[thelist] Three dimensional button with Photoshop

[Chris George]

On 3/19/02 2:27 PM, "Casey Crookston" <casey.crookston at imibevcore.com>
wrote:

> Syed,
>
> Photoshop is a great tool for web graphics, in fact it's the best
> (imho).  But if you are thinking of doing Pixar type work (Monsters
> Inc., Toy Story) then Photoshop does not even come close.  LightWave is
>> one< of the tools that will get you there, but keep in mind that you
> are now talking about serious money for both the software and the
> hardware that can handle it.
[snip]

Yep, LightWave is definitely -one- 3D tool out there, but there are other
capable 3D applications that are more reasonably priced and are extremely
capable (for their price).  Some examples are:

Strata 3D <http://www.strata.com> - It comes in 3 flavours: Base (Free),
Plus (super cheap, and can export to Flash!) and Pro (the most expensive,
but still sub-1000 US$ IIRC).

Infini-D <http://www.eovia.com/> I don't know the price point of that
product, but it's still quite reasonable...

Both these packages are extremely handy for the Web/Multimedia Designer who
needs to create interfaces, buttons, mattes, etc. etc. without breaking the
bank (and they're not so chock full of options that 80% of the app will go
unused either).  I've been using Strata Base since I moved over to the Mac
(my copy of 3DS 4 is DOS only. :-) - and have been extremely satisfied with
it.  It's a tool that you can afford to keep in your toolbox. :-)

Just 'cause they're cheap doesn't necessarily mean they're 'cheap'.  It all
depends how much time/effort you're willing to put into it.  Here's a good
example of what even the makers of Infini-D didn't think it could do:
<http://www.rustboy.com>

Good luck!

--
Chris George
Edmonton, Canada