Case Study Url:
http://www.poundpuppies.com

Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Originally a programer/consultant, with asperations to do more on the graphics side. I remember using a 3d package on a mac in the 90's, and took a liking to it, although I did little with it. After some years in IT, I moved on and did other things, and now I find myself moving back to IT, with more of an interest in persuing graphics as a career.

How did you get your start with Swift 3D?
Like many people, I downloaded and played with the demo. I was doing odd spots of work for various people, and one company wanted the typical spinning logo type things in flash. It was a snap to do in swift, and once I'd gotten used to the Advanced Modeler, I found the package to be a great tool for developing models, and modeling skills.

What Swift 3D projects have you done in the past?
Mostly the swift items I've done in the past have either been for my own benefit, for small companies who wanted logos, or simple set sized animation sequances. In one case I used swift and flash to put together a web-ad that was a little more detailed. Sadly, the product never went into full production.

What Electric Rain product did you use for this case study?
Swift 3D

What "real world use" led you to consider 3D as a solution?
The website was produced by MediaMacros and Clownsquad. The chaps there had a remit to produce various animations of puppies, from differing angles, and 3d models that could be ported into flashed seemed like the best solution. For speed of use, swift was the best option at that point, although there were snags, as with anything.

How did Swift 3D help you to meet your project goals?
With the small animation segments that were needed to build up the whole, and the ability to smoothly port into flash, Swift provided sturdy animation and modeling facilities.

What feature of Swift 3D did you find to be the most beneficial?
Very much the exporting to flash, and the smart weld. Some of the models were imported from an external source, and without the smartweld, they would have been very awkward to touch-up.

What other software did you use to complete your project?
C4D and flash. Flash was used by Clownsquad/MediaMacros to put the site together. C4D was used to get some of the initial puppy models done, as the hypernurbs allowed for an easy level of control in the design stage.

What is the overall benefit of Swift 3D to your company?
It's easy to pick up, and unlike some of the larger packages, you're not instant set adrift behind what seems to be the control pannel of some kind of space ship.

What types of projects do you plan on using Swift 3D for in the future?
Swift has wedged itself firmly into the list of programs I routeinly use, and unlike some others, hasn't proved to be a problem with Vista, which is a huge bonus. I do tend to wind up doing a fair chunk of work with flash, and with the papervision support, it's looking like I could be taking a poke in that direction soon enough.