We have received alot of requests to add more symbols to Ecdesign and now there is a new update in the Standard library (generic library).

In the symbols library you now  will find new 2D symbols (they will not appear in 3D).
In the same update we have included a number of new LED light options. The new lights are available in the STANDARD object library under LAMPS.

The summer is almost over here in Sweden and we are back to business as usual. During the summer our development team has been working on some exciting new & improved features to be released during the fall of 2017.
One feature we are extra excited about is a new local importer of Sketchup models. This means you will be able to add 3D from Sketchup Warehouse, the world's largest site for downloading 3D models. We are currently beta testing the new features and a release date will be announced shortly.

In July we did a customer survey and 96% of our users feel Ecdesign is important to their business and 86% will recommend Ecdesign to a colleague or friend. We could not be happier about such great feedback, but we are not slowing down. The survey also gave us some very insightful feedback which we will closely study to help improve Ecdesign going forward.

Be sure to enroll in free online Ecdesign training courses. Our Ecdesign academy is a great place to learn how to use Ecdesign. The courses covers every aspect of Ecdesign and you finish of each course with a quiz. 

We have put together a quick guide the Ecdesign 3D user interface (3D toolbar menu). The guide is great for beginners who needs some help with what each respective icon in the toolbar menu does.

iIn the new PRESENTATION OPTION menu you can select from different render output options. Use the basic render, if you would like a crisp, neutral rendering. Use day, studio or night render options for more dynamic images/video presentations.

In our official Ecdesign 4.6 version you can now create amazing PAVIGYM fitness floor configurations. You get access to PAVIGYM's full floor library and you can customize the layout down to individual floor tiles. In the automatic PDF presentation you can even include an estimate/ overview on what tiles/ how many tiles where used in each room of the layout.

If you are currently using the old  Ecdesign 4.15, then you will not see the new updates. This is because Ecdesign 4.5 and higher is based on a new platform, so you will have download the new version here, www.ecdesign.se/download-ecdesign

Ecdesign is a 3D software so we do recommend using a computer with dedicated graphics (NVIDIA) however Ecdesign will run on most PC's. Really old computers lack support for Direct X11 and 3D will not load correctly. If this is the case for you, no problems, just go to settings in Ecdesign 4.6 and select "use 4.15 viewer". This will let you run Ecdesign with our legacy 4.15 viewer. We will have this option available for a longer period of time (until platform 5.).

Be sure to enroll in free online video training courses. We have courses covering all aspects of Ecdesign. The e-learning site is truly the best way to learn Ecdesign.

We are happy to announce the release of our new referral program. Now you can earn money or extra subscription days by simply referring Ecdesign to someone you know.

New rendering options has been introduced with Ecdesign 4.6 and they can easily be accessed from the new Presentation Menu. You can choose basic Basic, Studio, Day and Night. The new render options all work with every type of presentation option (image, walkthrough video, 360 degree photo and video). This is just one of many new features and improvements available in the new Ecdesign 4.6 version.

With Ecdesign you can easily create 360 degree images and walkthrough videos. A 360 presentation is a very cool way to present the floor plan on either a computer or mobile device.

We have launched Ecdesign 4.6 today. The new version includes many new major improvements to Ecdesign all of which you can read more about here. Do a check for updates in Ecdesign 4.5 and the new Ecdesign 4.6 update will be downloaded. The update is of course free for all active users.

New Skydome feature - add 360 panorama views.

We are happy to announce a new big update is on it's way. Below you can ready about the new features and improvements coming very shortly. The new update is scheduled for release in the few next days.

New rendering options
More rendering types, such as very crisp basic rendering.
 
New rendering menu
Quickly choose render type, skydomes and focal zoom.
 
Optimized rendering process
​Improved speed and memory handling which will make Ecdesign run even better on computers with less graphic power.
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New 360 Skydomes
​Add great looking 360 panorama views to your layout.

Image viewer
Once a rendered images is saved, the windows photo viewer will display the finished result (so you don’t have to look up the images every time.

New navigation option
New simple navigation (mouse mode) simple press left mouse button to move forward, right mouse button to back up.
 
​Navigation speed
Now you will be able to set 3 different speeds on your real-time navigation (so you can move faster in the layout without pressing down shift).
 
OTHER UPDATES/ IMPROVEMENTS

1. Object quick search, now you only need to enter 2 letters and it will begin to search. The search now includes the top 100 results (before 25).
2. STAIRS, now the stairs height will work.
3. Creating holes in the floor.
4. New camera icon in 2D.
5. Now you can add more cameras and select them in 3D..set camera points.
6. Now easier to share files with colleagues. In 2D, simply go to FILE and EXPORT. This will create a zip with the layout, custom textures etc. Send it to a colleage and it will open correct including the textures.
7. Major bug fix regarding the autosave feature.
8. Minor bug fixes in 3D edit/ move of objects.
9. Improved wall drawing tools.
10. Vertical rotation of custom objects.

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We are very happy to announce that Nussbaum Group and TRX are among the new manufacturers joining Ecdesign over the next coming weeks. Nussbaum is a world leading manufacturer of automotive- and heavy-duty lifts. TRX is a leading global brand in physical training and the industry leader in functional fitness.

We have now beta launched the new Ecdesign live chat on our website. The live chat will allow website visitors to connect with the Ecdesign team in real-time. The live chat hours will be 10:00AM-4:00PM Swedish time. 

This article  was originally posted on Linkedin 2017-05-12
​Author Richard Grönberg, Founder & CEO of Ecdesign.

I often get questions about who can use Ecdesign and the answer is simple, basically everyone. Ecdesign was designed to be fast and very user friendly, yet still very powerful. Below you will find a quick introduction on the Ecdesign workflow.

Here is a view of the 2D interface, where most of the planning takes place. In Ecdesign you can import an existing floor plan and use as a template, or start from scratch. Furnish the layout with real equipment from leading manufacturers in your industry. Drag out the objects (which are to scale) into the position of your choice.

At any time you can click a 3D button and enter a live scene based on your work in 2D. When in 3D you can add more objects, make quick changes such switching colors and materials on objects and the room structures. You can save images (up to 4k resolution) from any angle in 3D and even produce a beautiful walkthrough video which can be quickly shared. Check out the video above to see how it all works.

Ecdesign main objective is to help users elevate their business using 3D. We include many ways to help present floor plans in the best and easiest way possible. For example you can also let Ecdesign instantly create professional PDF presentations, night time photos, 360 degree images/ video and soon even VR presentations using Oculus Rift.

Now you can take Ecdesign out for a test drive. Simply visit ecdesign.se and sign up for a free 30 day trial- risk free.