- Building 3D Models
- Adding Colors and Materials to Your Objects
- Creating 3D Scenes
- Rendering 3D Output
- Importing Swift SWF Output into Flash
- Where to Learn More
Importing Swift SWF Output into Flash
Swift 3D is designed to be a content creation tool, not a content viewing tool. So everything you render from Swift 3D, whether using the RAViX or EMO engines, needs to be displayed to your viewing audience using some additional tools or technologies.
Vector and raster-based SWF output from Swift 3D can be viewed directly in two ways:
- By using the standalone Flash Player.
- By using a Web browser and its associated Flash Player plug-in. Publish Swift 3D-generated content to the Web using SWF files embedded in HTML.
The SWF output from Swift 3D enables content to be further edited in and integrated within Flash. Both vector and raster renderings contained within an SWF file are composed of a series of keyframes (or a single keyframe if it’s a single-frame rendering) that can be placed directly onto the Flash timeline. Raster-based SWF files consist of a series of images on a single layer; vector-based files consist of a series of vector-based drawings composed of lines and fills, which can be further broken apart and edited on a frame-by-frame basis.
Leveraging the Flash MX Importer
If you are using either Flash MX or MX 2004, you can use the included Flash MX Importer to import files into Flash via Electric Rain’s proprietary SWFT file format. Contained in these files is layered 3D content that the Importer interprets and places into Flash’s library as a movie clip or directly onto the stage.
Using Raster-Based and Vector-Based File Formats
If you use the EMO ray tracer, you end up with standard universal raster file formats such as JPEG, BMP, and PNG that can easily be publishing directly to the Web, edited further in Photoshop or Fireworks, or even attached to an email.
If you want to output to vector-based drawing applications such as Illustrator or Freehand, use the RAViX III options to render the files to either AI or EPS. These options make Swift 3D an excellent choice for creating 3D illustrations.