Strata anyone??

[williehank23]

Other than the 1:45 download this prog looks neat. I linked to it thru Pope de Flashs's site tutorials so it can't be all that bad .

[williehank23]

After a couple of hours with the program and some printed pages of the online manual, I'm quite impressed with this product, speaking totally from a neophyte hobbyist perspective anyway. One thing that may appeal to newbies is the workable version is a free download. Visit popedeflash.com and check out Markp's tutorial for the link. Also the box set of the download version is only around $20 thru 3D's site. It might not be a good program for reasons I've yet to discover, and it might not appeal to the professional as no one has responded to my initial query, but it's certainly a consideration for the budget-minded student-hobbyist.

[Triadis]

Yeah, Strata is a cool program. Who could complain? It's free. The one thing that really bothers me about Strata is that I find it very cumbersome to model in. The viewports and the modeling tools just don't flow very smoothly and it's hard to get around the scene when there is more than one object.

But what I do like about Strata is the way it handles textures. They did a great job with the texture panel. Everything you need is right there: diffuse, stencil, bump, gloss, etc. Often I'll bring in models made in other programs in to Strata to texture it.

I actually have the PRO version which has more features. But even though the free version has less features, it's free and that can't be bad.

Alex

[williehank23]

Yeah, I'm impressed by the textures and tool variety however disheartened to discover that although it's "Macromedia Flash enabled" it doesn't render .swf files . Oh well, still a steal as a freebie for newbie ! Due to it's predominance of the boards, I'll presume Swift is the program of choice.

[D-Meister]

Ok, I'm in the midst of downloading Strata 3D_302_installer.exe and I'm excited.

I am planning on creating a virtual art gallery for a friend of mine (B-day present, complete with business-card-size-cdrom), and I have no idea how I am going to do that.

To all the experts out there:
Is it wise for me to create the different rooms, take screenshots and create the interface and all in Director/flash, and the moving around by creating seperate video files ?

Does Strata allow me to do that ? Or is there a simpler version (I'd prefer an all-flash solution, that's playable over the web too).

If it turns out nicely, I'll publish something that I would have liked to have found on the net but instead have had to create myself

c ya,

Daniel

http://www.mores.cc

[Markp.com]

Originally posted by D-Meister
Ok, I'm in the midst of downloading Strata 3D_302_installer.exe and I'm excited.

I am planning on creating a virtual art gallery for a friend of mine (B-day present, complete with business-card-size-cdrom), and I have no idea how I am going to do that.

To all the experts out there:
Is it wise for me to create the different rooms, take screenshots and create the interface and all in Director/flash, and the moving around by creating seperate video files ?

Does Strata allow me to do that ? Or is there a simpler version (I'd prefer an all-flash solution, that's playable over the web too).

If it turns out nicely, I'll publish something that I would have liked to have found on the net but instead have had to create myself

c ya,

Daniel

Jeebes! You want the moon on a stick don't ya!

There are more options than flash for a 3d world. Strata has its own 3d internet exporter.... And works a treat... I think its called Cult3D or something... I'll check when I'm home tonight.

Also look into Director and 3D, as they work well together (and will get loads better in the very near future)

For now, I think the Cult3D export from strata is your best option, it allows you to click urls in the 3d world and interact with objects.

VRML is another 3d world type thing, but I know not a thing about that!

Come to http://www.popedeflash.com and we'll help you there!

[D-Meister]

Hehe, sure, where can I get it ?

Regarding Flash & 3D, I know the limits and all. That's why I'm trying to do the fly-by's in Strata and save the movie file.

I just noticed too that there's something in my Start menu called Cult3D Designer.

I have no idea what exactly that thing is, but I'll check it out now. I don't care if it won't display over the net as long as it creates a "Projector" type file that doesn't require the viewer to download/install anything.

Anyone have experience with Cult3D ?

Oh, and I fiddled around a little with Strata and I must say it's rather easy to use, but I still need to find out where all the buttons and switches are to get things right.

my first glass cube with a spotlight on a wooden floor turned out nicely for a first try

well then,

bye

[Markp.com]

Yeah have a play about with Cult 3D its great!

I'll tell you more when I refresh my brain, by using it tonight

[williehank23]

Thanks Markp & popedeflash.com for linking me up w/strata! I hope it is as enjoyable to work with as it is to play around with. Any more tutorials Markp? By the way, nice site (markp.com).
I'm considering the USD24.95 box set just to get the manual. For some reason the buttons don't display a text ID when highlighted so I've done a bit of experimentation .
Also what advantages does the PRO version offer above v3.02?

[D-Meister]

There's no yellow popup help, but on the left side, above the tools palette is where the description is being shown.

Helps a little, so you don't have to klick 25 buttons to get the right one

[williehank23]

Originally posted by D-Meister
There's no yellow popup help, but on the left side, above the tools palette is where the description is being shown.

Helps a little, so you don't have to klick 25 buttons to get the right one

Tak, Danke, Gracias, Thanks! Hope your project is coming along nicely!

[D-Meister]

Now, how would I export something I did with Strata into Flash ?

I know that I can create a Cult3D object with it and publish it directly on my website (Cult3D plugin required) and there's a way to publish in Director.

But how do I get an SWF file out ot this program ?

Any ideas guys ?

[williehank23]

Originally posted by D-Meister
Now, how would I export something I did with Strata into Flash ?

I know that I can create a Cult3D object with it and publish it directly on my website (Cult3D plugin required) and there's a way to publish in Director.

But how do I get an SWF file out ot this program ?

Any ideas guys ?

I discovered, much to my chagrin, that Strata 3D doesn,t export .swf files, as I mentioned earlier in the thread.

[williehank23]

Originally posted by williehank23

Originally posted by D-Meister
Now, how would I export something I did with Strata into Flash ?

I know that I can create a Cult3D object with it and publish it directly on my website (Cult3D plugin required) and there's a way to publish in Director.

But how do I get an SWF file out ot this program ?

Any ideas guys ?

I discovered, much to my chagrin, that Strata 3D doesn,t export .swf files, as I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Pardon me, Strata 3D doesn't render .swf files

[D-Meister]

Ok, so this means that Strata3D is useless for flash development ?

Or can I export 3D models to Swift and then render swf movies ?

Because if you want to create rooms or a little more complex objects, Swift's just too complicated (wingdings?).

Oh, and I have just managed to export something from swift to flash, so my virtual gallery is just a matter of weeks before it's finished !

Just in case you want to know

Ca me casse le crâne !

daniel