Inklination® FineArt 3D is a plug-in renderer for Apple QuickDraw 3D. With this product, three-dimensional models can be converted into elegant pen-and-ink renderings in just a few mouse clicks. It is a versatile tool that offers nine built-in rendering styles, plus many variations on each of these styles. It will let you create formal illustrations, or cool looking sketches, all from the same 3D model. It is compatible with many commercial QuickDraw-3D-savvy applications, including Microspot 3D World™, Diehl Graphsoft Minicad 7 and VectorWorks 8, Artifice Design Workshop, Vertigo Technologies Hot Text, Autodessys Form-Z, Metacreations Infini-D, and Adrenaline Software Charts Pro.
A registration key for Inklination® FineArt 3D is regularly priced at US$49.95. However, until April 30, 1999, it cost only US$39.95. Multiple-user and site licenses are also available. Licenses can conveniently be purchased on-line by visiting Inklination's home page at http://www.inklination.com.
System Requirements
Inklination® FineArt 3D requires a Power Macintosh computer, MacOS 8.0 or later, Quicktime 3 or newer (or QuickDraw 3D 1.5.4 or newer), and a host application that supports QuickDraw 3D and plug-in renderers.
Installing
To install Inklination® FineArt 3D on your computer, simply run the Installer application found in the same folder as this document and follow the on-screen instruction..
Getting Started
If you already own a QuickDraw 3D application, then you can simply open one of your own models and render it in pen and ink. You may find that you need to change some parameters in your 3D models to get good results. In particular, creating a high contrast between light and dark regions usually yields better images. To achieve this, you may need to assign lighter color to the various 3D objects in the scene.
If you do not already own a QuickDraw 3D application, there are several ways to try Inklination® FineArt 3D without spending any money. Most of the applications listed above have a free demo available; simply go the Web site for these various software developers and download your own demo.
Better yet, Microspot has a free, fully functional, limited version of 3D World™ available for download. Point your Browser to http://www.microspot.co.uk/products/3DWorld to get it. Then visit the Download area on our Web site, at http://www.inklination.com, and get a copy of our free pen-and-ink samples. You can simply open these samples from within 3D World™ and render them in pen and ink. To render with the pen-and-ink renderer in 3D World, open the Renderer Options palette, and select FineArt 3D from the Renderer pop-up menu.
What's New in Version 1.2
• Version 1.2 is compatible with MetaCreations Infini-D 4.5.
• The crosshatching algorithm has been revised so that strokes are closer together.
• FineArt 3D now does a better job rendering outlines.
• Polygons or shapes with a fill style set to 'edges' are now rendered with outlines only.
• A bug that caused incorrect shading with spot lights has been fixed.
• A bug that caused spurious outline edges with axonometric cameras in vectorWorks has been fixed.
(A complete version history is available on our Web site.)
Where is the user manual?
The User Guide for Inklination® FineArt 3D is available as a separate download. To get it, go to Inklination's home page at http://www.inklination.com, and follow the link to the Download area. The User Guide is listed next to FineArt 3D. It's a pdf document; you will need a free copyof Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0, available from Adobe Systems Inc., to view and print it.
Registration
The tryout version of Inklination® FineArt 3D is fully functional. However, it has two restrictions: (1) it prints a demo stamp on each rendering, and (2) it takes you directly to the Registration panel every time that you bring up the Options dialog. To get rid of these limitations, you must register this product. And to register it you need a registration key.
Registration keys can be purchased directly from Inklination, Inc. For more information about this, and current prices, please visit our Web site at http://www.inklination.com. Registering Inklination® FineArt 3D also entitles you to preferred pricing on future upgrades, and to receiving technical support from us.
Technical Support
If you have any trouble installing and getting started with this product, please let us know, and we'll try to help you. You can reach us by e-mail at support@inklination.com. Technical support is also available on-line. Please, visit http://www.inklination.com and follow the link to the Support area for further information.
It is also a good idea to visit our Download area regularly. We will make updates of this product available frequently, at least during its initial market phase. These updates are intended to bring improvements to the software; but we will also offer free updates with new features from time to time.