Today, at flashforward2001, Electric Rain, Inc.(R) unveiled its newest contribution to the world of 3D vector graphics. They have announced the development of a 3D Studio Max(R) Plug-In version of their popular Swift 3D product, allowing users of this high-end modeling software to export directly to the Macromedia(R) Flash(TM) (SWF) file format, as well as other types of vector-based files. After their April 2000 release of Swift 3D v1.0, the demand was huge for a version that worked seamlessly with 3D Studio Max.
3D Studio Max, by Discreet(R), is the industry leader in high-end 3D design and animation, but it lacks the ability to render files to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format. Because Max, and other tools like it, export raster-based files only, 3D objects and animations created in theseprograms are not able to take advantage of low-bandwidth vector-based solutions like Macromedia Flash, and therefore have not made a significant presence on the Web. Electric Rain has responded with the development of Swift 3D Max Plug-In.
On February 21st, the final day of the flashforward2001 event, Dave Klein, V.P. of Marketing for Electric Rain, Inc., will demonstrate the Swift 3D Max Plug-In to an eager flashforward2001 audience. The preview of the Max Plug-In will be a much-anticipated part of the iNew Toolsi session at flashforward2001. This one-hour program features innovative design tools that complement popular vector graphic authoring applications such as Macromedia(R) Flash(TM) and Adobe(R) LiveMotion(TM) software.
The highlight of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In demonstration will be the rendering capabilities of their new software. Swift 3D relies on Electric Rainis RAViX(TM) rendering technology to convert raster-based images to low-bandwidth vector files. RAViX II is the newly developed core of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In, and it offers significant speed and file size improvements over the first generation engine.
The Swift 3D plug-in is expected to be available in early Spring 2001, and pricing has yet to be determined. You can find more information at the Electric Rain Web site.