Version releases of Swift 3D are so funny because we always get the same dichotomous reactions from our users: “That’s an awesome feature, but you know what would be really cool is…” It just goes to show that we’re all creatures of improvement – constantly seeking to enhance what we have today in the name of a better tomorrow.

Well that attitude is certainly prevalent here at Electric Rain and now that we have the Windows version out the door, with the Mac soon to come, we’re hoping you can all helps us with the next task at hand – determining where Swift 3D is heading as an application.

But before we get into the details of specific feature requests (which we already have tons of), I’m curious about what people think about Swift 3D’s future from a more philosophical perspective. So here are a few questions to ponder:

1. Should Swift 3D stay focused on the 3D side of things or should it do more to cross the bridge to Flash with things like actionscript control, movie clip generation, etc.?

2. Does Swift 3D need to evolve into two applications – a Basic and an Advanced version – so it can continue to cater to first-time 3Ders and veterans alike?

3. Should Swift 3D stay true to its close affiliation with Flash or should it try and take on a larger audience of 3D authoring for print, video, etc.?

4. Do you think Electric Rain should pursue other 3D technologies like real-time 3D using actionscript and the drawing API and move away from frame-based 3D?

5. Are there any major areas of 3D animation (or elsewhere) that you think Electric Rain has just completely missed the boat on?

And I’m not declaring this a “Build Software by Democratic Committee” movement, but rather am just interested in hearing folks weigh-in with their opinions so we can have a better idea of what you all see in the Swift 3D crystal ball. Comments are welcome here on the Blog, features are welcome at wishlist@erain.com and discussion can be had over at the ERAIN Bulletin Board in this thread.

1. Should Swift 3D stay focused on the 3D side of things or should it do more to cross the bridge to Flash with things like actionscript control, movie clip generation, etc.?

Keep the course of 3D with the capability to generate movie clips.

2. Does Swift 3D need to evolve into two applications – a Basic and an Advanced version – so it can continue to cater to first-time 3Ders and veterans alike?

Keep one application with capability to switch from basic to pro use. Requiring a purchased secondary serial number to access the Pro side.

3. Should Swift 3D stay true to its close affiliation with Flash or should it try and take on a larger audience of 3D authoring for print, video, etc.?

Add print and video. But the market for print and video is congested. Perhaps stick with offering print and video features for portfolio reels.

4. Do you think Electric Rain should pursue other 3D technologies like real-time 3D using actionscript and the drawing API and move away from frame-based 3D?

Yes. But keep the frames based 3D since Actionscript can sometimes be more stress on a processor than rendered frames. Perhaps have frame animation on the Basic Swift3D side.

5. Are there any major areas of 3D animation (or elsewhere) that you think Electric Rain has just completely missed the boat on?

Particle emitters can add potential. I've been checking out a video rendering program (www.wondertouch.com); could vector graphics create a similar effects? Inverse kinematics.

Don't go down the all things to all people path. Instead of crossing the bridge to Flash by taking on functions that are performed in Flash, look for a closer and enhanced integration of the two without overlapping the feature sets. And please don't do the Pro thing. It's plain silly. Like memory priced per byte. People use what they can at the start and grow into the app gradually.

From what I have seen, even simple realtime 3D using AS does not perform too well in the Flash player. I guess you could start talking about the new Swift player component with Macromedia, like QT has its developer components...otherwise frame by frame is arguably better for complex stuff.

Thanks for the thoughts, folks. All good stuff. It's very interesting to hear from people who are not as "dirty" as us ERAINians.

The Bezier curve and I have been old friends, and I think in vector in Adobe Illustrator. When Flash came along, I could meld two graphic passions: telling a story through animation and through vectors. I don't yet have your product (time more a consideration than cost), but if I find you're slacking off on a commitment to VECTOR 3d animation, I may have to look elsewhere.