Dec 95 New Products

With new Win95 and drag-and-drop features, Visio Technical 4.0 puts an end to complicated CAD software. Designers can customize their own shapes or choose from over 2,000 industry-specific technical SmartShapes. New drawing tools include intersect and subtract geometry commands, multiple layering, a fixed grid and a spline tool for creating and editing sophisticated curves. The enhanced AutoCAD file compatibility enables you to import .DWG/.DXF files, edit them in Visio Technical, and then export the modified drawings in their native format. The software maintains all AutoCAD attributes and can automatically convert symbol libraries into SmartShapes. Visio Technical 4.0 comes in 32-bit (for Win95 and NT) and 16-bit versions in the same box.

$299 (street); upgrade for registered users, $99 (street).
Visio Corp.
800-24-VISIO x93W, 206-521-4500.

High-end 3-D illustration is no longer the province of Hollywood graphics gurus. Ray Dream Studio brings an advanced, intuitive and affordable imaging center to your desktop.

Compatible with any Windows platform, the suite integrates four components: Ray Dream Designer 4, Ray Dream Animator, Dream Models and Extensions Portfolio. The Designer automatically creates indoor, outdoor and studio scenes, and guides you through creating custom scenes. Also included are over 500 editable texture and shader combinations. The Animator also has rotoscoping and keyframe/timeline, features previously available only on expensive power graphics systems. Dream Models includes more than 500 fully textured, editable 3-D models. Extensions Portfolio's panoramic camera and layered fog effects work with the rest of the suite.

$499; upgrade for Ray Dream Designer users, $149.
Ray Dream
800-846-0111, 415-960-0768.

Along with a full range of standard drawing, painting and cropping tools, Sentfactor Paint supports 16 import/export file formats. It lets you modify the number and selection of colors and sizes, and offers special effects such as emboss, pixelate, staining and color washout. The imaging software provides live input from video capture, a precise-to-the-millimeter cloning tool and pattern fill.

Sentfactor Image Viewer saves you time and aggravation by opening thumbnail images on your system.

$149.99; Image Viewer, $29.99.
Sentfactor (US)
941-647-3220, fax 941-648-5612.

Announcements 4.0 creates personalized calendars, greeting cards, certificates, mailers, business cards, tall banners, brochures and more. It is Win95-and NT-compatible, and features more than 200 graphics and 50 document templates. New features include an easy-to-use graphical interface, spell checker, print preview, OLE support and text-file import capabilities.

A deluxe version has 500 graphics, 250 templates and 100 TrueType fonts.

$29 (direct); deluxe version, $49 (direct).
Parsons Technology
800-223-6925, 319-395-9626.

You'll find no stock photos in KPT Power Photos II, the Elite Series. The 375 RGB TIFF images in the CD-ROM collection were photographed strictly for digital imaging. The program's shortcuts include Transflectance Channels constructed with blue screen backdrops, color balancing and sharpening, and predesigned layouts.

$199.
MetaTools
805-566-6200, fax 805-566-6385.

TrueSpace/SE is an entry-level version of Caligari's high-end animation software. Using the program's icon-based and nodeless interface, you can easily create flying 3-D text, titles, logos, slide-ready illustrations, animation for video output and multimedia presentation objects. The program requires Windows 3.1 or higher.

$149.
Caligari Corp.
800-351-7620, 415-390-9600.