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Carrara Studio 2
Eovia
http://www.eovia.com
Reviewed in November 2002
http://www.macworld.com/2002/11/reviews/carrara
Carrara Studio 2 is a good, low-cost, easy-to-use 3-D solution for creating a wide variety of graphics and fairly modest animations. Its interface needs improvement, however.
Note: Trial version requires license key, available via the company's website.
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Cinema 4D XL 7.3
Maxon Computer
http://www.maxon.net
Reviewed in June 2002
http://www.macworld.com/2002/06/reviews/cinema
Veteran 3-D artists looking for modeling, animation, and rendering tools in a single package will appreciate Cinema 4D XL’s workflow. Novice 3-D–software users may find the expansive collection of tools daunting, but the manuals and tutorials are well done.
Note: Demo on this disc is version R8.
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Lightwave 3D 7.5
NewTek
http://www.newtek.com
Reviewed in October 2002
http://www.macworld.com/2002/10/reviews/inbrief
Version 7.5 doesn’t address one of the program’s major shortcomings—poor integration between layout and animation modules—but it does offer some worthwhile enhancements, including enhanced rendering and improvements to the Motion Mixer and Virtual Darkroom features.
Note: Click ViewPDF for the Lightwave manual.
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Maya Complete 4.5
Alias|Wavefront
http://www.aw.sgi.com
Reviewed in January 2003
http://www.macworld.com/2003/01/reviews/mayacomplete4
Although Maya’s rendering features and performance need some work, this version is a must-have program for graphic artists or animators who are serious about 3-D animation.
Note: Software on this disc is Maya Personal Learning Edition and requires a software key, available on the company's website.
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Swift 3D 3
Electric Rain
http://www.swift3d.com
Reviewed in March 2003
http://www.macworld.com/2003/03/reviews/swift3d3
Swift 3D is good for rendering 3-D animations and graphics into Flash format, but it falls short in creating those items, with limited tools for modeling, animation, and scene creation. Lack of OS X compatibility doesn’t help, either
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Universe 5.0
Electric Image
http://www.electricimage.com
Reviewed in March 2003
http://www.macworld.com/2003/03/reviews/universe5
Although it’s not the ultimate 3-D tool, Universe 5 provides a fast, efficient way for average users to do the type of 3-D animation they do most often: place animated items in a real-world setting, move ships through space, and make logos fly through commercials.
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