Fox Racing Inc.® and FormFonts® 3D - Pioneering Visual Merchandising in 3D.
San Luis Obispo, CA, June 11, 2008.
Fox Racing Inc., a premier leader in action sports apparel since 1974, is growing rapidly. The Morgan Hill, CA based company is currently expanding with a new 43,000 sq. ft Southern California headquarters and showroom in Irvine, CA.
Michael Hurst, Head of Visual Merchandising, needed a flexible tool for the rapid exploration of visual merchandising solutions possible in the new store. Hurst chose Google’s® SketchUp® 3D modeler for his team because of its intuitive interface and short learning curve.
However, Hurst also needed a large custom 3D library of specific Fox Racing products to accurately layout and visualize Fox merchandise in-store. For this he turned to FormFonts® 3D, the world’s leading provider of professional 3D content.
FormFonts® 3D provides online access to a living model library of 40,000 models available by subscription. For their corporate subscribers, like Fox Racing, FormFonts® also develops custom/private 3D product catalogs on demand.
“We were already subscribing to FormFonts because of their professional low polygon model stock” explains Hurst, “So it was only natural to ask if they would create our virtual product models for Fox Racing as well”.
FormFonts® regularly provides custom model creation to the world’s leading architecture, entertainment and retail firms, and obliged Hurst with on-demand services to quickly develop a library of custom 3D product models - just for the Fox Racing visual merchandising team.
Fig 1. – Virtual 3D Product Models for Fox Racing Inc. by FormFonts® 3D.
All 3D models are created in Google’s SketchUP® and are shown here rendered in a free renderer called Kerkythea. © 2008 FormFonts 3D.
The growing library of virtual Fox products is available exclusively on FromFonts® 3D, and the on-demand generation is working so well that Fox Racing® has just commissioned another phase of virtual product models. Hurst says “our demand for 3D models is emergent, and FormFonts does a great job turning around our model requests on very short notice, often in less than 48 hours”.
The problem of finding, distributing, and managing Fox’s model library is obviated by each member of the Fox Retail merchandising team having their own FormFonts ® subscription. “3D Content Management is a real bottleneck for larger companies, says FormFonts® CEO Fred Abler. “Even with a modest number of 3D assets, without proper management and high availability, you spend more time looking for your 3D assets than doing the actual work at hand”.
FormFonts® provides private 3D model libraries for corporate customers like Fox Racing®, so 3D assets are easily shared and updated among team members. This private hosting capability lets corporate subscribers easily manage sensitive content – for example 3D models of new Fox Racing products that are not yet on the market- without making them available to the public.
In addition to saving and maximizing design time, Hurst finds the same virtual 3D product models help him express design intent during the many internal/external merchandising presentations he makes. “Using FormFonts® Styles, I can apply hand drawn effects and other visual styles to the 3D models to help me express a different feeling: from conceptual product design to merchandising layouts, or fully rendered artwork for the marketing team : it’s all the same 3D model wearing a different ‘set of gear’.
Hurst highly recommends the combination of FormFonts® 3D Model Library and on-demand services and SketchUp® to others looking for similar benefits in the visual merchandising profession. “Using these two tools together, we have saved many hours in store layout, while at the same time, we have explored a greater range of product merchandising layouts.” said Hurst. “The combined toolset enables out team to focus on what they really love, visual merchandising, not fighting CAD tools or making product models.”
Comments are off for this postGoogle SketchUp for Dummies Released!
Aidan Chopra, Google’s evangelist for SketchUp has written ‘Google SketchUp for Dummies”. It’s a wonderful resource written in Aidan’s supremely engaging style. The book is highly illustrated (see “Lotsabucks Cafe’) and truly pitch perfect for both newbies, and a great resource for those of us who still haven’t mastered SketchUp Styles (blush).
Aidan’s book created a massive round of giddy appreciative emails at FormFonts this week with this little gem from Chapter 17….
“FormFonts is a Web site that sells components “all you can eat, buffet style”. You pay a (surprisingly low) monthly fee, and you have access to thousands of high-quality models oof just about anything you can think of. FormFonts’ international team of modelers even take requests - if you ened something that they don’t have, they can probably make it if you ask nicely. In addition to components, FormFonts also has tons of extra materials you can applly to your work, as well as a growing library of styles. Even if you’re not interested in signing up, it’s worth checking out the Web site just to see the beautiful models FormFonts makes”.
See what I mean about the engaging style? We can only hope Aidan has a book in the works for Layout, the 2D paper-space tool for laying-out drawings made in SketchUp.
Layout was originally code-named Pin-Up! - a much better name - probably because it is the perfect tool for architecture students looking to do quick and stylish output for studio pin-ups. The name was dumped because some suits at Google (Oh yes, they really exist) were worried about the risque factor. I mean think 1940’s Rita Hayworth… what could be more sexy wholesome than this??
If it were up to us, We’d re-name the product PinUp!, release it on old fashioned CDs, and put Rita right on the cover. You can only get Layout, with the Pro Version of SketchUp, and Google is running a great deal, if you buy Pro for $445, you get a copy of Aidan’s book free. See www.sketchup.com for details.
Comments are off for this postAECbytes “Building the Future” By: Lachmi Khemlani, Ph.D.
Read about FormFonts in: AECbytes “Building the Future” Article (May
24, 2007) Category: Analysis, Research & Reviews of AEC Technology -
Article: Supporting Technologies for BIM Exhibited at AIA 2007
Announcing the EdgeServer™ and SharedNet™ from FormFonts™ 3D
San Antonio, TX, Thursday May 3, 2007. FormFonts 3D is the world’s leading web service for professionally developed 3D model stock, virtual building objects, and on-demand Digital Asset Management (DAM).
Today at the AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Exposition, FormFonts 3D publicly announced its innovative new EdgeServer™ product. The EdgeServer™ is an enterprise server for Digital Asset Management(DAM) installed on-site at large AEC firms. It delivers all the advantages of FormFonts’ professionally created multi-platform 3D content libraries and easy-to-use interface, while also providing large AEC firms with faster access times and reduced bandwidth in a WAN-based solution for Digital Asset Management (DAM).
In addition to the performance advantages of server localization, FormFonts’ 3D EdgeServer™ clients gain exclusive access to the SharedNet™, a new on-line community for AEC professionals. The SharedNet™ provides a suite of tools that enable collaboration, and powerful new 3D asset management and sharing services.
Fig. 1- SharedNet™ clients can exchange virtual building objects and other digital assets Edgewise™ (i.e. one-to-one), or, in a one-to-many fashion on the FormFonts’ SharedNet™.
Content Sharing on the SharedNet™
“The SharedNet™ enables CIOs at large AEC firms to exchange content on a peer-led basis” explains FormFonts CEO, Fred Abler. Virtual building objects can be shared on a one-to-one or, one-to-many basis. “Subscribers simply chose virtual building objects from their private corporate database hosted on FormFonts™, and then use their ‘partner list’ to exchange 3D assets on-demand”. The patented SharedNet™ is harmonized by proprietary software agents that synchronize the network, and enable digital asset sharing in near real time.
“We worked closely with large firm CIOs, to develop the SharedNet™”, said Abler. “They told us what they really needed were new tools to help un-lock internal demand for virtual building objects inside their distributed firms”. The SharedNet™ does this by providing several forums, tools, and pipelines for externalizing demand for digital assets. These on-line tools also enhance the ongoing evolution of 3D standards, and enable the collective vetting of virtual building objects. “We are pleased to take content collaboration to a new level”, said Abler. “It’s no longer a question of ‘how’, but rather ‘which’ digital assets will be shared.”
The SharedNet™ has been under development for more than a year, and EdgeServers™ have been beta-tested fully with key architecture firms for the past 3 months. Many of the world’s largest firms are already clients, including; Anshen+Allen; TLCD Architects; HOK; and WATG. Other industry-leading firms are also currently considering SharedNet™ subscriptions, and are expected to announce their participation shortly.
FormFonts™ 3D is currently in ongoing discussions with BIM platform vendors, and building product manufacturers. FormFonts will be demonstrating the SharedNet™ to select AEC firms at the AIA Design Expo in booth # 13176.
If you are interested in reaching the world’s fastest growing professional AEC community via the SharedNet™, please contact us for additional information by e-mail at info@formfonts.com.
For more information, please visit FormFonts on the web at www.formfonts.com.
Free sample models can be accessed by typing “gratis” into the search engine.
FormFonts™, EdgeServer™, and SharedNet™ and EdgeWise™ are trade and service marks of FormFonts™ 3D, a California Corporation.
Contact Information
Form Fonts (sm) : www.formfonts.com
PR Liaison: info@formfonts.com
p | 1 (800) 605-4120
f | 1 (800) 610-8380
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New York Comic Con
Marc and I are in New York City for our second ever Comicon. New York is the ‘Big Show’ each year, and we’re excited to be here. You’ve probably never thought about this, but comic book artists have been banging out their backgrounds in one or two-point perspectives forever. Remember those classical methods from school like ‘the Office Method’, and ‘the Measuring Point’ method, the ‘Fudgeit’ method. Ah, it makes you long for your lead sharpener…all that sweet bliss grid-walking from one point to another in 3D, so exacting…and so very..very… time consuming.
Comics artists have to do for even a single perspective. It takes time, and as you’ll recall, you get the first perspective halfway done, only to realize you need a better, more dynamic perspective to communicate the full genius of your design, and you start again, and again. The advent of free 3D modelers like SketchUp, and professional 3D models libraries (FormFonts) has gotten much interest in the industry, and things are starting to change rapidly. Artists like the ability to stage their scenes and pick perspectives before lightboxing, and the who process of making backgrounds is becoming much more directorial (as in films). For example, check out this gorgeous process model/drawing by the inimitable Alex Maleev.
Hellicarrier by Alex Maleev © 2007 FormFonts, All Rights Reserved.
To see more of Alex’s stunning work, check out his website www.maleev.com.
For more on how 3D modeling and FormFonts are being used in the industry, check out these articles by Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief at Marvel. He mentions FormFonts in both articles! Thanks JoeyDaQ.
http://www.newsarama.com/NewJoeFridays/NewJoeFridays34.html
http://www.newsarama.com/NewJoeFridays/NewJoeFridays35.html
So if your A700 AdamJet has to refuel at JFK on your way to Belguim for a little offshore banking and waffles for breakfast, stop by the ‘Con (tomorrow thru Sunday) and come see us in booth #858.
Comments are off for this postSketchup Styles
FormFonts is pleased to announce our support of SketchUp Styles, a new
functionality in Google’s latest professional release of SketchUp V.6. Styles
allow you to give your 3D models artistic effects like those below.
We have also added a new member to our team just to handle styles.
Our Stylemeister is Ross Macintosh. We are
very pleased to have Ross as a new addition to the FormFonts family.
Fred Abler Interview
Fred Abler was recently interviewed on KVEC San Luis Obispo. Click here to listen.
Comments are off for this postYou’ve probably noticed quite a few beautiful italian lighting fixtures as of late. FormFonts is now doing contract catalogue development for product manufacturers world wide. We couldn’t be happier to share Prandina’s world-class lighting
fixtures with our subscribers, and Prandina is pretty satisfied as well:
“Working with Formfonts was an amazing experience: we were really impressed by their professional and reactive attitude. Fred and his team did really a great job: within a short time we got almost all our collection modelled; our best clients were enthusiast to use our new 3-d library: the good definition and the lightness of the files were among the most appreciated point.
We would definitely recommend FORMFONTS to anybody willing to create a professional 3-d library at a very competitive price.”
- PRANDINA SRL
If you are a product manufacturer interested in having your catalogue modeled by FormFonts 3D, please contact us at info@formfonts.com.
Comments are off for this postREVIT® Channel Launched!
We had a great show at AIA Design Expo, and thanks to all of our subscribers who stopped by and said hello We really love meeting you and learning more about what you want and need! Troy, don’t worry; the swimming pool equipment is coming.
We also announced our beta release of the new REVIT® Channel at the AIA Show. The new channel site has 2000+ 3D models in Revit® format. Most models (even 3D Trees) are below 500kb allowing design teams to stage their models with multiple components without sacrificing overall model size and graphic performance. The new REVIT® Channel is available by subscription for $19/month at revit.formfonts.com
Comments are off for this postCome See Us At The AIA Expo
Come see us at the AIA Expo next week, June 8-10th 2006. We’ll be located at booth #4162 and we would happy to have you come meet us. See the links below for more information.
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