase. Hover your mouse pointer over each to find out what it does. Click a control to open its related options.

For example, here is what the Task UI looks like when you click the Visual Styles control.

Scroll left-to-right through the available visual styles. Click a visual style to apply it. Click Library on the right to see the classic Visual Styles interface.

See Use the Showcase Task UI.

Publish (Export)

You can now publish content to the cloud using Autodesk 360. See Publish to the cloud.

The controls for saving a scene to images, movies, YouTube movies, and presentations have been unified in one window. To see the window, select File > Publish output_type . See Publish your scene in different formats.

New capabilities include:

• Images: The preview image in the Publish window updates dynamically as you adjust image settings.
• Web Presentations: The preview image in the Publish window updates dynamically as you adjust presentation settings. HTML5 output is now supported.
• Cloud support with Autodesk 360: See Publish to the cloud.

Import

Import settings for all file formats are now found in the Import Settings window. To open the Import Settings window, click Settings in the Open File dialog box. The settings in this window determine what is imported and how. You should check and adjust these settings as needed before importing content. See Adjust import settings.

Other changes:

• After objects are imported, they are no longer selected by default. Previously they would be selected, and transform handles could be visible, which could sometimes be confusing.
• All supported file formats can now be opened/imported using File > Open.

Alternatives Interface

The Alternatives interface has been modified to provide a better indication of the state of the current scene. When you click an alternative swatch, it is highlighted. If you modify the scene in such a way as to make that alternative invalid, for example, by hiding a material or object, or moving an object, the alternative swatch is no longer highlighted. If you click the swatch again, it is highlighted again, and the original alternative is restored.

Navigation Bar

The following changes have been made to the Navigation Bar (located on the right side of the viewport):

• Contains three additional zoom buttons that previously were only accessible by clicking the drop-down arrow under the main zoom button: , , and .
• Contains an arrow button to toggle between the two most recent zooms.

  Old:	New:

  1. Shortcut if ViewCube is not currently displayed
  2. Three new Zoom buttons, previously only available in the Zoom drop-down menu
  3. Toggle views
• While using the look-around tool, you can use the walk shortcut keys (left and right arrows) if a walk zone has been created.
• While using the tumble tool, click a spot to set a new pivot point for the tumble.
• While using any tool, the mouse pointer image indicates which tool you are using.
• Once you have performed an action with a tool, the tool is closed.
• If the ViewCube is not displayed, a shortcut for it is added to the Navigation Bar.
• Buttons can be right-clicked to be removed from the Navigation Bar.

Esc key

The Esc key now behaves consistently based on the following priority.

1. Exits currently active tools, such as navigation bar tools, light and shadow movement, single light placement, texture placement, move pivot, and extract patch.
2. Closes the currently active window.
3. Stops playback of slides, shots, or behaviors.
4. Exits any mode:
   1. Pointer mode
   2. Full screen mode
   3. Presentation mode
5. Deselects anything that is selected.
6. Switch from diagnostic visual styles to default visual style.

Keyboard shortcuts

You can now use the navigation hotkeys of Revit, Inventor and AutoCAD in Showcase.

Accent lights

• Lights are now called “Accent Lights,” to differentiate from environment light. Subcategories are now named Selective Spot Lights and Selective Point Lights.
• You can now give your lights custom names using the properties window.
• Grip size is now adjustable; right-click a light grip and select Set Accent Light Grips Size. Grips also stay the same the size regardless of zoom level.
• Using the Light contribution controls, you can control intensity of the light with respect to the environment. See Light properties.

Visual styles

One new visual style is included in this release: Ambient shadows with edges. See Switch between Visual Styles.

Various

• To show or hide the main Showcase menu, click the arrow at the top of the viewport.
• The ability to link behaviors has been removed. Behaviors can be controlled together in storyboard slides.
• When saving to a Photoshop (PSD) file, two layers used to be created: One for the background, and one for the objects and shadows. Now shadows have their own, third layer. They are also anti-aliased with the scene background color (set in File > Settings > Import Settings).
• Templates and the Guided Task Wizards have been removed.
• Grips can now be hidden using the right-click menu; for accent lights, cross-sections, and decals.
• You can now reset warning windows if you previously specified that they should no longer open. Choose File > Settings > Reset Warning Dialogs to do this.
• Viewport Interfaces like Materials and Alternatives adjust dynamically so as not to block the ViewCube or Navigation Bar.
• The animated grid that indicates an object is selected is now blue. Selection and other supporting scene handle colors have been updated to align with other Autodesk applications. For example, when you right-click an object and hover over the selection options in the right-click menu, corresponding objects are highlighted in the “pre-selection” color magenta.
• Preferences have been renamed as “Settings.”
• Plug-ins have been renamed as "add-ins."
• Microsoft DirectX DX11 is supported on Windows 7 when using supporting graphics cards with available drivers.
• There are new Essential Skills movies under Help > Learning Movies.