Art of Illusion

Art of Illusion
Company type	Free and open-source software
Industry	3D graphics software
Founded	1999
Founder	Peter Eastman
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Peter Eastman (founder), Lucas Stanek (current maintainer)
Products	3D modeling, texture mapping, rendering, animation software
Owner	Open source community
Website	www.artofillusion.org

Art of Illusion is a cost-free and open-source application designed for producing 3D graphics. It provides capabilities for 3D modeling, texture mapping, and 3D rendering of both static images and animation sequences. Additionally, it enables exporting models in the STL format, compatible with 3D printing.

Overview

Art of Illusion is positioned alongside other free 3D graphics programs such as Blender and Wings 3D, as well as commercial software like Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya. Unlike CAD software, it does not incorporate CAD-specific functionalities such as parametric modeling.

Users often describe Art of Illusion as an 'intuitive' and 'user-friendly' platform ideal for novices, although some suggest it is more appropriate for advanced users or requires a learning curve to fully utilize. It is noted for its robust capabilities, extensibility, and comprehensive toolset.

The entire software is developed using the Java programming language.

History

The project was initiated in 1999 by Peter Eastman, who managed development until 2016. Following his request, Lucas Stanek assumed responsibility for hosting the development, transitioning the project repository from SourceForge to GitHub. Despite this move, SourceForge continues to serve as the forum and distribution site.

Since its launch, the software has seen over 40 versions released. The most recent stable edition, version 3.2.1, became available on November 14, 2023.

Core Software and Extensions

The base package of Art of Illusion includes fundamental tools for modeling, texturing, animation, and rendering, which are enhanced through plugins and scripts. Plugins introduce additional functionality such as new tools, object categories, or user interface improvements; certain primary features like renderers are themselves implemented as plugins to simplify maintenance.

Object Types and Modeling

Various object categories are supported along with dedicated editing tools: Primitives (including cube, sphere, cylinder), Curve, Tube, Spline mesh, Triangle mesh, Polygon mesh (via plugin), Implicit object (plugin), and Hologram (plugin).

Animation

Users can animate 3D objects by modifying their location, rotation, and other attributes. Meshes can be rigged with skeletons to manage deformation and store preset gestures that combine into poses for intricate animations. Animation information is saved as keyframe tracks.

Rendering

Art of Illusion employs multi-threaded rendering processes and provides multiple lighting configurations. The core application features two built-in renderers:

The Ray Tracer renderer supports spatial anti-aliasing, soft shadows, depth of field effects, transparent backgrounds, photon mapping caustics, and subsurface scattering.

The Raster renderer offers a range of shading techniques along with super sampling support.

Scripting

The software accommodates two scripting languages: BeanShell and Groovy, equipped with a simple text editor for writing and running scripts. There are three script categories: Tool scripts, Scripted objects, and Start-up scripts.

Tool scripts function similarly to the commandSelected() method found in modeling utilities, facilitating seamless switching between scripts and plugins to support flexible development workflows.

Plugins

Art of Illusion offers a Java-based plugin framework accompanied by an extensions.xml file that specifies plugin metadata and dependencies. Compiled .jar plugin files must be placed in the Plugins directory and will be activated upon restarting the application.

A diverse selection of plugins can be found in the scripts and plugin repository, covering new object types, editors, user interface improvements, and additional tools. The Scripts and Plugins Manager streamlines the process of downloading and updating these extensions.

The main plugin classifications include:

Plugin — General-purpose plugins that do not fall into other categories
Renderer — Methods for scene rendering such as specialized ray tracers
Translator — Import and export support for various scene file formats
ModellingTool — Tools designed to modify scene objects
Texture — Textures applied to objects
Material — Materials assigned to objects
TextureMapping — Techniques for applying textures
MaterialMapping — Methods for applying materials
ImageFilter — Post-render image processing filters
Module — User-created 2D/3D textures

Cloth Simulation

The cloth simulation feature is provided as a plugin rather than included in the default installation. The ClothMaker plugin is highlighted as an example in the second edition of Extending Art of Illusion. The developer indicates that this simulator remains in "beta" status with some limitations. Utilizing the Distortion class, this plugin allows users to transform scene objects into cloth and create simulations through an editor interface with adjustable parameters. Once processed, the simulation can be played back using the animation timeline.

Procedural editor

Procedural editors provide graphical tools to generate textures, materials, animations, lighting, and certain objects by combining input parameters, preset patterns, and mathematical formulas—enabling flexible procedural content creation.

Audio

Art of Illusion does not support audio or sound processing; its documentation contains no references to audio capabilities.

File formats and interoperability

Scenes are saved using Art of Illusion’s proprietary ".aoi" format. The core application supports importing Wavefront (.obj) files and exporting Wavefront (.obj), Povray 3.5 (.pov), and VRML (.wrl) formats. Additional format translators are available through plugins, enhancing compatibility with other 3D software.

Language support

The main user interface is localized into 14 different languages; however, translations within plugins may be incomplete.

System requirements

Art of Illusion version 3.2.0 requires Java Virtual Machine (JVM) version 8 or newer. Installation packages are provided for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux, along with a generic zip package for other platforms or when self-extracting archives are unsuitable. Interactive rendering benefits from OpenGL hardware acceleration.

Although no formal minimum hardware specifications are stated, the software defaults to allocating 16 GB of JVM memory, which can be modified via command-line options. Multithreading is supported to utilize multicore CPUs during rendering tasks.

The interface is optimized for use with either a single-button or three-button mouse featuring a scroll wheel; a keyboard with a numberpad is advisable for efficient shortcut use. Additionally, a plugin enables support for 3D input devices such as those from 3Dconnexion.

External links