Electric Rain, Inc.® now presents the plug-in version of its widely used Swift. Discreet 3ds-max users can use this stand-alone product to render 3D scenes directly from 3ds-max into a variety of vector-based file formats. Formats supported by Swift 3D include Macromedia® Flash(SWF) AI, EPS and the latest XML-based vector format, SVG.
The Swift plug-in is a further decisive step for Discreet’s 3D web initiative: in the past, Discreet has already presented solutions in co-operation with Cycore, Ideaworks, Pulse, RichFX and Viewpoint, with which 3ds max models and animations can be brought to the Internet without any effort. The next step was the integrated exporter for Macromedia Director 8.5 (Shockwave Studio): Users are able to transfer 3D content directly from 3ds max to the Director 8.5 authoring environment and display it in Shockwave format. Now the new Swift plug-in offers countless vector rendering possibilities, incredible rendering speeds and fully optimised files. The comprehensive product innovations, co-operations and updates make 3ds max the standard as a 3D web tool: 3D content, dynamic or stills, can be published online more easily than ever before.
Swift 3ds max:
New benchmark for vector visualisation and rendering speed
Our goal in developing the Swift 3ds max plug-in was to set a new benchmark in transforming 3-D to vector rendering by providing a complete solution for high-end 3-D designers who need to redesign their 3-D content, comments Mike Soucie, President of Electric Rain, Inc. By providing 3ds-max users with an incredibly fast renderer and the widest possible range of vector rendering options, this plug-in product is suitable for all 3-D designers – from cartoonists who only need outline renderings to film studios that require photorealistic renderings with a full gradation of shading and shadows.
The Swift 3ds max plug-in exports 3D scenes with the highest accuracy, preserving colours, lighting effects, camera settings and animations. With unrivalled rendering speed, RAViX II is up to ten times faster than other rendering products that transform 3D into vector representations. It supports twelve rendering options: three outline levels, five cartoon shading levels, two gradient shading levels plus shadows and light reflections. With this plug-in, models and objects containing well over 200,000 polygons can be processed, including complex objects that overlap each other or overlap themselves. The resulting files are fully optimised and do not require external applications (e.g. Macromedia Flash) for this performance optimisation, as is the case with competing products.
One reason why 3ds max is the first choice for 3D artists and animators is its versatility and open technology, which supports a wide range of internal and external applications, says Dan Prochazka, product manager for 3D web products at Discreet. The Swift 3ds max plug-in will make 3ds max even more popular. Artists will be able to redesign their 3D animations and export them to SWF, AI, EPS and SVG vector file formats for posting on the web or printing, Prochazka explained.
Macromedia is delighted with this further high-quality 3D solution from Electric Rain, said Jeremy Clark, Flash product manager at Macromedia. The standalone Swift 3-D application has served as a complementary tool to Macromedia Flash for over a year, and Electric Rain’s Swift 3ds max plug-in will further solidify Flash’s strong position by offering high-end 3-D designers the ability to export directly to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format.
Swift 3ds max is based on Electric Rain’s proprietary rendering technology, RAViX II, which converts 3D models into 2D vector-based files. The latest version, which supports Swift 3ds max, shows significant improvements over the first generation of RAViX in terms of both rendering speed and file size optimisation. Electric Rain is making its technology available for licensing by other 3D and technology companies.
Swift 3ds max is immediately available on the Windows platform and is compatible with 3ds max versions 3, 3.1 and 4. Swift 3ds max is priced at US $295 and is currently available through Electric Rain’s website at http://www.erain.com.
