Works on Macs and PC's with Vue Esprit, Infinite and Xstream!
GridModeler™ and the GridModeler Toolkit work on both Mac OS X and PC WinXP,Vista versions of Vue-6 (6.5) Esprit, Infinite and Xstream. The GridModeler application comes with it's own installer.
Included Materials
Just some of the included materials
Some of the Included Objects
Other Objects
A few of the Bitmaps
Buy GridModeler NOW!
Only $24.95!
Order online and instantly receive the GridModeler Toolkit right now. After ordering you will immediately be sent instructions on how to download GridModeler.
Comes with GridModeler E-Book
A 50 page in-depth GridModeler E-book comes with each version of GridModeler Toolkit. Over 50 diagrams and illustrations combine instructions and insights into how best to create Grid Models in Vue.
Add Extreme Detail to Scenes, totally within Vue.
We all know Vue is great at rendering billions of polygons. But, did you know, Vue also is great at rendering scenes like this one which has only 11 cubes and 68 polygons in it? This incredible and efficient detail is accomplished using 8 small black and white texture maps, and a bit of wizardry from Altuit.
GridModeler™ does for objects what EcoSystems do for plants. They both create scenes in Vue with dizzying amounts of detail. Effortlessly.
Extreme and repetitive detail helps create a sense of wonder in an image. It's exciting to look at— some call it 'eye candy' and it certainly is something we see in everyday objects, like: fences, cabinets, architecture, outdoor structures, shipping crates and boxes, brick and stone walls, tile floors and ceilings, and more. The list goes on and on. In fact, all of the images you see on this page contain models constructed using the GridModeler Application and associated toolkit items.
So, how does it work?
Frankly, we're embarrassed to say how much time we've spent knocking around inside of Vue and it's many different mapping and material functions, but suffice to say...it's a lot. What we found out is there are some very complicated formulas which allow one to create 'Grid Edge Matched' textures. Grid Edge Match? What's that?
Grid Edge Matching allows you to precisely align a texture map in a repeatable way for a given sized object, so there is nothing left over. For instance, the cabinet on the left has a single cube with a simple 256 x 256 black and white transparency map (click the picture to enlarge) and it is repeated 3 times to create the doors. The match is perfect. The same for the floor tiles, and the counter as well.
Originally, we intended to create a bunch of maps, materials and objects, and a killer E-book describing all the formulas to use for each type of object. Well, we did all that, but, as we started to use it all, it quickly became clear we needed a separate calculator program to compute the material scales and dimensions. So, we created such a program and of course it's included with the GridModeler Toolkit.
Once we had built a calculator, which computed for both Standard and Parametric mapped materials, we then figured we needed an easier way to create our texture maps.
So, we created Map Maker, a vector drawing package built in to the GridModeler app. It has a bunch of drawing features and can export maps at all sorts of resolutions. It can automatically generate bump maps as well- and it creates RGB maps too. It's easy to use. If you want to see it in action, check out this quick tutorial on How to Create a Spaceframe in GridModeler.
What's included?
Well, for starters, of course you get a copy of the GridModeler application, which runs on both Mac OSX, Windows XP and Vista.
Scenes
You also receive a number of scene files for you to take apart, including the Cabinet, Hanger and Oil Rig scenes.
Bitmaps
We've included 59 MapMaker generated bitmaps along with their settings so you can tweak 'em. Then there's 28 custom made 16-bit TIF bitmaps including ones for picket fences, different sizes of chainlink fences, multiple barbed wire maps and a layered Photoshop file, just in case you want to create your own derivatives.
Objects
Next, you get 12 Basic and 6 Hypertexture template objects and they can get you started modeling right away. You also get 9 different objects in the FencePak collection which includes rock and brick walls, chainlink fences and barbed wire fences, including the posts and 'H-posts.' There's a collection called 'WireObjects' which has 37 different types of wireframe mapped objects which you can use and study. And another collection which has another dozen or so CargoCubes, Glass Pyramid (think Louvre), Ladders and Stair objects.
Materials
Also, a couple dozen materials, including all the template materials, satillo tile and spaceframe, brick, cargocube and many others.
E-Book
But perhaps the most important piece of the toolkit is the GridModeler E-book. It's over 50 pages with over 50 diagrams and illustrations, taking you step-by-step through the Grid Modeling process. It's written for intermediate users, but advanced users will surely learn new tips and techniques as well. We've included a decision flow chart to help you better understand how to use which mapping style and when.
Any Questions?
If not, then feel free to click the button below to instantly purchase your copy of Altuit's GridModeler™ Toolkit.
Once you order it, you should automatically receive your download instructions within a few minutes. If you have not received an email from us, please first check your SPAM, and if not there, contact us at chippATaltuit.com.
And if you do have questions, then feel free to email us at chippATaltuit.com.
"Modelling complex trusses and lighting rigging can be a time consuming process. Using GridModeler I've been knocking out great looking results in a fraction of the time and it can do so much more than that."
— Mark Caldwell
Editor of the Vue News Blog
GridModeler Update
A new update to GridModeler allows it to run natively in Vista and adds some new features to GridModeler.
You can now duplicate offset shapes in GridModeler. Here's how. First select a shape and duplicate it. Now move the duplicate the distance you want to offset. Now duplicate offset it from the Duplicate menu (or Ctrl-a). You can continue duplicating offset (Ctrl-a) as many times as you wish to replicate your shape.
You can also move shapes up and down 1 layer at a time by ctrl-clicking on the Move to Top and Move to Bottom buttons.
Now, when a shape is smaller than 10x10 pixels, the resize handler are no longer shown. This way you can easily move small shapes without accidently resizing them. You can still resize small shapes using the numeric controls.
Keyborad shortcuts are now shown for MapMaker buttons. You will automatically receive the updates when you install GridModeler.