There are a few slick tools out on
the market which allow you to create very attractive 3D logotypes
for use with video production and web sites. Many offer similar
features and are even priced fairly competitively. But if you are
looking for speed in rendering so you can get the job done quickly
and easily, there is no better product then Xara
3D.
Xara
3D has a very intuitive interface. It loads fast and enables
you to design what you need, how you need it, immediately. From the
main screen you can see in real-time exactly what your finished
product will look like. Try that in other packages and you may find
yourself waiting a few minutes until the rendering has stopped.
You'd think a product like this would be slow and a memory hog, but
it is neither. Xara
3D has very well-designed code. It is optimized for speed
and clarity. The changes take place immediately, and the screen
refreshes the image fast. You will be impressed with the image's
clarity. Rendering in other packages can present you with a soft
image, but Xara
3D is razor sharp without any jaggies.
Xara
3D supports right clicking (thank you), so you can speed the
use of the tool without always going back up to the drop down menus.
You can right click and make a number of changes to the on-screen
text including color, bevel, lighting, shadow, size, texture, etc.
In fact, the combination of simple changes is quite astounding, and
the final results quite pleasing to the eye.
Once your graphic has been completed,
you can save it in Xara
3D's native format for future use or export in any of four
popular formats including GIF and BMP. When you export, it will
automatically crop the picture and add a transparent background if
desired.
Of course, one of the most powerful
features of Xara
3D is the ability to animate your text. You can make it spin
and rotate in just about any direction and save this to an animated
GIF format for use in your web site. These types of animations are
very smooth and appealing, but be forewarned, these types of
animations (whether they are designed with Xara
3D or another package) tend to dramatically increase the
load time of your web page. Show some restraint and you will be well
rewarded.
Want to sample the magic of Xara
3D for yourself? Try the web-based version below for free.
