• Blogs
• Forums
• Tradeshows
• Partners
• White Papers
• Podcast Show Notes
• Events

 

Edit Review: Strata CX Suite

May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Franklin McMahon

New version combines three programs into one affordable package.

Strata has created a suite of tools with some very simple missions. One is to make it easy and accessible for producers without prior 3D experience to model, render, and animate. The second is to help the user create models not by precise spline and polygon construction, but by leveraging the power of Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended and using photos to create objects. And the third is to help you move your realtime 3D creations onto the Web and into presentations and PDFs. The three programs in the CX Suite — Strata 3D CX 5.5, Strata Foto 3D 1.5, and Strata Live 3D 1.5 — undertake these three missions. The programs are available separately, but you save so much buying them as a bundle that you might as well grab the suite. That's true even if you won't currently use all the features. You can download the entire suite for a trial run on Mac or PC, and Strata even has a video podcast to showcase tips and features — always extra points for podcasts.

First we'll look at the centerpiece, Strata 3D CX 5.5. You could almost say if this were Adobe CS3 Design Premium, Strata 3D would be the Photoshop of the group. In actuality, once you boot up Strata 3D CX, it functions almost identically to Photoshop. Toolbars; property palettes; docking, stacking, and auto-collapse of palettes: this truly is a Photoshop-like 3D program. In fact, producers new to 3D will have no problem jumping in and constructing a 3D scene in much the same way they arrange a 2D scene in Photoshop. This is especially important to video producers who may want to dive into 3D but do not necessarily have the resources or time to learn a dedicated program such as Autodesk 3ds Max or NewTek LightWave 3D. The Photoshop layout makes it a fairly seamless transition for a video person to start working in 3D because of the ease of use.

I recently did a few mockups in Strata of a new logo design that I had finished for a client's video production. I only did it to add some zing to the other project elements I had sent proofs of. The client loved the fact that the logo was now in 3D with reflections and depth of field, and the client ended up wanting more variations of the design in three dimensions. Because working in Strata is so similar to working in Photoshop, I was able to get some excellent additional billable work with a minimum of effort expended. Surprisingly, the video production started 2D, but after a taste of 3D, the client now wants to head in that direction. And even though many compositing applications claim 3D modes, many are really 2D. Strata allows for real 3D with real 3D objects, lighting, and animation. The animation features are especially of interest to video producers; you can create hierarchical scenes and animate everything from rotation to scale to textures to lighting. Perfect for clients wanting some 3D elements.

Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
© 2009 Penton Media, Inc.