Colour science and technology specialists X-Rite and Pantone have unveiled a new Pantora desktop feature.
The new Pantora desktop feature targets colour and appearance data management in digital design and production workflows.
Pantora now connects with the Ci7000 Series, MA-T12, and MetaVue VS3200 spectrophotometers. It enables brands and suppliers to quickly capture or import spectral and appearance data into the application. Using Pantora, they can create virtual material samples for paints, plastics, metals, fabrics, and meshes. They can store, edit, and share digital material files using appearance exchange format files across product lifecycle management, CAD, and 3D rendering software.
Accessible scanning
Matthew Adby, appearance product portfolio manager, X-Rite , says, “The latest release of Pantora makes digital material scanning accessible to a broader audience by allowing brands and suppliers to leverage their existing colour data and measurement devices.
“The Pantora desktop application simplifies the management of a large volume of complex colour and appearance data. It acts as the epicentre for appearance workflows connecting digital material capture sources with output destinations. You can now import a measured material sample, or connect to an X-Rite spectrophotometer, to measure a physical sample directly into Pantora.”
For paint and coatings samples, the MA-T12 multi-angle spectrophotometer can measure and virtualise flake texture and colour flop. The Ci7000 benchtop sphere spectrophotometers capture transmission of colour on translucent materials and reflection colour in plastics. For multi-spectral texture measurements, the MetaVue VS3200 non-contact imaging spectrophotometer captures the texture of leather, laminate and textile samples.
The Pantora Material Browser locates, acquires, and imports the digital material data as an appearance exchange format file. This accounts for appearance attributes such as colour, gloss, and texture. With the Material Viewer, companies can render the material in a virtual scene to see the effect of lighting, gloss levels, and special effect pigments. The new Pantora Variant Editor enables suppliers to create large digital material libraries by combining sample attributes.
Accelerated design
Adby says, “Pantone provides the universal language of colour that enables colour-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for manufacturers. The ability to easily and affordably transform a physical material into a digital sample minimises the need to ship samples around the globe between design teams, suppliers, and partners. This allows companies to innovate and accelerate the design to manufacturing process.
“Using digital material virtualisation, remote teams can continue to design and source materials using a 3D workflow. They can have confidence that material colour and appearance will be accurate in production.”
