Swift or Not.........

[THEBIRD]

First a quick background. I have been creating stuff in frontpage for the past 2 years. I have also learned how to work with swish pretty well in the last year.

I have seen the erain.com site and am impressed and would like to purchase swift3d. My impression is that it (like swish) is an easier way to put together flash animations.

Is this the case or am I way out in left field? I have tried to learn Flash itself in the past but have found myself truly upset with the user friendlyness of the software. That is why I enjoy using swish in a lot of my material.

So compared to Flash, how easy is Swift3d to learn and operate? Is this a great way (like swish) to produce flash without Flash?

Your comments please. I want your input before I shell out $250.

Thanks for your time.

[cyk]

I have never used Swish and really think that Flash is the friendliest UI, so my opinion may skewed from yours. Swift has to have the quickest learning curve ever in just creating and animating basic objects. You can probobly tell from the Demos on the erain site what is capable with it, , however it is limited in that you cannot import bitmaps , and I would have liked other free drawing tools besides a bezier pen though if you have to just have one tool thats the most versatile. For overall ease Swift is great for creating eye-cacthing 3d elements for the web, creating detailed, lengthy animations entirely in Swift may take a bit more practice and experience but its still got to be easier and bandwidth freindly than other 3d programs like 3ds , etc. and much less $$$

[RUSHVision]

Originally posted by THEBIRD
My impression is that it (like swish) is an easier way to put together flash animations. Is this a great way (like swish) to produce flash without Flash?

Your comments please. I want your input before I shell out $250.

First thing, Swift3D V2 is only $159US, not $250. I also want to make it clear that Swift3D is not a way to produce Flash without Flash. It is a tool for creating and rendering 3D into vectors so that they can be used with Flash. It does not allow you to do advanced modeling and has no scripting support so all scripting will have to be done in Flash, but it does have some modeling tools and it allows you to import .3DS and .DXF files. You can also import vector art from drawing programs such as Freehand, Flash or Illustrator as .AI and .EPS files for extrusion into 3D objects.

Swift3D is a great program, but it is not a replacement for Flash. It is a tool for enhancing the capabilities of Flash.

[cyk]

RUSHvision,

I have never really though about it since ive never used it without Flash, but do you require Flash to produce the .swf from swift? If not, it could be used to create simple animations for webuse

[THEBIRD]

Accourding to the swift3d website. Swift will export the .swf file for you so. (Swish also does this). So I'm guessing all you would need to do is attach it to a html doc before uploading to the web.

Also on the swift3d site they claim to have site examples made entirely with Swift3d.

If Swift3d exports the swf file (like they claim) of your creation then why do I need Flash software?

[RUSHVision]

You don't need Flash at all to make Swift3D work. Sorry if I was unclear on this. Swift3D outputs a number of different file formats and .SWF is one of them, so you could conceivably just embed the output from Swift3D into an html page. However, like I said, Swift3D doesn't have any scripting support and is not a Flash authoring tool, so you won't be able to add any interactivity unless you have Flash or LiveMotion (or maybe something like Swish, but I don't know much about that program).

Swift3D has always been meant to be used in conjunction with Flash, but no, it wouldn't be completely useless without it.

As for the examples on the Swift3D site, there are some that were made with the standalone version, but many of them used 3DS Max and rendered the output through the Swift3D plugin for Max.

[NitroCharged]

Straight from the intro of the Swift help file:

What it's all about?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a nutshell, it's 3D for Flash. But then again, you probably already know that. But wait, there's more. Swift 3D was originally built to serve a demand created when Macromedia Flash began coming on strong as the leader in Web animation. But now the horizons have broadened for both Swift 3D and for Flash itself. Designers have found that the Flash authoring tool serves as a great medium for delivering dynamic and interactive content on more than just the Web. We're starting to see CDs, presentations, gaming and even TV programming that uses vector graphics as the foundation for brilliant multimedia communication.

And wherever vector graphics go, Swift 3D follows. 3D graphics have long been a staple for TV and video production, and now that the line is blurred between what you see in your living room and what happens on your computer monitor (or PDA, game system or phone for that matter), 3D continues to be a great method of creating the proverbial ‘Eye Candy.’ So the next logical step is to begin incorporating TV quality 3D effects into these other forms of visual communication.

Which brings us back to the topic at hand - Swift 3D. This application was designed for folks who are in the business of creating these various forms of multimedia communication, but don't necessarily have extensive experience designing 3D animations, or have access to a full suite of 3D software applications. Swift 3D brings to the table a powerful set of modeling and animation tools in a super-intuitive user interface so folks like yourself can spend time creating great 3D design rather than fighting the typical 3D application learning curve.

So yes, Swift 3D is 3D for Flash. But as the world of vector graphics continues to develop, so do the uses for Swift 3D. We welcome you to take this software and run with it. Show us the future of 3D vector graphics. And remember, we just build the piano, we’re counting on you to play the beautiful music.
__________________________________________________ _____

Now if you want to use it as a stand alone without the flash prog - you can do so. You can make 3d logo's, animations and so forth. But, by importing your swift 3d file into flash and adding music, sound effects and maybe some interactivity with the viewer, you have a rich multimedia environment.
It's up to you how simple or complicated you want it to get. The idea of course ( as stated above ) was to get 3d into flash fast without the brain curdling learning curve of 3d graphics software such as max3d and the like

[THEBIRD]

I was actually hopeing this would be a tool in creating full web sites. It sounded like that when reading the swift3d site but after talking to you guys it seems that if I want to create a full web site with this I'll need flash software.

I have tried twice to bring myself to learn flash and found the user friendlyness to be repulsive.

I guess if I want flash I'll just stick to swish for now...I was just so amazed with swift3d.com I thought this the next step up from swish.

Thanks for all your advice.

-waiting for swish3.0

P.S. for you that have not fooled around with swish in the past, click here to see what it can do.
http://www.roberthenry.org

[gerbick]

no disrespect to swish

however, you need to invest some time into the tools, and honestly Flash's ActionScripting to be a more effective flash designer. Nothing against Swish, which I've seen some stunning projects accomplished with it; however, the "instant" results you get mean that the program is doing most of the work for you.

Swift3D, is not one of those tools. Neither is Flash.

not saying your choice is bad, either. what tools you use is ultimately up to you. however, invest some time into some deeper tools, and it'll pay off in the end.

good luck with your endeavors

[reisamm]

Greetings

I've used Swish since version 1.52, and I use it to make about 40%/50% of my projects, when a friend send me the link of Swift3D, I also tough that it was like Swish (bieng able to create full sites, with 3D Support. That was not the case.

When I finaly purchased Swift3D (v2), I was a little desapointed, since it only creates standalone SWF's. But with time, I've learn how to manage it and (most important)how to create small 3D SWF's to import to Swish, giving my sites a more professional look and to create the 'Eye Candy' look that NitroCharged talked about. Actualy it is the 2º aplication (next to swish) I use the most for my Flash projects.

And I have to agree with you, (for me) Flash could have a better User Friendly Interface, after several atempts I still can't manage with Flash (exept small basic animations), while with Swish and Swift I know how to manage most of the program features without lossing a lot of time to learn (and design) it. But, I'm still felling the lack of some options in Swish to make even more complex sites (Gess I'm going to try Flash MX), pushing me more to flash each day it passes.

Keep up the good work!

[whispers]

Bird-

Trust me...I am/was just like you. I started learning SWISH 1.52..and had a pretty good grasp of it when v2.0 finally came out. I always was SCARED to HELL of FLASH,..but if you know SWISH then it will be easy for you to learn FLASH (same concepts) especially now that 2.0 is out. If you bothered to learn SWISH 2.0...then FLASH 5 will be a snap. FLASH has alot of GUI stuff for you to use (ie: point and click)to make simple interactivity. BUTU,..it has the capability to do EVEN more. The things you can do with FLASH are down right amaizing. FOR REAL. Also,..if you would like a place that might help you learn FLASH...check out my footer. We have a LIVE weekly FLASH lesson,..and a matching tutorial. So you can ask any question you mighht have...and have it answered real time. It by no means replaces the resources available here at FK..but sometimes...it is better to have a PERSON respond to the question..and maybe explain it to you in laymen terms..

Join..and feel free to DL the tutorials already there.

As for SWIFT 3D..it is POOH! (SH*T) I personally am still trying to learn it. But if you want to expand your designer tool box with out the DESIGNER price tag..then SWIFT 3D is the way to ...it works seamlessly with FLASH ...and lets you add the functionality of 3D to your web site that is both TOP NOTCH and HALF the price of something like 3DSM...or Maya...etc..etc.. SWIFT 3D also has many GUI (point and click) options...so you can make simple (my footer..lol) 3D animations is literally SECONDS. I'm telling this is the way to go. For the PRICE and the quality...there really is NO other choice if you are looking to add some 3D options to your sites

-whispers-

P.S. join the group...you will enjoy it..and be up to speed in no time. Also,..this is STRICTLY for the newbies...I mean total beginners. We go over things like the tool sbox,..how to make buttons..you name it. You can also request a one on one lesson if you want...if you cant make the sheduled lesson times.

[fwhilton]

I started out using a flash program called Koolmoves... it is competion to Swish.

I perfer Koolmoves over Swish because almost anything you do in Flash can be done in Koolmoves.

I then purchased Flash 5... Love it! The interface is intimidating at first, but once you understand how the timeline works... WOW... what a gold mind of options using Movies clips, scripts and symbols.

I then purchased Swift 3D v2. I like it for basic 3d stuff. I use it as a tool to go with Flash. By itself, it lacks the deepness that 3Dmax etc... has. But for the price it brings your flash designs to a new level.

I still use all three tools...
Koolmoves is easier for animations.
Flash is better alround for all kinds of purposes
Swift3d is a good basic 3D engine.

But, I can't wait till Plasma comes out... looks promising!

[NitroCharged]

Just as an added opinion to things said here:
Putting Max and Swift in the same line and comparing the two.. come on, really.... check the price of the two! Then to say it lacks the 'deepness' of Max - remember you are trying to make fast loading, small files for flash.
Then to mention Plasma like it will be the saviour of all downfalls in flash 3d - once again the price is over 4 times thats of swift!
Plasma will no doubt pop a lot of eyes open, but as a swift forum, I do look forward to future enhancements that the great team at erain will offer us loyal clients :-)))) ( was the vacuum level on that set too high? )

[whispers]

lol @ NitroCharged.... ( was the vacuum level on that set too high? )


Anyways...What is this PLASMA???...I have never heard of it before!! Maybe a link?..I would like to read up on it. I always like to be informed!

-whispers-

[NitroCharged]

http://www.discreet.com/products/plasma/

I liked the shark but I had to install shockwave to see it - 15 minutes of download time I wouldn't want to demand of first time visitors to any site I may have made!
The swf files were all cartoon cheese, IMO. I would have prefered to see a few more examples with higher quality, so you could see what settings were available, as erain has with their fill selections.