FME 2013 from Safe Software Released

As with every release of Safe Software’s spatial data transformation technology FME, the release of FME 2013 Desktop and Server versions offers support for more data formats, in this case over 300 of them, including across point cloud/LiDAR, 3D, raster, database, vector and XML. Notable new formats include the ASTM E57 point cloud format, X3D, Autodesk IMX, PostGIS raster, SpatiaLite, Salesforce, and many more.

Other exciting features of FME 2013 include:

Streamlined Transformation Process

Using geometry validation tasks simplified by the new GeometryValidator transformer tool, provides a seamless way for users to validate and repair erroneous 2D and 3D data and coordinate it with standards such as those from OGC.

It also features automatic reading and writing of zipped files, speedier writing for most common raster formats, and the ability to create Esri shape datasets with spatial indexes that load more quickly into ArcGIS.  FME will write the shapefiles in a single zip and then will read out of that zip. “The automatic reading and writing of zipped files allows users to avoid downloading files and other but instead finding a url and pasting it in,” said Dale Lutz, co-founder and vice-president of development at Safe Software. “This way they can use the internet as an extension of their file system.”

Greater Support for 3D and Point Cloud Data
FME 2013 makes it easier for users to manipulate point cloud datasets, allowing them to be used to their full potential. New point cloud transformer tools enable these massive datasets to be consumed, analyzed, and filtered based on users’ criteria to extract only the information that’s required. “We support for four or five new lidar formats, and we added a couple of operations that let you do filtering and mass on a point by point basis,” said Lutz.  “Normally you have a mass of a billion points and think of it as a single unit, you can chop it into pieces, but you can now define what points you want where. We can do this fast, flooding simulation on lidar with no effort at all.”

There are also new 3D transformation tools that provide additional ways to manipulate and combine data so that output data produces more realistic models in 3D visualization applications. You can use the tools to combine components into one more informative 3D structure for analysis in a 3D modeling application. FME 2013 is 100 times faster in processing point clouds than the previous version.

“The use of 3D and point cloud data is increasingly becoming more common,” says Lutz. “By introducing support for more formats and new transformation capabilities, we aim to help our clients take better advantage of these rich datasets within their everyday projects.”

FME Desktop 2013
FME Desktop features usability enhancements for easier navigation and configurion of workflows. One addition is the new “Smart Delete” function, which automatically repairs connections between transformers when one is deleted, according to press materials.

Other changes in FME Desktop 2013 include improved zoom control, new shortcuts for faster execution of common functions, and faster displaying of results in the log window.

FME Server 2013

FME Server introduces new capabilities that further enhance automated data access and distribution.

“The FME Server Notification Service now includes support for leading web and mobile protocols including HTTP Post, Apple Push, and Google Cloud Messaging,” says Don Murray, president of Safe Software. “This expansion of support gives organizations more options when using FME Server as a hub to automatically receive data from anywhere, transform it, and then send it to whomever needs it.”

Other new features in FME Server 2013 include a new and improved web user interface for easier navigation and simpler integration with FME Desktop and third-party applications.

“Third parties such as Blue Marble have  integrated some of their key technology into FME,” said Lutz. “Blue Marble’s reprojection engine is inside FME, and thus their data transformation technology is inside FME. MapText, a labeling company, makes plug-ins for mapping systems. Their technology is now wrapped into FME, so users can label as they translate from any format and output them.“

Lutz also added that their goal at Safe Software is to have the upgrade for FME Server be as easy as upgrading your MacBook or iPhone.

Tags: 3D, 3D modeling, Blue Marble, cloud, FME 2013, FME Desktop, FME Server, geospatial, GIS, mapping, MapText, point cloud data, reprojection engine, Safe Software, shapefiles

Category: Safe Software

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