Renderer seems very good (http://www.e-frontier.com/imagecatalogue/image/list/34?sbss=642) :peace:

Price Shade 8 Standart complete! (http://www.contentparadise.com/us/user/product.php?productid=16532&cat=1325&page=1)

Edited :
from what I can see it looks like it is only the French version that is US$99.

No no no! (even in the english version you have the Stl plug more :rolleyes:
Look here on the right the special offer till 28 fev (http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1535/1/652?sbss=652) :peace:

It's because it's the 20 anniversary of the firm :)
But see limitation with Version Pro post #"7

from what I can see it looks like it is only the French version that is US$99... bugga...

from what I can see it looks like it is only the French version that is US$99.
Look here on the right the special offer till 28 fev (http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1535/1/652?sbss=652) :peace:
(even in the english version you have the Stl plug more :rolleyes:
It's because it's the 20 anniversary of the firm :)

Gallery looks interesting and photorealistic....

Anyone tried it yet?
How is the workflow?,
Does it work through .3DS/.OBJ exporter out of sketchup?
learningcurve?
...Here is an example from their gallery

I've tried it before, it is really difficult to use! after getting used to sketchup everything else is counter-intuitive.... how very sad. But I must say that the renders are top notch quality.

Gallery looks interesting and photorealistic....

Anyone tried it yet?
How is the workflow?,
Does it work through .3DS/.OBJ exporter out of sketchup?
learningcurve?
...Here is an example from their gallery


Yes, I used it briefly a while back. Shade has a very good render engine (I think it's radiosity-based - or maybe, some form of path-tracing; particle-tracing, I believe they called it. Think Photon-mapping for anyone famliar with Vray or), that produces very high quality images. I used a previous version (v6 or 7, I think) which, unfortunately was a bit slow, calculating the GI, and was also a tad unstable, with a few crashes; they may have imrpoved onthose two ares since then. But the interface, gui, is just mind-numbingly difficult to get familiar with if you're accustomed to the floating/docked palette, and icon-based GUI's of most commong graphics applications. It certainly takes a while to get used to since a lot of commands are only accessible through right-click edit menus. But once you get the hang of it, I imagine you can produce interesting output.

I always felt though, they they needed to improve the user interface, otherwise they'd have a difficult time selling it. Seeing as the price has dropped to $99 for this offer, it seems like that might have been the case. Bad graphical user-interface design, can be the Achille's heel that kills off a software's marketeability - regardless of just how powerful the engine is; just ask Lightwave.

It's very popular in Japan though.

..and the pro version (http://www.egisys.de/download/shade8/shade8_datasheet.pdf) :wondering
The principal is the Plug of Rendering Callisto !
(see difference Standard / Pro for the rendering
page 164 169 of the manuel of Plugins