In cooperation with the marketing agency FREYLANCE our business partner K&S Media GmbH has developed a free 2D space and facilities planner called „easy2D“ based on the EGR online planner. This tool allows you to plan your dream home area across platforms directly in your web browser.

For more complex planning tasks you ideally work together with a professional. But often a quick sketch is sufficient to try out how the arrangement of furniture in the room looks like. In “easy2D” you will find more than 1,000 hand-drawn 2D symbols from the fields of living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and many more.

You can start now with your very own design, without academic qualifications and programming skills. You can save the results as a file, you can print it or you can continue editing them in your user account in the browser later on.

In the first few weeks after its release it already indicates that the „easy2D“ planner is not only used for the private sector. It is also important for the room planning as well as the interior design of workplaces. The possibilities to use the software range from offices, labs, hotels and catering up to production. Manufacturers from all areas of living and working environments are welcome to bring their own symbol libraries and make them available for the planning with easy2d.

Try it yourself! Just click on the image to get to an example planning which can be edited according to your ideas.

There are some good news for the international customers: A translation of the website is already in progress, which will go online in late February. You have question? You would like to give your opinion? Be welcome to send us your questions and feedback!

May I introduce? Flower – an elegant coat stand that simply invites people to put their coats, jackets or scarves up. The attractively designed crown immediately catches the eye. And thanks to its five large hooks and its five small ones: Flower offers plenty of room for at least ten coats. Rain? Flower is also available with an umbrella holder. Available in eight modern colours! You can now insert the CAD model of Flower into your planning and configure your own coat stand in pCon.planner according to your wishes.

As an interior design partner for architects, facility managers and office furnishing companies, the Dutch company Cascando contributes the quality of working. They say that they create a harmonious and attractive working environment to stimulate an optimum performance and interaction. Check this out for yourself: You will now find OFML® planning data of Cascando in pCon.update.

From the 3th to 7th of February 2015 the Furniture & Light Fair takes place in Stockholm. The world’s largest marketplace for Scandinavian design where well-known manufacturers in the fields of furniture and lighting design meet.

Not only for office buildings but also for the private rooms you can get many impressions. The highlights are the newly designed exhibition halls, the trend exhibition, which shows how the boundaries between private and public life space merge and the so-called “Greenhouse”, where aspiring designers present their ideas.

Our distributor for Northern Europe, the SHD KPS Nordic ApS is also represented on the exhibition and will present the pCon product range to all inquisitive visitors. Be welcome for a little talk! You will find us at booth AG 31, in front of Hall Alder.

For more information about the fair, click here.

In our next video tutorial we present the Multi Content Pictures which you can use to enhance the presentation of your planning or product. The pictures can just be created in pCon.planner PRO. Unlike a normal picture Multi Content Pictures contain commercial information such as the product name or the name of the manufacturer. Simply click on the selected screen area to learn more about the product details. Our free online-platform Impress is an excellent tool to display the Multi Content Pictures. So you can show your presentations at every time and any place. Have a closer look!

PS: The video has been recorded in HD quality. You can set the quality up in the bottom navigation of the video. For best results choose 1080p. With slower connections it may take longer to load the video.

Last year the EasternGraphics GmbH headquarter in Ilmenau was extended by 1000 square meters. The design of the new conference rooms is reflecting characteristic features of the locations of our subsidiaries.

To make this vision reality art students of the local high-school “Am Lindenberg” were asked to create paintings. This project was called “Die Welt ist ein Dorf – EasternGraphics International”, which translates to “The world is a village – EasternGraphics International”. The works were to be designed using personal experiences, travel brochures and illustrated books.

The vernissage of the paintings took place at the Kulturfabrik Langewiesen close to Ilmenau late January. The 25 images were presented to 150 guests. The evening program was also performed by the artists.

EasternGraphics was very pleased with the outcome of the creative work. The company supports an excursion of the art course to Paris with a donation of 1,000 Euros.

The exhibition is shown at the Kulturfabrik until the end of February. Then the images will find their final locations in the new conference rooms of the headquarter.

The EasternGraphics GmbH will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the middle of this year. Founded by two graduates of the Technical University of Ilmenau the company has developed to an employer of over a 100 people and additionally several subsidiaries throughout Europe.

What comes to your mind when you read “Burocean”? It is a word game that seems hardly compatible: bureau and ocean. With the pCon.planner you can now find out if you can bring some ocean in your office. To do this you can now select the recently launched CAD models of Burocean in our pCon.catalog.

Founded in 1992 Burocean is based in the beautiful west of France, in the Charente-Maritime in the heart of the Cognac vineyards above the town of Bordeaux. The company itself says that they can improve the comfort and well-being in every office – maybe a hint of holiday.

Besides single-frame rendering and panoramic images, there is another good way of presenting a planning: Animation. Simply simulate a “flight” over a scene you have designed or visualize the details of individual objects or rooms. In the following video tutorial we show you how to create animations. On our website you can download the latest version of pCon.planner for free and try it yourself!

PS: The video has been recorded in HD quality. You can set the quality up in the bottom navigation of the video. For best results choose 1080p. With slower connections it may take longer to load the video.

In consultation with our support team we would now like to answer common questions regarding pCon.planner:

1) Who can help me with problems related to the software?

You have several opportunities to get help in case of a problem with pCon.planner:

• At first you can have a look at our online help center. Here you will find a pictorial guideline of the program functions. In addition the category “questions and answers” provides solutions for technical issues regarding program and planning settings.
• If you prefer to contact us directly, our competent support team will be glad to help you! Just send an email to: support@easterngraphics.com
• Furthermore we have compiled a playlist of videos on various topics, which can be found on YouTube  as well as in our help center.

2) Do you run any courses for working with pCon.planner?

• We offer pCon.planner training courses based on standardised modules, which can also be adapted to individual purposes of your company. In addition we provide seminars for advanced users of pCon.planner to deepen your knowledge in a targeted manner.
• If you are interested in any kind of training, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to offer a customized training.

3) Does pCon.planner also work in the Mac systems and with Mac OS X?

• At present we do not offer a version of pCon.planner for Mac OS. Windows virtualization software like Parallels, VMWare, etc will, however, provide a possible workaround.
• Please note, that we do not offer any support for the use of BootCamp or Windows virtualization.

4) Where can I find accessories or 3D models to complete my planning work?

• In pCon.planner you are able to directly access pCon.catalog with its various customer catalogs and 3D warehouse. Find everything you need for complete and realistic planning work, ranging from a file shelf to house plants. You can also use CAD models from other web platforms if they conform to the formats used in pCon.planner.

5) Can I optimize the performance of pCon.planner? 

• Especially graphical hardware from Intel can cause some performance problems, if the hardware is older than 3 years. There are a number of ways in which you may be able to improve the performance of the design application. For detailed information please visit this topic in our help center.

6) What can I do if certain objects in my planning are no longer visible?

• If graphic rendering problems are not the reason, you should check whether all layers are activated or not by using the Layer dialog. This is found by clicking the Layer symbol on the toolbar. How to influence the visibility of a layer can be read at this topic in our help center.

7) Are there any ways of reducing the amount of disk space needed by a planning in pCon.planner?

• There are a number of possibilities offered in pCon.planner to reduce the disk space requirements of a planning and minimize the size of the file.
• Use the Purge function in the Application Menu and then re-save your design. This will remove certain background elements which are still contained in the design but no longer required.
• The Level of Detail which has been set can also have a significant effect on the performance during the work on a design and will affect the size of the file. You can specify the level of detail in the general settings in the tab „miscellaneous“.

8) How can I arrange the toolbar in pCon.planner according to my wishes?

• All the important tools and toolboxes for pCon.planner are included in the Toolbar. It is along the right-hand edge of the working area. For each icon of the Toolbar, a click will open the relevant window.
• The tool will open in a new window when the corresponding button on the Toolbar is clicked. Most of the windows can be used either as a floating or a docked element. “Floating” means that the tool appears as a window that can be placed anywhere in front of the working area. Read more about how the windows can be fixed to the edge of the working area at this topic in our help center.

9) Why is the graphic user interface in pCon.planner 7 kind of blurry?

• The visualization of the user interface can be disrupted on some systems, so the operating elements will look kind of blurry. Windows uses an automatic scaling process to adapt these operation elements to the required screen.
• In the latest generation of monitors, which in some cases have very high pixel density (number of pixels per inch, DPI), this fact may cause the icons in pCon.planner to appear larger but less distinct. It is possible to disable this automatic scaling process at the application level. For more information please visit this topic at our help center.

10) While printing an image in layout mode the lines are somehow very bright. Why?

• This is a normal condition based on the resolution, which has been set for the image. The higher the resolution, the finer and lighter the lines are displayed.
• In the printing options the screen resolution is set to 600 dpi by default. If you choose a lower resolution, the lines will be darker but also the quality of the image deteriorates.

Since February the “questions and answers” catalog is also available in English. At the moment you will find a collection of the most popular frequently asked questions. During the following months we want to persistently enrich this compilation.

Are there further questions? We will be glad to help you! Just write a comment!

For many years, pCon.update has been used successfully as a service for distributing OFML product data and has established itself in the office and contract furniture market as a standard. Manufacturers and retailers benefit from its efficient data distribution, growing circle of users and the easy access to OFML data provided by the service. The greater success places greater demands on pCon.update and the latest revisions and upgrades to the web portal have now addressed these requirements.

The website’s new design and a general overhaul of the usability show the way forward for pCon.update. Users can now manage their data subscriptions much more easily and see at a glance which manufacturer data is already being obtained via the web service, from which manufacturer data has been requested and which providers will soon be making their data available via pCon.update. If support is required, users can open the contact information for the manufacturer with just one click rather than wasting time trying to find the right contact partner. The new sorting and filter options simplify the task of navigating the list of suppliers. If the user’s wished-for-brand is not yet available in the portal, one can suggest its inclusion. pCon.update users can request to be informed about new additions to the portal by email.

New users of the web service benefit from the simplified registration process. The pCon.update registration assistant guides you through each step – from entering your contact information to selecting the manufacturers.

Further improvements to usability are already being planned for the website in order to simplify the work with the web service in the future. This applies equally to manufacturers who distribute their data via pCon.update: we are currently optimizing their user management options.

The newly designed pCon.planner website is now available in Romanian. From now on we provide all information about pCon.planner, the online presentation service Impress as well as information for developers and educational institutions in 8 languages.

Panoramic images as 360 degree views of your planning are among the most innovative presentation techniques. Thus you can present your room concepts in the best possible way either in the browser or on all mobile devices. In the following video tutorial we show you how panoramic images are created. On our website you can download the latest version of pCon.planner for free and try it yourself!

PS: The video has been recorded in HD quality. You can set the quality up in the bottom navigation of the video. For best results choose 1080p. With slower connections it may take longer to load the video.

Our pCon distribution partner in Northern Europe, KPS Nordic ApS, is very pleased about a fantastic Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2015. “Our solutions for interior design, product configuration and presentation were really popular. Especially the online presentation service Impress and the new functions of the pCon.planner made a lasting impression.” General Manager Lars Tønning states pleased, and draws up an overall positive résumé of the five exhibition days: “The high number of visitors to our stand confirms that we have a strong position in the market. Users, from dealers to interior architects, existing clients as well as potential new ones, were dropping by. We had a very good fair.”

With view to the future, he adds: “We are looking forward to extend with new interesting manufactures within pCon.catalog. Furthermore, we are launching an interesting OFML data project with one of Sweden’s largest manufactures.”

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair is the fair for Scandinavian design and is considered as one of the two top-notch furniture fairs in Europe – the other one being Salone del Mobile in Milan. This year’s edition of the fair took place in the first week of February and drew almost 40.000 visitors and around 750 companies to the Scandinavian metropolis.

Sources: Architonic, Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair

We have updated the pCon.planner website. Here we present the changes we have made to the website:

pCon.catalog product page
In our product section you will now find a page dedicated to our CAD library pCon.catalog. pCon.catalog is an online platform where you can find high quality 3d models for your interior design projects. The cad models are provided by numerous renowned manufacturers, such as Vitra, Arper and BoConcept. The selection ranges from swivel chairs to workbenches and ceiling lamps.

Menu item developers
We have created a special area for developers and programmers. You can find information about developing extensions for the pCon.planner under the menu item “developers”.

Menu item education
We provide special offers for students and educational establishments. Get information about how you can benefit from the special conditions under “education”.

Information about seminars
Under the menu item “service” you can now find the “seminars” section. There we provide information on pCon.planner trainings as well as exemplary content of the seminars.

Have fun exploring our updated website!

Accessories, lights, coat stands or document displays – Manade has been designing complementary products for offices combining creativity, ergonomics and a high standard of quality. You can now access CAD models of the French company’s main products in pCon.catalog.

Ever since Manade was founded in 1972, the company is invested in developing original and creative products to improve life at work.
The use of pCon.planner and pCon.catalog enables Manade to highlight the flexibility and variety of its clever products and goes hand in hand with the company’s commitment towards technological progress.

For the appropriate presentation of your designs, the first and simplest option is to use single frames. You can generate real-time displays as well as photorealistic images in pCon.planner. In this video tutorial we will show you how to create high-quality renderings and how you get the best results using the predefined profiles.

PS: The video has been recorded in HD quality. You can set the quality up in the bottom navigation of the video. For best results choose 1080p. With slower connections it may take longer to load the video.

A few weeks ago we posted an article about the cooperation between the art class of the local high school “Am Lindenberg” and EasternGraphics. In the course of the cooperation, about 20 paintings came into existence, all of whom were inspired by features of the locations of our subsidiaries.
After the paintings were shown in the café Kulturfabrik in Langewiesen, they finally have found their way to us and onto the walls of our rooms. Have a look at some of the paintings:

SitLand chairs bring a piece of nature into your office. The structure of the backrest of the swivel chair “Leaf”, for example, is a fresh and purist interpretation of leaf veins. And not only the design brings freshness into your office – according to its natural model, “Leaf” has a positive impact on the room climate. Just as many of the other SitLand products, “Leaf” has received the Greenguard certificate.

Download CAD models of SitLand for free from pCon.catalog and use it in your interior design software.

SitLand is the first Italian manufacturer of seats for offices and collective spaces. High quality and love for details are the foundations of the company. An essential aspiration of SitLand is care and respect for the environment, achieved through the implementation of a policy of low environmental impact.

The sun is shing through the windows, birds are singing and brightly colored flowers embellish green meadows – springtime has arrived! For many of us this is the time to clear out, clean and redecorate our apartments. Give yours a quick springtime makeover by getting some new pillows for the couch and adding some daffodils and tulips.

You are up for bigger changes? A new color for your walls, new carpets or a new layout for your furniture? Before you begin to tediously move your furniture around, try out your design ideas in our 3d room planner pCon.planner – without aching muscles.

The free interior design software supports many file formats, such as DWG, SKP, 3DS, PNG and JPG. This means you can use 3D models and materials from many different sources. If you do not want to start from scratch, you can download the dwg file of our sample apartment and check out how the entire room changes when you for instance modify the colors of the walls or the carpets.

Have fun trying out your ideas!

PS: You can download 3d models of books, carpets and other accessories from pCon.catalog or 3d warehouse.

With our online presentation service Impress, you are able to combine content created with the pCon.planner to individual presentations and share them with other people. In addition to images, panoramas, videos, Multi Content Pictures and Download tiles Impress can also display 3D objects interactively. In this video tutorial we will show you how to create and manage your own presentations.

PS: The video has been recorded in HD quality. You can set the quality up in the bottom navigation of the video. For best results choose 1080p. With slower connections it may take longer to load the video.