SIGGRAPH attendees got a glimpse of bonzai3d, a new 3D modeler from AutoDesSys. The new product was touted as a lighter, smaller version of formZ, a well-known NURBS modeler* from the same company. In the announcement, AutoDesSys described bonzai3d as an offspring of formZ and a 3D modeler developed to fill in the demand for a quick, easy, simple but, most importantly, geometrically robust approach to 3D.
AutoDesSys' new modeling package bonzai3d comes with a rich set of Spline editing tools that let you generate imaginative shapes and surfaces. Nevertheless, the software works like a robust 3D package, with ample NURBS editing tools to produce complex geometric shapes and surfaces. It comes with a menu specific to architecture (walls, windows, and staircases that you can drag, drop, and resize, for example), but because of its ability to produce sweeping profiles, it could easily be deployed for conceptualizing consumer goods.