Zaxwerks Newsletter - December 2010
This has been a big month for Zaxwerks. You may have already received the announcement that 3D Invigorator for After Effects has been released. If not, then we'll say it here. 3D Invigorator version 5 has just been released! Woo-hoo!
We've been working on this release for two years so it's a big deal around here and we've been celebrating a bit. So to go along with the celebration we are giving away 11 free tutorials in this month's newletter. Yes, this month it's all about the training, and of course some random user comments just to keep things light.
Happy Holidays from the Zaxwerks Team!
We've been working on this release for two years so it's a big deal around here and we've been celebrating a bit. So to go along with the celebration we are giving away 11 free tutorials in this month's newletter. Yes, this month it's all about the training, and of course some random user comments just to keep things light.
Happy Holidays from the Zaxwerks Team!
QuickStart for 3D Invigorator 5
This is the first movie to watch. It's a walkthrough of all the major elements and will acquaint you with the features and layout of the new program. It's an introduction to the program, quickly taking you through the text window, warping your objects, how to get to the online documentation, how to change panel configurations saving your own workspaces, how to adjust basic object settings, apply materials and apply object styles.
Your First Animation In 3D Invigorator - Perfect World Version
The two "Your First Animation" tutorials were created for brand new or part time users. The Perfect World movie shows the minimum steps of creating a 3D animation inside After Effects. It's like a 5 minute refresher course to get you back in the saddle when you only need an occasional 3D graphic. It doesn't go into great detail, but there are still some pretty good tips that aren't covered in any other tutorial.
Your First Animation In 3D Invigorator - Real World Version
The Real World version goes into much more detail. It shows how to animate the camera and two sets of objects. Along the way you find out how to overcome problems you are bound to run into. Even if you've used 3D Invigorator before you should watch this movie because Invigorator 5 handles things a bit differently than Invigorator 4. This tutorial is chock full of useful tips.
User Comment
"You have truly hit a home run on this one Zaxwerks. Your stuff has real world usability at a price point where it really makes sense."
- Mike Belanger from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
- Mike Belanger from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
Drawing Tools Highlights
The new drawing tools in 3D Invigorator 5 are designed to do your vector drawing and 3D modeling all in one place. Since we've been using vector drawing tools since 1988 we were able to put years of experience and workflow ideas into creating tools no one else has. Watch this tutorial as 3D models are created automatically while the vector paths are being drawn. Watch as holes are cut into the vector paths without having to create compounds or masks. Learn how to create custom bevels.
Drawing With The Bezier Pen Tool
For the most part we've always loved how Bezier tools work but once you get to the fine points they get a bit clunky. So Zaxwerks has redefined Bezier drawing. We've taken standard Bezier drawing tools and added more workflow features to make Bezier drawing easier than before with fewer clicks and tool changes. The result is a much smoother drawing experience.
User Comment
"You seem gloriously close to creating a stand-along 3D app that's ACTUALLY intuitive to use Great job, Invig team!"
- Kurt Murphy from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
- Kurt Murphy from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
Drawing With The Auto Curve Pen Tool
Some people hate Bezier drawing. For those people we invented a new kind of vector drawing tool that is much easier to use. This tool lets you create vector paths by clicking to set points and then pushing or pulling the paths into shape. It's so much fun to work with that it can even be used by Bezier die-hards to do a first draft of a design, pushing and pulling the design into shape, and then can be converted into Bezier for final tweaking.
Editing the Shapes of Live Text
If you are an experienced vector artist you might not believe this one. The shapes of text characters in 3D Invigorator 5 can be edited while still keeping the text live. This tutorial shows you how to do it, and also shows you other enhancements to the text window to make you faster and more efficient at creating text objects.
User Comment
"Fan-Freakin-tastic!! Not having to go to Illustrator makes my day!"
- Paul K from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
- Paul K from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
Mastering The Gradient Editor
One of the ways to make your titles and logos look awesome is to color them with gradients. Hidden inside the new material editor is one of the coolest gradient editors on the planet. This tutorial shows you how to create gradients, make variations on existing gradients and adjust entire color schemes with a few clicks.
Rounded Rectangles & Rounding Points
This tutorial shows you how to round the corners of rectangles, stars or any other shape, while keeping the rounding live so it can be changed in the future. You'll discover the different types of rounding and beveling tools as well as how to round multiple points at one time or transfer a rounding radius from one point to the next.
User Comment
"This is amazing. Doesn't even look like the same program. I'm still licking my chops because of all the saliva."
- David from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
- David from the Zaxwerks Tutorials blog
Rules About Selecting, Copying & Pasting
Selecting and moving objects around is at the heart of an efficient workflow. 3D Invigorator lets you do a lot more with a manipulation box than you'd ever expect. This tutorial tells you what you need to know to fly through selections and manipulations. It also covers how to move objects from layer to layer, how to select overlapping objects, and how to make one object a hole in another.
Restoring Factory Presets
Sooner or later everyone will get in trouble and either delete or overwrite all the lovely swatches, object styles and work spaces that came with the program. This tutorial tells you how to restore them, including the tricky stuff on how to keep the ones you want while restoring the rest.
Announcement - New Releases - 3D Invigorator PRO & Classic v5
Version 5 of 3D Invigorator PRO and Classic are shipping now! Both are compatible with Adobe After Effects CS3/CS4/CS5 on Windows, and CS3/CS4 on Macintosh. If you buy the Mac version now you will receive the CS5 version for free when it ships in a few months.
Announcement - 3D ProAnimator v5 - Update
Programming is going well for ProAnimator 5. It will be released the first part of 2011. If you buy ProAnimator v.4 now you will get v.5 for free once it is released.