Xara 3D 6.0

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An improved interface, new design options, better integration and sheer speed make Xara 3D a pleasure to work with – but its range is strictly limited..

Xara, the company behind Xara 3D, is the developer of Xara X 1 the most efficient, creative and affordable 2D drawing package available. The same focus on speed, productivity, usability, creativity and value is apparent in the company’s 3D offering, Xara 3D.

But it’s important to keep things in perspective. At just $45 you can’t expect a full 3D modeler and you certainly don’t get one. Instead Xara 3D concentrates almost exclusively on handling 3D text. When you create a new file, it automatically appears with dummy text in place. Once you’ve replaced this with your own, Xara 3D’s speed becomes apparent by the interactivity it enables. You simply drag to reposition your text, shadows and lighting within 3D space, fully rendered and in real time. And now you can drag to manage the depth of extrusion and bevel too.

This hands-on approach makes the whole process of creative experimentation intuitive and enjoyable, but you can’t make all edits directly on your graphic. Previously, other settings such as the choice of bevel type (there are now no less than 27 on offer), were handled via a series of idiosyncratic and ugly docker panels, but the interface has been completely reworked. Now the redesigned Option Bars – Colour, Extrude, Design, Bevels, Shadow, Texture and Animation – are all neatly docked down the right of the screen and are selected in turn by clicking on their title. It’s a lot neater and more streamlined than version 5, but it does mean that you are now limited to having just one Option Bar open at a time unless you undock them.

Apart from the new interface, the other immediately noticeable change is that the default 3D text is now surrounded by a default 3D oval border. This is part of a general move to incorporate a shape with your text to create a combined design. Beside the basic standalone text, there are four new options to choose from – Button, Board, Board with Holes and the new default, Border – depending on whether the text is flat on the object, embossed on it, drilled through it or surrounded by it. As you’d expect with Xara 3D as soon as you select an option the document window updates instantly and, as you have exactly the same formatting control over your object as you do for your text, you’ll be producing striking logos or web buttons in no time.

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