Strata Live 3D: Interactive java based 3D for web deployment

All good things come in two

Well the subheading can actually be taken quite literally in this case. The truth is that I had actually written up a review for Strata Live 3D CX version 1.2. Well… it did not really have any similarities with the ease of use of the Strata Enfold 3D CX and Strata Design 3D CX applications at all.

Being a java-based application none of the ‘normal’ operating system conventions are retained. So you’ll have to dig exactly where in a normal system listed directory your desktop folder actually is because it will not be show in a nice icon way like usually is the case. This will throw you off at first and will make you search for paths on your system you never thought where there in the first place. So to tell it is a smooth ride, no… I would not say that.

I went on with my review to actually take it a bit further and say that the current version was actually not that very useful for the key audience that I see for the Strata Design Suite: the graphic- or package designer that wants to extend his communications into the realm of 3D without having any, or little prior knowledge of 3D software.

Strata Design 3D, Strata Foto 3D and Strata Enfold 3D really do shine in ease of use and make great bridges between the 3D world and Adobe packages like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop (yes the 3D functions in Photoshop can be very useful, and Strata has shown how that can be done!). But Strata Live 3D is a bit of an odd ball in the user friendliness department. But it is not as bad as I first painted this picture. When I first received the software some very key components were missing. And you guessed it, these are the components that allow you to make a good bridge between the 3D world in Photoshop and immediately outputting that to a 3D PDF or a 3D web presentation.

Apart from that Ken Bringhurst of Strata also gave me a very comprehensive and promising preview of version 2.0. In this very soon to be released upgrade to the current release (which is several years old!) the interface is updated and more in line with the other modules in the Strata Suite combo. Also several enhanced functionality tweaks have been carried through to make Strata Live 3D come into the same arena as the other members of the Strata Suite.

So I have decided to take a second look at Strata Live 3D with both knowledge of version two being just around the shipping corner and with the extra, may I say essential, plug-ins now in Place in my Photoshop installation.

A different approach

Important from the start though is a remark I took away from my session on-line with Ken Bringhurst. That is that Strata Live is a bit of a different animal from the other 3 packages, regardless of the java nature it has. Basically I can envision two different types of users for this module. The first category is the graphic- and package designers with little or no 3D experience wanting to venture into new communications and presentation territory. Toward these people I will address this review. The second group of users will be the more technical savvy users that know their way in scripting animations and doing conditional stuff. These people will have a lot of fun creating interactive, educational presentations with Live 3D that can then be exported to a web-applet or a PDF that can contain interactivity as well. I will look into writing a review geared toward these others on another occasion. So back to the graphic designers and packaging designers that cannot wait to show off their designs in 3D right from within Photoshop.

Straight Forward

Having the plug-ins that ship with Strata Live 3D does make all the difference in the world. Let’s look at a very simple workflow scenario. You have created a 3D model with Strata Foto. I will take the sport shoe as an example here.  The model is ready and waiting in Photoshop after you have sent it from Strata Foto to Photoshop (or you could have also done the whole process from within Photoshop itself). Once in Photoshop you can embellish the surrounding page area with graphics that enhance your presentation. 

Then it’s only a matter of selecting your 3D layer and choosing the PDF[in] option from the filter menu. After a couple of seconds Adobe Acrobat opens up and shows you a PDF with your design. If you place your mouse over the 3D model and drag you will see that you have a fully interactive model that hovers over your page design. That’s really very cool. And most fun of all is that you can send out this PDF to your client and he’ll be able to interact with your design as well. The Strata Live 3D plug-in within Photoshop has added a series of iconic buttons to your PDF that allow any user to move, rotate and zoom the model. If he messes his view up completely he can hit the reset button and all things snap into their original position again.

To be continued

Like I said this is not the end of what Strata Live 3D can do by a long stretch. However in the line of my approach for this series of reviews centered towards the more 2D oriented designer this is where the Strata Studio Suite has a very well rounded set of tools to enable full 3D communication. Given the essential plug-ins that Strata makes available with each of the suites any 2D designer can quickly and effectively make the jump to 3D and get 3D presentations on the web and in PDF fast and easy.

shoe.pdf

This story written by Albert Kiefer

Albert Kiefer is a professional designer and technical expert located in the Netherlands. He has well over 20 years of experience in the fields of computer illustration, animation and image manipulation. He also develops interactive concepts and graphical interfaces for large international corporations that are active in consumer electronics.