View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/06/11/09/strata.3d.suite.updated/
Thursday, Nov 09, 2006 8:55am
Strata 3D Suite updated, enhanced
Strata has introduced important enhancements and additions to all three of the applications that make up its Strata 3D Suite, providing a complete solution to capture, model, render, animate and present 3D content for design and commerce. Strata 3D CX -- the company's 3D design application -- is updated with over 50 enhancements and is available for free to current Strata 3D CX 5.0 users. Strata also released a public beta of the Universal Binary version of Mac Strata 3D CX, which runs natively on Intel-based machines. The company announced a new Mac port of Strata Foto 3D Mac, its application for creating 3D objects from simple digital photographs, and said that Foto 3D for the Mac will be in public beta "soon"; it is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2007. Pricing for the Mac version will be the same as the current Windows application, which sells for $500.

Finally, the company also announced Strata Live 3D 1.1 and a new 3D PDF application. Strata Live 3D 1.1, a free upgrade for current Live 3D users, adds a series of important enhancements to improve design workflow. Strata's Live 3D: PDF is designed as an easy-to-use application that adds 3D content to any PDF document. This new product is usable as a companion to Strata Live 3D or as a standalone application. Strata Live 3D: PDF is priced at $140 and is expected to ship in early 2007. The company said that existing users of Strata Live 3D will get the PDF tool as a free addition to their existing license.

Strata is also offering the complete cross platform 3D Suite at special pricing through the end of the year. Customers who own or upgrade to Strata 3D CX 5.0 can complete the full 3D Suite for only $500, a savings of close to $500 over the standard pricing. The offer provides both Mac and Windows licenses for Live 3D, Live 3D:PDF and Foto 3D. All beta versions will be made available to registered users, and Strata said it would send a discount code to current CX owners allowing them to access the special pricing. Current users of Strata 3D CX 5.0 and Strata Live 3D 1.0 can download free updates on the company website. Strata has also posted public betas for Strata 3D CX for Intel Macs and Strata Foto 3D for Mac OS X.