All Reviews

Technical Communication Suite review

TomArah — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0700

[inline:technicalcommsacrobat3d.jpg=Acrobat 3D shows the Technical Communications Suite's leading edge]

VERDICT: A modern cross-media technical publishing solution – that at its centre is old-fashioned and in need of a major overhaul.

We live in a fast-changing, global, consumer society and just about every product, and minor product variation, needs to come with its own technical documentation...

RoboHelp 7 review

TomArah — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0700

[inline:robohelp7html.jpg=RoboHelp HTML’s major advances are Vista, Unicode and Framemaker support]

An enhanced interface and support for Framemaker and multiple languages help give RoboHelp a new lease of life.

At one time producing online help was generally treated as an afterthought to the software development process and usually knocked up in Word using a few macros and Microsoft’s free compiler...

Captivate 3 review

TomArah — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:captivate3quizzes.jpg=Captivate 3 offers a lot more than onscreen software demos]

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT: Improved recording capabilities, richer design and interactivity and deeper integration with PowerPoint see Captivate build on existing strengths.

Adobe Captivate is a Flash-based solution for computer-based training (CBT). The use of Flash provides an immediate and massive advantage as it means that Captivate’s output is automatically viewable by anyone with the Flash player installed – roughly 98% of users with an internet connection...

Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 review

TomArah — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:psppx2expresslab.jpg=The new Express Lab workspace seriously boosts efficiency when handling multiple images]

VERDICT: Plenty of core new power for the digital camera user – but Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is still playing catch-up.

Over its long history Paint Shop Pro has built up a great deal of bitmap editing power, but it has also come to seem dated and increasingly out of tune with the times...

Framemaker 8 review

TomArah — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:framemaker83d.jpg=Framemaker's new3D PDF support sits uneasily with its outdated interface]

VERDICT: Improved handling of single-source repurposing and new support for rich media and Unicode – but Framemaker is still crying out for a core overhaul.

Framemaker was one of the first DTP packages and this year celebrates its 21st birthday...

Photoshop Elements 6 review

TomArah — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:photoshopelements6guidededit.jpg=Photoshop Elements 6 pushes back the boundaries again to ensure your photos look their best]

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT: A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging but comparatively little to boost core efficiency.

Organizing and enhancing thousands of digital photographs is a time-consuming task and the digital camera owner needs dedicated help to make the process as productive and enjoyable as possible...

Texture Applications article

TomArah — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:rw158texturemakerfunctions.jpg=Texture handling is key to successful 3D materials - and to bitmap and vector formatting too]

Tom Arah shows you the best way to bring some texture into your design work.

Long-term readers will know that I am a big fan and keen advocate of the use of seamless bitmap textures. Such textures play an essential role in the production of 3D work, as we saw again last month, but they can also prove just as useful within 2D bitmap and vector environments...

Piranesi 5 review

TomArah — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:piranesi5cutouts.jpg=Piranesi 5 offers a unique mix of 3D and bitmap control]

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...

SketchUp 6 review

TomArah — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:sketchupstyles.jpg=SketchUp offers new rendering styles]

RECOMMENDED

VERDICT: Improved interface and drawing capabilities, new photo matching and hand-drawn effects - and it’s still free.

Over the years @Last Software’s SketchUp managed to win itself a small fanbase, particularly among architects, for its valiant attempt to make 3D modelling as simple as 2D drawing...

SketchUp 6 Pro review

TomArah — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0600

[inline:sketchup6layout.jpg=SketchUp 6 Pro builds on the strengths of the free version]

VERDICT: Builds on the free Google SketchUp with enhanced export options and a new dedicated presentation application.

Based on the impressive feature set of the free Google SketchUp (see separate review), the obvious question is: what more does the commercial Google SketchUp Pro 6 offer to justify its price?