Visualizing the Digital Twin: Enhancements in the latest NX release

By William Chanatry

Following the latest release of NX, we want to bring a more detailed look into the different enhancements that you can expect in the different areas of NX. This article focus is on Visualization and Rendering. Please see below for a what’s new look!

Here’s an example of using NX render and appearance management to create hero shots directly from NX.

Decal and material authoring workflow enhancements

Decal usability is radically improved as well as a new UV Map generation for accurate texturing of visual materials and decals. User testing shows a 3X improvement for authoring.

Decal positioning is enhanced to use in-window manipulation and sizing tools.

What’s new?
•Use of standard tools to set orientation
•Planar, cylindrical, spherical and UV map types
•Overall dialog workflow simplified

Watch below for an example of decal authoring in the latest release.

Authoring of UVMap is available with NX Render. UV Map generation is for accurate texturing for you visual materials and decals.

What’s new?

New powerful unwrapping feature for curvy and convergent surfaces
•Generate continuous UV mappings for use with materials and decals
•Introduces a new object type UVMap
•Stored within new folder in materials in part

UV map applied across faces
•Behaves like a feature.
•Map regenerates UV on demand.
•Materials and decals can access UV map using UV mapping projection type

Please watch below for a demonstration:

New! NX Extended Reality
Export your visually rich and dynamic extended reality file formats

NX Extended Reality is a new product that is included with our value based licensing option.

Export to extended reality XR formats.

What’s new?
•GLTF and GLB format support
•Publish your CAD data with visual richness. This can be on desktop, mobile and with headset web viewers. The decals are exported as well as Siemens Visual Material. You can also import animation designer to motion.
•Cameras
•Assembly arrangements and explosion. Full model hierarchy and geometry compression.

Watch below for a demonstration

Visualization Productivity: Enhancements to improve workflow and productivity for NX Render

NX Render: Aspect Ratio Support for a consistent camera setup

With aspect ratio support in the rendering application you can capture an aspect ratio for your camera.

What’s new?

•Enable aspect ratio in ray traced studio
•Easier to set up and reproduce your selected camera shot
•Desired aspect ratio can be set independently to the current NX viewport aspect ratio
•Match the aspect ratio of your background image
•Studio display also respects image background aspect ratio, so you can set up your shots before launching NX Render

Please watch below for a demonstration.

Ground Plane Glossiness

Add glossiness and color filtering to reflections! Enable your designs to more naturally blend with the background improving the overall quality of your production images. Use the reflection color filtering to get a closer connection to the background colors.

See below for a demonstration.

Ambient Shadows in Studio Mode

The ambient shadow feature has now been improved to give a much stronger and more expected result. This is a fantastic way to add depth and understanding of shape into design reviews. This will give you that extra level of depth and fidelity.

As always – please see below for a demonstration

Thank you for taking a look at the recent NX Visualization and Rendering enhancements in this latest release of NX. Follow our blog for more updates in other areas in the coming weeks.