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...

To access this extra bitmap information Piranesi needs to work with images in its own EPix (Extended Pixel) file format. An increasing number of 3D modelers, such as the latest Vue 6 Infinite (see review), now support EPix export natively while Informatix provides plug-ins for most of those high-end packages which don’t. Alternatively, Informatix provides a standalone utility, Vedute, to load models in the common DXF and 3DS exchange formats ready for staging, lighting and export. Crucially, Vedute also supports SketchUp (SKP) models and, with Google now providing SketchUp for free, this means that everyone can create EPix content. Moreover, as Vedute 5 now imports textures as well as geometry, you can now use the main Piranesi application to enhance existing scenes rather than re-texturing from scratch.
On first loading Piranesi 5, longstanding users are in for a shock as the interface has undergone a total overhaul. However it won’t take long to get to grips with the new environment - and to appreciate just how superior it is. Previously Piranesi employed a powerful but perversely complex approach to painting built around a restricted set of “applicators” each of which offered a wide range of “render modes”. Now each applicator and render mode has been made a tool in its own right so that if you want to work with just the edges of your model, say, or apply a filter, or restore image data there are now dedicated Edge, Filter and Restore tools immediately to hand.
It’s not just the toolbox which has been reworked. Formerly the properties of applicators and of their render effects were set in multiple tabbed dialogs. Now there’s a new context-sensitive Tool Options bar across the top of the screen which provides instant access to all the most important parameters along with a button which opens a new Advanced Settings dialog for total control. Even better, the Tool Options bar offers drop-down access to texture, grain and cutout thumbnail libraries and also to common presets for each tool. For good measure there’s also a new context-sensitive Help Assistant panel providing in-depth information and useful advice on how to get the most out of each tool.

The Piranesi interface has been completely overhauled

During the overhaul, Informatix has taken the opportunity to rework most of Piranesi 5’s tools. There are new controls over the shape and size of the Painter and Brush tools and some tweaks to the Smudge tool. There’s also a new Stamp tool which lets you load existing bitmaps to paint onto the scene – very handy for example for spraying realistic ivy onto an angled wall. Even more useful are the changes to the core Pencil tool which can now be used to draw continuous lines as well as depth-aware rectangles and ovals. Most impressive are the changes to Piranesi 5’s relighting capabilities which were formerly hidden away as a fade option. Now there’s a new dedicated Light tool which lets you apply parallel, point, spot and strip lighting effects. Hit the Tweak command and you can even interactively fine-tune the range, direction and angle onscreen.

The new cutout handling is easier and more power

The most significant changes are to Piranesi 5’s cutout handling. Cutouts are 2D bitmaps and 3D models that you can place into your scene with Piranesi automatically taking care of sizing, masking and shadowing. New options include the ability to apply motion blur and silhouetting and to handle selected cutouts as groups. There’s also a new Multiple Cutout tool that lets you load multiple cutouts ready for placing sequentially, or along a line or grid, to quickly populate a scene - though the inability to select individual cutouts rather than whole directories limits its usefulness. Again the biggest practical advance is Piranesi 5’s new support for textured models which, with the existing support for the SKP file format, opens up Google SketchUp’s massive 3D Warehouse as a free source of ready-to-use 3D cutouts.
When you’ve finished styling and populating your scene, you’re ready to export your artwork. Here the major advance is Piranesi 5’s new support for the PSD format which makes it easy to work further on your image in Photoshop – especially as cutouts can be exported to their own layer or layers, and materials to masks. And Piranesi has one final trick up its sleeve. By saving your tool settings as styles you can re-use them to quickly apply a similar house style to another render of your scene or to a completely new project. Previously each style had to be laboriously saved as you went along which was asking a lot – now you can use the Style Recorder to temporarily store all settings ready for later review and saving.
For new user and expert alike, Piranesi 5 unleashes the full creative potential of the program’s unique combination of 3D and bitmap power.

EASE OF USE 5/6
FEATURES 6/6
VALUE FOR MONEY 4/6
OVERALL 5/6