We've all seen computer-generated visualizations and thought: "that's impressive, but there's no way I'd be able to replicate that inside of 100 hours' work"?  Or read claims about 'intuitive usability' for a piece of software only to spend half the trial period just working out what the different tools even are, never mind learning how to use them productively?  The Piranesi team are short-cutting the process.

In the AEC market, Piranesi is renowned for its unparalleled ability to produce architectural visualizations from computer-generated models which mimic hand-rendered styles such as watercolour, oil paint and sketch.  The Piranesi website (www.piranesi.co.uk) is filled with awe-inspiring images of customer projects from around the world.

But as well as being amazed by the creative capabilities of the tool, new users are always astounded to discover that Piranesi helps them create such impressive visualizations far faster than other renderers, and in a fraction of the time it would take by hand.

"There are so many claims about software usability and 'instant learning curves' that we thought rather than telling people how easy Piranesi is to use that we should simply show them," says Jeremy Jones, Piranesi Marketing Manager for ISIL.

"When people see the quality of the images that our customers produce, their experience of other rendering tools leads them to think Piranesi must be complicated, time-consuming, and difficult to get to grips with," says Jeremy, a self-confessed Piranesi evangelist.  "By allowing them to experience Piranesi prior to trialling, we can explain the fundamentals, deliver an end-to-end product demonstration, show tips and tricks for recent purchasers, and respond to participants' questions, all in about an hour, far quicker than working through the usual tutorials."

It's incredible how quickly Piranesi works to convert a plain export from a modeller into a stylish visualization, a feat reflected within the webinar.  After a quick tour of the UI, within two minutes we see how Piranesi's unique 'locks' allow the application of colour, materials, textures and grains to specific areas of the image, without the need to generate complex masks.

As the seconds tick by it's easy to forget that we're looking at a fixed 2D image of our model.  Materials apparently 'wrap' around the surfaces of our model, whilst the cutouts scale instantly as they're moved around the screen, and can even be placed 'behind' our model.  The secret is Piranesi's Epix file, which stores the assigned materials and relative depth data for each pixel when output from the modeller.

By the end of the session, true to his word, Jeremy has taken us right through the product's capabilities, whilst explaining all tools used in a clear and simple fashion.  It's now an easy decision to download the Piranesi trial and start painting ourselves.

The webinar series, which started last month and continues throughout July and August, is open to all, though pre-registration is required because of limited numbers per session (email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to secure your slot).  For those who can't make the sessions (or for those who want to relive the experience), Informatix have recorded one of the first webinars and have made it available on their website.

To sign up for a webinar contact Jeremy Jones at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . To view the recorded webinar, follow the links on the Piranesi website at at http://www.piranesi.co.uk/products/product_videos.asp. A 30-day free trial of Piranesi is available to download from http://www.piranesi.co.uk/trial/trial_home.asp.

About Informatix Software International Limited

Informatix Software International Limited was founded in 1997 to develop software for the architectural, engineering, construction, and facility management industries.  Based in Cambridge, England, Informatix sells its products across the globe through an international network of distributors and online via its website.  Informatix maintains strong links with Cambridge University, and has collaborative agreements with a number of best-in-class technology developers.