VERDICT With its incorporation of Flash-based media handling and new integration with Acrobat.com, the Acrobat platform fully embraces the internet age – at last.
Adobe Acrobat made its public debut back in 1991 and the PDF (Portable Document Format) it introduced was intended to become the universal format for design-rich, cross-platform electronic communication. The launch of the World Wide Web in the same year forced Adobe to radically revise its plans, but the Acrobat platform survived and eventually prospered by making itself indispensable to a whole host of workflows: documentation distribution, forms handling, secure exchange, searchable archiving, document review, commercial print and so on.

VERDICT New photo, 3D, text and web capabilities together with multiple page support and Xara’s unbeatable speed and price.
When Xara first appeared, back in 1995, it transformed the world of computer-based illustration. What made it revolutionary was that it was the first program fast enough to mix vector and bitmap handling in real time so enabling drawing software to move into new photorealistic and artistic territory. While never conquering the mainstream, Xara’s sheer speed, and the creative strengths that flow from it, have won the program many loyal fans over the years. So what does this latest release add to the mix?

VERDICT Impressive and accessible real-time 3D animation power at an excellent price.
If you assume that producing a 3D-based movie demands a film studio with dozens of professional 3D artists working with expensive cutting-edge technology and massive render farms, perhaps you should think again.

VERDICT Improved handling of animation and lighting and new XRef support add to Cinema 4D’s existing strengths.
Cinema 4D has made its name - and repeatedly won recommended awards - by offering professional 3d modelling power at an affordable price. However what really makes the program stand out from its rivals is its comparative ease of use.

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VERDICT: Improved recording capabilities, richer design and interactivity and deeper integration with PowerPoint see Captivate build on existing strengths.

Adobe Captivate is a Flash-based solution for computer-based training (CBT). The use of Flash provides an immediate and massive advantage as it means that Captivate’s output is automatically viewable by anyone with the Flash player installed – roughly 98% of users with an internet connection...

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VERDICT: A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging but comparatively little to boost core efficiency.

Organizing and enhancing thousands of digital photographs is a time-consuming task and the digital camera owner needs dedicated help to make the process as productive and enjoyable as possible...

Tom Arah shows you the best way to bring some texture into your design work.

Long-term readers will know that I am a big fan and keen advocate of the use of seamless bitmap textures. Such textures play an essential role in the production of 3D work, as we saw again last month, but they can also prove just as useful within 2D bitmap and vector environments...

VERDICT: Piranesi gets the major overhaul of interface and tools that its extraordinary creative power deserves.

Piranesi stands out from all other bitmap editors because it is able to handle material and depth information as well as colour; it might sound a relatively small difference but it unleashes a massive amount of 3D painting power...

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VERDICT: Improved interface and drawing capabilities, new photo matching and hand-drawn effects - and it’s still free.

Over the years @Last Software’s SketchUp managed to win itself a small fanbase, particularly among architects, for its valiant attempt to make 3D modelling as simple as 2D drawing...

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VERDICT: Major enhancements to atmospheric and lighting models, import support, rendering options and material and EcoSystem handling.

Creating naturalistic real world scenes is one of the most difficult tasks for a 3D modeller which is where Vue Infinite comes in with its dedicated state-of-the-art capabilities.