The Zaxwerks’ 3D Invigorator plug-in comes in versions for Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia FreeHand, or Adobe Photoshop. It is actually derived from its higher end cousins, Invigorator plug-ins for Maya and ElectricImage. This probably explains why its results are so impressive. The plug-in provides a sophisticated 3D design environment, including a camera, lighting and built-in renderer, all within the parent application.
Images produced with Invigorator can be rendered at any resolution, in either RGB or CMYK color mode and can be made for print as well as for Web. The 3D graphic can be viewed as a solid or a wireframe. Perhaps, it most powerful feature is the “Live Linking” between the 2D artwork and the 3D model. Any changes made to the 2D model are automatically reflected in the 3D model.
Ben Long in his review for Publish cautions that the learning curve may be high, but in the end is definitely worth it. Similarly, David Biedny for Macworld.com cites the complexity of the user interface, but again gives the program high marks. You can find Biedny’s review here.
Zaxwerks has put up a gallery of images made using Invigorator on their web site – you can access it here.
All this information and more can be found at the Zaxwerks’ 3D Invigorator home page here on creativepro.com.
This article was last modified on June 30, 2023
This article was first published on April 5, 2000
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