If you do a LOT of 3D rendering, you need to take a look at CameraMatch plug-in for Vectorworks 2011. Looking over the gallery images and info page on PanzerCAD’s website, I was blown away!

Here is more information on the plug-in from the official press release:

The CameraMatch 2011 plug-in allows a user to easily align a 3D model view to a photograph. With this plug-in, a user can also superimpose the rendered model into the photograph, saving time by eliminating the need to spend hours creating models of a project’s surroundings.

“We’re really excited about CameraMatch 2011,” says Matt Panzer, owner of PanzerCAD. “A lot of work went into this version, and it shows. Creating a composite rendering in an existing photo is even more accurate than before, and the new ‘image editing’ abilities can give you great finished renderings without even leaving Vectorworks.”

Some of the new features in CameraMatch 2011 include:

Completely Rewritten View Calculation Procedure
This “under the hood” improvement makes calculated views more accurate and allows for more difficult situations.

Mask Object’s New Clone Mode
The feature allows a Mask object to shift the photo image it displays, which lets a Mask object behave similar to the Clone tool in many image-editing applications.

New Shadow Object
The new Shadow object allows shadows and shading to be placed over the rendered image, eliminating the need to export to an image editor for adding simple shadows.

Other New Features
CameraMatch’s more efficient use of image resources greatly reduces file sizes. Mask and Shadow objects automatically clip any parts of themselves extending past the viewport’s crop.

The CameraMatch 2011 plug-in can be purchased from www.panzercad.com for US$100. For CameraMatch 2010 users, the upgrade fee is US$40. CameraMatch 2011 is free for students and teachers using the 2011 educational version of the Vectorworks software.

CameraMatch is currently available in English, and German and Italian versions are planned for later this year.