MAGIX 3D Maker

Magix Xara 3D Maker is a program that creates images and animations of 3D text and objects. The program acts as a support utility for some of the other Magix design, photo and video products that are available. It can still produce images and animations that can be used in a variety of mediums. Xara 3D Maker is available for free on a trial basis. The commercial version must be purchased after the initial 30-day free trial ends. The trial version is functional and includes all the tools in the commercial version.

Xara 3D Maker attempts to balance a simple interface with the tools needed to work with basic 3D animations and images. The display is divided into four parts. The center panel is the main image area. This is where the current project is shown. The right hand side of the screen contains a panel with all the editing options available. The arrangement is easy to understand and involves drop-down menus. The left hand side of the screen contains a vertical tool-bar that provides faster access to the same sets of tools. The top of the screen includes a menu bar and options for adjusting most aspects of the text being used.

The first thing to understand is that Xara 3D Maker appears to be geared towards creating 3D text for websites or documents. It can also be used to create standalone animations or text animations for videos. The program does not have the type of vector editing or other complex modeling features present in applications designed to handle generalized 3D scenes. It does still provide enough control over individual elements and text to create a customized scene that fits the needs of the user.

The process of creating a scene starts with adding text. The text can be in any vector-based font currently on the computer. This includes script fonts. Many aspects of the text can then be edited. This includes the depth of the extruded 3D sides, beveling around the edges, colors or textures. The design option allows users to add shapes to the scene. These shapes are aligned with the text that was added. The shapes include buttons, banners and speech bubbles. Custom shapes can be imported from other Magix design programs. Scenes can be saved as static images. The text can also be animated using a variety of pre-designated movement patters. Some are appropriate for ending credits in a production.

Xara 3D Maker is definitely easy to use. Novice modelers and designers will quickly work out how to adjust the lighting, add surface textures and create usable animations. The animations can be exported to common formats for use on websites or in video editing programs. One drawback of Xara 3D Maker is that the rendering quality is not as impressive as some other programs with similar features. However, Magix Xara 3D Maker is a functional and sometimes fun program for creating 3D text and animations.