There was a time when the Graphics Apps folder on my hard drive was fatter than the back end of a Spanish opera singer. I suppose I could blame it on Version Tracker or those myriad Mac Addict CDs, but it seems that every shareware, freeware or demo program that passed in front of my ended up on my hard drive. I'd play lightly with each until the demo expired or it ran out of features, then allow them to wallow in the mire of software oblivion.

I've long since given up this practice. Rather than download countless programs to see how they can supplement my work, I instead only seek out programs out of necessity. This seems to be the case with some Applelinks readers as well, as I had a couple ask if I knew of a program that allowed users to create or edit 3D objects and export them into Flash animations.

Sure, I knew of such programs, but they were all either PC only or well out of budget. My quest for a low-cost solution turned up many dead ends until I weaved my way through a dense thicket of forums, machete hacking away at questions and answers and me-tos, until the forum forest become flooded with an electric rain. Or more particularly, Electric Rain, Inc.'s Swift 3D.

I should first explain that Swift 3D is not a replacement for Macromedia Flash, it's a supplement. As the manual states, it's designed to "...make Flash better." And it does so by allowing you create and import 3D images and animations for use with Flash, which is pretty much useless for anything beyond the second dimension.

I'll admit to being a bit turned off when I first opened the manual to get the program set up. Swift 3D was originally a PC only program that only recently found its way over to our side. The manual is therefore aimed solely at PC users with an addendum to explain the Mac differences. These pretty much amounts to interface differences only, however; Mac users get access to every tool and feature the PC users have.

Although the interface itself does not adhere tightly to the Mac norm, this is only because it adheres to the Flash norm. Many of the tools and options are immediately familiar to its target audience of Flash users, so it's fairly easy to start playing around without even consulting the manual. Within only fifteen minutes, I had a 3D text logo for my faux production company, Majestic Frigate Productions, spinning around the screen.

This ease of use is attributable to two factors; one good, one bad. The good? The interface is very straightforward easy to figure out. Unlike some other graphics programs I've used (ahem, ahem, KPT, ahem), Swift 3D presents you only with tools that are needed and that are easily identifiable. The bad? These are the only tools you get. But before I get into what Swift 3D can't do, I'll take you through the first project I completed with it.

The task was to create a 3D spinning logo that could be incorporated in a Flash animation. I had a 2D Adobe Illustrator v8 graphic with which to start, and I simply imported that into Swift 3D. After selecting the image in the center work area, I decided upon the width, height in depth in the left dialog box. There; 3D image.

Using one of the track balls on the bottom of the screen, I then applied multiple moving lights to my image to give it some pop and shine (the other track ball is used to control the movement of the object). But not happy with that, of course, I used the drag and drop palette to apply simple colors to create texture effects. Swift 3D even comes with predefined animation paths, which--provided they suit the user's purpose--can save hours on a project. And as in Flash, all of this can be controlled with the timeline; for example, you can dim lights and move them so they're hitting a precise area at exactly the right time, creating professional style effects like those seen in news program splashes and such.

If you want to work simply with text, no problem. Swift 3D allows the user to type directly into the program and apply the same filters. Animating it, as with graphic objects, is a simple matter of selecting the beginning, middle, and ending points, choosing a time frame, and allowing the program to "tween" or automatically create the frames between your preset points.

After the animation is complete, it's just a matter of rendering it to get the 3D object into Flash. This may be a simple procedure, but it's also a long one. Even with the relatively simple vectors created by Swift 3D, the program still takes its sweet time and rendering the image; often enough to run across the street for some lunch or at least to read the latest Grack! It also only shows a wire frame while it's performing this task, so there's plenty of waiting to see what the final product will look like. However, considering the amount of time saved by the simplicity of Swift 3D, this is a fair trade. Also, if final detail isn't too important, there are export options that allow you to sacrifice appearance for speed. This may not sound like a good solution, but remember...the animation will download faster off the internet as a result.

Once the file is rendered, it can either stand alone or be imported into Flash for inclusion in a larger project. Working with the Swift 3D object in Flash is just like working with any other; drop it in its layer and let it do its thing. If you're interested, you can see what my thing did here.

Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't expound the bad as I said I would, although, it's maybe an unfair criticism. After all, it's Swift 3D's ease of use that hurts it. The software can be used to create only basic animations, so those used to the power of programs such as Strata 3D (which is free, I should add) are out of luck. Indeed, aside from text, the objects are confined to spheres, cones (and cylinders), toruses (doughnuts) and cubes, and the controls of these are limited. But bear in mind, Swift 3Ds purpose is to get 3D objects on the web, not into Jurassic Park III. It'll let you know that, too. Whenever I tried to render images with too many polygons, Swift 3D would lock up my system.

Also unfair, now that I think about it, is the comparison to Strata 3D. Swift 3D, after all, exports its files in vector format. This, of course, means a much smaller file size which results in faster downloads. Perfect for Flash and the web. Strata 3D, on the other hand...well, for web graphics, it's not quite so perfect.

So take Swift 3D for what it is. A small, relatively inexpensive program that allows designers to easily and quickly create 3D objects for standalone use or to incorporate in Flash animations. You may eventually outgrow its capabilities, but trust me...those who visit your websites will be happy Swift 3D kept you in line.

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