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Macromedia Fireworks 4
by wiganer
Well I wouldn't go as far as what the title says, but it got your attention. :) Well what can I say, this is truely a magical piece of kit, that every computer user should have. I know most people describe it has a web design tool but believe me, this can be for home use too. I have created many banners for projects, or just ... to mess around and see what the programs capabilities are.
Everything you need and more can be found in here to make the perfect banner or graphic. I must say though a couple more effects wouldnt go amiss. But lets be honest here you can still make quality stuff without these missing effects so I wouldn't let this but you off buying this product.
I hear people saying "What is so good about this, that other design tools don't have?" Well to just name a few, there is the vast amount of workspace, the easy to navigate menus, and the excellent help features.
Peoples main worries when buying products like this is the fact that they don't know what they are doing or they have never used something like this before. Well thats what the help feature is for. It has an extensive library of functions, and the ability to search for a certain feature. Even though this is one of the best and most extensive help functions I have seen, it does leave quite a lot out. When I first started to use this product I needed to go to a friend for help.
One major downside to this tool/kit/product is the price. Im not sure the exact amount in british pounds but it is $250.00 on average. Fireworks is a brilliant piece of software but for this price I would expect a lot more.
Overall, a great piece of software but it comes at a hefty price.
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SWiSH
by blackcat2
I recently had the luck to discover Swish. To understand what Swish does, well just about anything Flash can do. I currently have version 1.5 but the new version due out any day now is version 2. That one will be able to do everything that you can do with flash from what I have read on the website. I thought it would ... be ages before I would get to create flash intros, interfaces, greetings and more due to the cost of Flash. When I found Swish though that all changed.
Swish is only 30.00 US and when compared with around 400.00 US for Flash it is a clear bargain.
Also the ease of use comparison between Flash and Swish is outstanding.
Trying to learn Flash was like trying to take college level courses with no teachers in sight.
Learning Swish was as easy as being in the fourth grade with teachers everywhere you would look ready and willing to help you.
I found using animations in Swish to be a bit tricky. You have to have a program first that can seperate the animation into its individual frames.
Then make sure you number each frame in the order it should go and save them in a folder. Open Swish and import the animated images from that folder. If they are not in the right order that is okay. Just use the Up and Down arrows to organize them.
Now this is where it gets a bit tricky. You have to alternate between two actions in order to get your animation to look 'animated'.
To do this use the Show and Hide actions which can be put into place by right clicking in the area of the timeline next to your image and choosing either function from the menu that pops up.
Do this for each image placing one show first and then one hide. To slow it down or speed it up you have to change the distance between the show and hide function in your timeline.
Closer together the faster it will run, further apart and it slows it down. You will have to experiment with i
t to get the right speed.
Swish has many interesting preset effects for text and about half the text amount can be used on images.
Even with the reduced preset effects you can apply to images there is much that can be done.
Within the properties of each effect, which can be found by right clicking on the effect bar in the timeline, is a little item called 'transform'.
Using this you can adjust the properties of the effect you applied. You can rotate, fade in from specific x.y coordinate, fade out to a specific x,y coordinate and more.
This really increases the amount of effects that can be added to an image. Play around with it. I have and found some really unusual results that I have liked immensely.
Version 2 is going to have more that can be done with images. From watching the version 2 demos on the site I cannot see any difference between what it does and what Flash can produce.
You can also save your movie in Swish format or .swi for later editing. I have been thankful for this already as I have thought of improvements that could be made to existing movies.
The current version doesn't import .swf files but the new version will have this ability.
Also the new version will allow you to import an animation as an animation. No more messing with individual frames and putting it back together. :)
Swish has been the best software purchase I have made so far this year. I am thrilled beyond words at all that it can do and how easy it was to learn and is to use.
Add to that the fact that they are not charging an outrageous price for it and I am one satisfied customer.
There is a free trial download so you really have nothing to lose by trying this program out to see if it is for you.
Just remember, you cannot export movies with the trial version for uploading to the web. This is disabled in the trial versions.
However you
can view your movie creations in Swish using the preview player.
Also if you get stuck seek out the help files in the program. Alternatively you can go to http://www.swishzone.com/ for more help.
Also linked from SwishZone are user forums which you can register free on and ask any questions you have not found an answer to.
I have already asked one and everyone who responded was very nice and helpful. I received a satisfactory answer in less than 24 hours.
I hope this review has proved useful...
~,,,^..^,,,~ BlackCat2
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3D Studio MAX R3
by martial_loh
I started using 3D Studio MAX when version 2.5 came out. Back then as a new user I was extremely confused by the depth and detail that MAX had to offer me. It wasnt until I read a few help-books that I understood the basics of MAX.... and I am still learning the program now!! MAX 3 brought a new look to the series of programs. There ... is now a new toolbar at the top of the screen with many tabs which can be used to access nearly all the modelling modifiers, object creators and other features.
Improved meshsmoothing has been included - so now your models can be made to look even more organic than ever! One of the other modifiers that has been added is "flex", which allows you to simulate clothlike effects.
The interface of MAX by default is very neat. All the menus are located at the sides of the screen, so that the workspace (which can be customised) views can be used without obstructions. However sometimes the NURBS toolbar does pop up in annoying positions...
I'd say that not much has been done to improve the rendering of MAX 3, probably to force you to buy Mental Ray separately..
The IK system is slightly easier to use than in MAX 2, thanks to some better placed options.. I still think that some of the button names are a bit misleading.... too many similar names - especially with the word "effector" on the end..
MAX is, in my opinion, the best value for money 3d package around. It is expensive, but not as much as MAYA or XSI... MAX has the largest user base, and from what I've heard its the easiest to use as well.
Plugins wise, MAX is excellent. There is such a large range to choose from - commercial, freeware, home -brewed if you know how to use MAX script!
MAX has nurbs, IK, splines, primitive shapes -everything you could want from a 3d modeller - EXCEPT FOR ONE THING - metaballs..
I know u can download a plugin, but I'd expect MAX to include a metaball modeller in future releases, fo
r completeness' sake!
Also, the animation features are to die for. Key framing is very simple, and nearly every aspect of an animation can be controlled by an expression if required (eg, light sources, repeating movements).
I just thought of another complaint! The booleaning system is not as precise as it could be. FORM Z, by another company still has the best Booleaning that i've seen..
Well, enough ranting... MAX 3 is the definitive version of MAX for me. MAX 4 hasnt quite reached me yet!! So if you do 3d.. I suggest you get MAX, and use the thousands you saved by not buying MAYA/XSI by purchasing a swanky new workstation!
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