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.
