Effect3D Studio Review
Not for a pro...or anyone else
Author's Product Rating: 
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The lowest price: 89.95$
You can buy it at RegNow for that price.
You can buy it at RegNow for that price.
Pros:
Light, quick loading; Simple good looking interface; Many pre-scripted effects;
Light, quick loading; Simple good looking interface; Many pre-scripted effects;
Cons:
Cannot resize tiny window; Menus will take a day to learn what they mean; Lack of documentation; Very little capability; Buggy
Cannot resize tiny window; Menus will take a day to learn what they mean; Lack of documentation; Very little capability; Buggy
Review:
- Introduction
- First allow me to introduce myself. I work in an engineering field and use computers 18 hours out of the day. At work I use 3D CAD and other similar software. In my free time I have done freelance graphic designing and website development. I also am a member of a local robotics club...etc. In other words, I am the quintessence of "geek."
- Windowing
- The first thing you will notice when starting up the application, is an absolutely tiny view port and workspace. I spent a good 5 minutes trying to find a corner to stretch, and upon failing, spent another 5 searching for a menu or configuration option to allow me to enlarge the window. However, there appears to be no such option, a huge drawback for me especially, along with most other users.
- Layout
- Using the layout will only take a few minutes to get used to, but it will be a frustrating time. The entire interface uses symbols instead of worded menus or options. Albeit, it does look nice, but waiting a second over every symbol for a tooltip is a pain. There are keyboard shortcuts to most of the functions, which greatly speed things along once you learn them.
- Learning Curve
- While the software greatly mimics Swift3D and other low-cost effects generators, it is just as confusing and slow to learn as Adobe After Effects. Most of the effects are pre-scripted, as are the shapes, textures, and just about everything else. It took me an evening of tinkering to successfully learn how to create custom effects.
- Output Quality
- The effects created in the end can look nice; however, they rarely look as good as the examples. In comparing the time it took to create a rocket ship taking off in Effect3D to the time I would expect the same thing to take in Blender 3D, I was wholly disappointed. Special textures tend to be jumpy and shading is marginal.
- One Last Drawback
- The software is also slightly buggy. For example, if you hit open project twice, it will instantly crash the application.
Conclusion:
It was a good idea to try to consolidate the features of many 3D design programs into a small light app, but Reallusion has failed miserably with Effect3D. Don't spend the money and go look for an open source app.