Plug-In Helps Create 3D Flash Format Files

Electric Rain has announced a plug-in version of their Swift 3D program for Newtekis LightWave 3D. The Swift 3D plug-in will allow users to easily create complex 3D images and files, and directly export them as a standard Macromedia Flash file. According to Electric Rain:

Today Electric Rain, Inc. announced the development of a plug-in version of their industry-leading Swift 3D product that will allow LightWave 3D(tm) users to export content directly to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format, as well as other types of vector-based formats including SVG (scalable vector graphics). This announcement comes in the wake of their recent Swift 3D MAX Plug-in announcement at the flashforward2001 conference last February.

LightWave 3D by NewTek is an industry leader in high-end 3D modeling and animation, and is one of the few applications running on the Macintosh operating system providing a 3D solution. Swift 3D LightWave Plug-in will support both PC and Macintosh platforms, and will accurately render complex models as vector outlines, 1-4 color shaded cartoon files, and realistic gradient shaded files.

The Swift 3D Lightwave Plug-in is built around Electric Rainis revolutionary vector rendering technology, RAViX(tm) II, which converts 3D models and animations into vector-based gradient shaded 2D images in the SWF, AI, EPS and SVG file formats. The newest version of RAViX that powers the Swift 3D LightWave Plug-in touts significant improvements in both rendering speed, export options, and file size over the first generation RAViX.

Pricing has yet to be determined for the Swift 3D LW plug-in, however the product is expected to ship in late spring 2001. You can find more information at the Electric Rain Web site.