Xara 3D Maker - 7.0 User Manual

Welcome to Xara 3D Maker 7

Traditional 3D programs are notoriously difficult to use and understand. Not so Xara 3D Maker 7. Unlike many 3D programs that take an age to learn and understand, Xara 3D Maker 7 has been created to perform one job, and performs that job with style, speed and simplicity. Xara 3D Maker 7 is solely designed to create the highest quality 3D text and graphics , such as headings, logos, titles and buttons. It's the perfect way to add impact to your web pages, mailshots, movie titles and credits, and presentations (all images are fully anti-aliased for that smooth, professional quality). Xara 3D Maker 7 can also create awesome 3D animations in seconds - GIFs, AVIs and simple Flash movie sequences - and you can even enhance your desktop by saving any animation as a screensaver!

Getting started

These pages help you when you first install Xara 3D Maker 7.

The basics Getting started The design types What's new in version 7 Customer support

How do I...?

Use this page if you want to find out how to do something in Xara 3D Maker 7. Last changed: 2/16/2011

Page 1

Purchasing and unlocking Xara 3D Maker

When you run the downloaded trial version of Xara 3D Maker, the start screen will present you with three options. Check the option you require and you will be presented with further instructions.

Activate with serial number

Select this option if you have already purchased your copy of Xara 3D Maker and enter the serial number that you were given in the email confirming your purchase. Enter your email address so your copy can be registered (if you have already registered this will be ignored). Then click Register Online

and Activate

.

Purchase online

Select this option if you would like to purchase a copy of Xara 3D Maker. You will be given a serial number when you purchase.

Continue using trial

Select this option if you would like to continue using the free trial. To the right of this option it will tell you how many days of the trial you have left. Then click Continue trial .

Important note

: Please keep a record of the email address and password you used when purchasing Xara 3D Maker since you may need them in the future, for example if you wish to upgrade.

Other ways to purchase

If you do not have the trial you can order directly on our website www.xara.com/ordering and you will be given a serial number that can be used to unlock the trial later. Xara titles are great value for the money, but we offer further generous discounts to academic establishments on all our products. You can find details on our website.

Page 2

What's New in Xara 3D

Smoothed 1a

Smoothed 1b

Smoothed 2a

Smoothed 2b

Fancy Incut 3

Maker Version 7

Xara 3D Maker now offers:

Two new animation types, Scroll and Scroll In/Out, allow you to move letters, words and



phrases across the screen in a choice of directions, also giving you control over entrance and exit speed and acceleration/deceleration.

Seven new bevel styles add to the huge range of beveled types you can add to your 3D design.



These include: Four new smoothed bevel types that give you a wider choice of rounded bevel types - Smoothed



1a and 1b, Smoothed 2a and 2b

A stylish addition to the Fancy Incut bevel types



Two new striking angled designs, Angle Faced and Angle Cornered



Page 3

Angle Faced

Angle Cornered

A new View Options dialog allows you to enter an X & Y position for your image, and you can



also specify precise angles for its horizontal and vertical rotation.

View options let you rotate precisely around three axes and view your design as wireframe

Easier insertion of line and page breaks in the Text Options dialog box enables faster text



editing. Instant access to hundreds of pre-built Xara 3D Maker samples via the new Open Sample



command in the File menu.

The new autosave feature ensures you won't lose any of your 3D designs, even if you exit Xara



3D Maker without saving changes - your current view will be saved and will automatically open the next time you open the program. On Windows 7 by default Xara 3D Maker now excludes fonts that are marked as hidden, from



its font list. However this can be turned off so that the hidden fonts do appear in the font list. Refer to your Windows documentation for more information on Windows 7 hidden fonts. You can now copy or cut and paste your 3D images to Microsoft Word and other programs.



Page 4

Other Xara products

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 6

(formerly Xtreme) is quite simply the best value and fastest all-in-one graphics package you'll find. For drawings or photo work, for print or web graphics, it's the perfect choice. See http://www.xara.com/products/designer/ for more information.

Xara Designer Pro

(formerly Xtreme Pro) is our top of the range product and includes all the features and templates of Web Designer and Photo & Graphic Designer. Plus it adds extra features that Pro designers need including support for PDF/X, PANTONE® and color separations, multi-core processor support for extra speed, enhanced import/export filters, a pro version of the photo panorama tool and more. See http://www.xara.com/products/designer/ for more information.

Xara Web Designer

is unlike any web editor you will have seen before; an easy template based solution that gives you total page design freedom, no HTML skills required. It offers comprehensive WYSIWYG web graphic, web page and website creation features. See http://www.xara.com/products/webdesigner/ for more information.

Create professional graphical NavBars and DHTML menus in an instant with Xara Menu

Maker

- no technical or design skills required. See http://www.xara.com/products/menumaker/ for more information.

Xara ScreenMaker 3D

is a screensaver maker that's fast, fun and easy to use. Create animated 3D text or tumbling picture cube screensavers. See http://www.xara.com/products/screenmaker3d / for more information.

There are trial versions and demo movies for many of these products at http://www.xara.com/products .

Page 5

Getting Help

In this chapter

Support About Xara 3D Maker Tooltips

Page 6

Support

http://support.xara .com

The Xara support site above offers a comprehensive FAQ page (frequently asked questions)



which is constantly updated and available 24 hours, 7 days a week; always the best source for instant answers. You can also contact our technical support staff using the form on the support page, if you cannot find the answer to your question! If you are an owner of a Xara product you can also submit a ticket to our support staff via the



support site above, but please remember we can only respond during office hours! Please note

TalkGraphics members cannot help with Xara account issues. If you can't find the answer in this manual, we highly recommend viewing the Xara 3D Maker

introduction movie

. It is the ideal way to get to know Xara 3D Maker and get an overview of its features, allowing you to make the most of the program. If you need some help using this program, here are some sources of information that may be of use:

Program help - Choose Help topics from the Help menu to open Xara 3D Maker Help



(containing hundreds of pages of information).

Status bar - Try reading the text on the status bar at the bottom of the main Xara 3D Maker



window. It always describes what actions are currently possible and what they will do (even

during drags), and helps you learn to use the Xara 3D Maker tools. It also gives details of what

buttons and controls do as you move the pointer over them. See Status Bar for more details.

ToolTips - If you hold the mouse pointer over a button or control for a short while, then small



message appears telling you what it does.

Dialog boxes - If you want to know what a dialog box does or how to use it, click its help button



(displayed as a "?" mark).

Movies - Use menu "Help" > "Play Movie" or click here to watch the program introduction



movie.

The TalkGraphics forums - Post your question in the popular, dedicated Xara forums at



TalkGraphics.com (www.talkgraphics.com), where you can ask other Xara 3D Maker users for

advice or suggestions ? available 24x7. You can share tips and ideas, ask questions or offer

solutions to other users.

Xara Xone - Visit the Xara Xone (www.xaraxone.com) for a host of excellent Xara 3D Maker



support resources, including over ten years of Xara Designer tutorials, hints & tips, featured

artists, and Xara shareware

"The Outsider" newsletter (www.xara.com/outsider) Subscribe to our monthly newsletter "The



Outsider" (with monthly tutorials and tips, offers, inspirational art, and more).

Join the Xara community on Facebook or follow our news on Twitter.



Page 7

About Xara 3D Maker

Choose "Help" > "About Xara 3D Maker 7 ". This displays general information about the program. If you contact Xara support, you may be asked for this information.

Page 8

Tooltips

When you move over a button, the tooltip tells you the function of the button.

Page 9

Working with Xara 3D Maker

In this chapter

The Xara 3D Maker window Getting started

This section describes the basics of using Xara 3D Maker. Later sections provide more details of the various dialog boxes and toolbars and how to perform particular actions.

Page 10

The Xara 3D Maker window

Standard toolbar: This provides common editing functions such as load

and save. For more details see The standard toolbar .

Text toolbar:_This provides quick access to the main text editing options such as font and size. For more details see The text toolbar .

Time line: (Not displayed by default. Select Time line on the Window menu.) This provides greater control over animations. It lets you start, stop, pause and step through animations. For more details of the Time line see The time line. For more details of creating animations see Create

animations

.

Preview area: The main part of the window shows a preview of your graphic as you create it. You can edit the graphic by, for example, dragging on a shadow to move the shadow, or dragging on the graphic to change the extrude or bevel .

Options toolbar:

This provides shortcuts to the different options available. These are:



Animation options



Bevel options



Color options



Design options



Extrusion options



Shadow options



Text options



Texture options

Display of the toolbars and Status Bar is optional. The Window menu lets you select which to display.

Page 11



View options

Option bars: Each bar contains settings for the options listed above. They can be accessed by clicking on the required bar or by clicking the required button on the options toolbar above. For more details see

Option bars

. You can move and dock the option bars, or remove completely.

Design toolbar: Offers shortcuts to the different design types of: text only, button, board, board with holes and border. For more details see

Design options

.

Status bar: This provides feedback on available editing options and also shows you the current size and rotation angles of the 3D graphic. For more details see The status bar .

Note:

Right click anywhere in the preview area (main window) to bring up a menu with options relating to that item. For example, right-clicking the background gives you the opportunity to change the background color and texture.

Page 12

Getting started

Traditional 3D programs are notoriously difficult to use and understand. This is not the case with Xara 3D Maker. Xara 3D Maker is so simple to use, literally anyone can produce high quality still and animated 3D graphics in minutes. We highly recommend viewing the Xara 3D Maker introduction movie. It is the ideal way to get to know Xara 3D Maker and get an overview of its features, allowing you to make the most of the program. View

the movie

. Creating a 3D heading is easy:

Start typing to enter the text you want. You can delete existing text using backspace.

1.

Typically the first step is to enter your own text which you can do by just deleting the default

o

text with the regular Delete key and typing your own. You can position the image in three dimensions by simply dragging it on screen (as long as you don't have a background texture, in which case use the scroll bars).

Select a font of your choice from the drop-down list in the text toolbar.

2.

You will likely also want to customize it, which you can do by clicking any of the option bars

o

on the right hand side of the window (the buttons on the options toolbar also open these). Any changes you make are reflected instantly on the image, making it easy and fun to experiment.

Change the bevel and extrude if you wish.

3.

Dragging on the graphic itself can change the extrude or bevel. You can also add a shadow

o

and drag it to the required position, and

Drag the text to get the angle you want.

4.

Change the color of the text or background.

5.

Resize the Xara3D window to set the size of the text.

6.

Select Export on the file menu to save the heading as a BMP, PNG, GIF, JPEG, Flash SWF,

7.

ICO (icon) or CUR (cursor).

Want an animated heading?

Creating animations

is just as easy. The animation options offer a wide range of different animation types from simple rotation of the image to multi-page animations with alternating animation types per character.

Want to change the lighting angles or colors?

Simple. Click the light bulb button . This displays the three lights that color the text (and a special striped light that creates the shadow). Drag the lights to change the angles or double-click on a light to display the color picker.

Want to copy styles from an existing heading?

And if you don't want to create your own headings you can simply copy one that's already been created by using the design picker (under design options) to copy some or all of the attributes of an existing file to the current heading, or use the animation picker to copy animation settings.

Want to open one of the hundreds of samples that come with Xara 3D Maker?

Choose Open Sample from the File menu and choose from the huge selection of .x3d files arranged into folders depending on their design. A

Page 13

preview is displayed as you click on each file, so you can see the image before you open it.

Want to import your own 2D graphic?

You can import Windows metafiles (EMF or WMF) or Xara XAR/WEB files. Then you can convert them to extruded 3D graphics. When you're happy with the results, you can export either a static image or an animation or movie in any of the most popular file formats. You can even create an animated screensaver either for use on your own computer or for distribution to other people.

Want to copy your 3D image into another application?

No problem, just copy your design (choose Copy from the Edit menu or press "Ctrl + C") and it's placed on your clipboard in 24bpp bitmap form, as well as in XAR format. This means that you can paste it into any other application that handles bitmaps, such as Microsoft Word or Outlook, or graphics programs, as well as other Xara products such as Xara Designer Pro and Xara Photo & Graphic Designer. The XAR format supports a bitmap with a transparent background, while the 24bpp bitmap has a solid background.

Page 14

How To ...

In this chapter

Quick overview Open a new document Change the text Rotate and position the graphic Light the graphic Color the graphic Resize the graphic Add bevels & extrude Select characters Add shadows Create animations Creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files Importing 2D objects Apply the style of an existing graphic Create buttons, boards, boards + holes and borders Create screen savers Create Flash files Save and export Customize Xara 3D Maker

This section describes using Xara 3D Maker to create quality 3D headings or buttons and then exporting static or animated files. In these descriptions we use 'graphic' as shorthand for the text or shape shown in the Xara 3D Maker window.

Page 15

Quick overview

Use these pages if you want to find out how to do something in Xara 3D Maker.

The basics

Text & 2D objects

Positioning & rotating Changing the size Changing the wording Changing text spacing Changing the font Changing the color Changing the bevel (edges) Changing the 3D extrude (depth) Changing the effects applied to selected characters Changing the lighting Creating hollow text Shiny & matt surfaces Selecting text Typing international (accented) characters Importing styles from an existing heading Importing animation settings from an existing heading Importing 2D objects Creating 3D buttons, boards and border designs

Colors

Changing the text and background color Changing the colors of the lights Changing the shadow color Changing the texture color (tint) Creating and moving shadows Changing the shadow color and type Changing the shadow transparency and blur

Textures

and text and the background Changing the texture color (tint)

The lights

Changing their color and position

Buttons, boards and borders

Creating buttons, boards and border designs Making the designs wider or narrower

Page 16

Changing the curvature of the corners Changing the size of buttons

Animation

Creating an animation/movie Creating and editing a multipage animation Previewing an AVI movie Importing animation settings from an existing heading The Time Line

Saving

Saving for reloading later Saving a graphic Saving screensavers

Correcting mistakes

Undo & Redo

Customizing Xara3D

Changing the default document Displaying and moving toolbars Docking dialog boxes Making your own menu items and shortcuts Returning to default settings

Page 17

Open a new document

Click New on the File menu. This loads the default graphic. You can replace this default graphic with your own ? see Customizing Xara 3D Maker . Alternatively click Open Sample on the File menu to open one of the hundreds of sample files that come with Xara 3D Maker. A preview of the image is displayed so you can see what it looks like before you open it.

Page 18

Change the text

You can also display the text cursor. Select the show/hide cursor button on the standard toolbar.

The easiest way of changing the text is to delete the existing text (using Backspace) and then typing in the wording you want.

You can then use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor in the text and to select part of the text ? for more information on this, see select characters . To change the font or apply effects such as increasing the space between characters, you can use the options in the text toolbar . Alternatively you can use the Text options dialog box to select and change text and apply effects. This is often easier when you have several lines of text such as in multi-page animations.

Page 19

Rotate and position the graphic

The easiest way to rotate the graphic is simply to drag on it in the Xara 3D Maker window or drag on the background if you don't have a background texture (don't drag on the shadow ? this moves the shadow). This lets you rotate the graphic horizontally, vertically or around its center line. Alternatively, use the scroll bars.

Status bar

The Status bar shows the current angles (horizontal, vertical and rotation around the center line).

Positioning options

Normally the graphic is centered in the window. You can move the graphic to your preferred location using View options and changing the X and Y position values. Alternatively you can use these keyboard shortcuts: Alt-drag allows you to move the graphic freely around the screen. To return the graphic to the center of the window press "Alt+Home" (this also cancels any rotation.) "Ctrl + Alt-drag" allows you to move the graphic horizontally on the x axis. "Alt + Shift-drag" allows you to move the graphic vertically on the y axis.

Rotate options

You can rotate your graphic by using the keyboard shortcuts below. Alternatively you can use View

options

to rotate your graphic horizontally, vertically and around its center line by precise increments in degrees. To rotate around the horizontal (x) axis only:

"Shift-drag" on the window



or use the up/down arrow keys (1s rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15s rotation)



To rotate around the vertical (y) axis only:

"Ctrl-drag" on the window



or use the left/right arrow keys (1s rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the left/right arrow keys (15s rotation)



To rotate the graphic around its center line

"Ctrl + Shift-drag" on the window



or use "Shift" and the up/down arrow keys (1s rotation)



or use "Shift + Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15s rotation)



To cancel any rotation: (graphic is face-on) press "Alt + Home"

Note:

Page 20

If the text cursor is displayed, hold down "Alt" to rotate the text or click the show/hide cursor button to remove the cursor.

Page 21

Status bar

The Status bar shows the current angles (horizontal, vertical and rotation around the center line).

Positioning options

Normally the graphic is centered in the window. You can move the graphic to your preferred location using View options and changing the X and Y position values. Alternatively you can use these keyboard shortcuts: Alt-drag allows you to move the graphic freely around the screen. To return the graphic to the center of the window press "Alt+Home" (this also cancels any rotation.) "Ctrl + Alt-drag" allows you to move the graphic horizontally on the x axis. "Alt + Shift-drag" allows you to move the graphic vertically on the y axis.

Rotate options

You can rotate your graphic by using the keyboard shortcuts below. Alternatively you can use View

options

to rotate your graphic horizontally, vertically and around its center line by precise increments in degrees. To rotate around the horizontal (x) axis only:

"Shift-drag" on the window



or use the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate around the vertical (y) axis only:

"Ctrl-drag" on the window



or use the left/right arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the left/right arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate the graphic around its center line

"Ctrl + Shift-drag" on the window



or use "Shift" and the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Shift + Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To cancel any rotation: (graphic is face-on) press "Alt + Home"

Note:

If the text cursor is displayed, hold down "Alt" to rotate the text or click the show/hide cursor button to remove the cursor.

Page 22

Positioning options

Normally the graphic is centered in the window. You can move the graphic to your preferred location using View options and changing the X and Y position values. Alternatively you can use these keyboard shortcuts: Alt-drag allows you to move the graphic freely around the screen. To return the graphic to the center of the window press "Alt+Home" (this also cancels any rotation.) "Ctrl + Alt-drag" allows you to move the graphic horizontally on the x axis. "Alt + Shift-drag" allows you to move the graphic vertically on the y axis.

Rotate options

You can rotate your graphic by using the keyboard shortcuts below. Alternatively you can use View

options

to rotate your graphic horizontally, vertically and around its center line by precise increments in degrees. To rotate around the horizontal (x) axis only:

"Shift-drag" on the window



or use the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate around the vertical (y) axis only:

"Ctrl-drag" on the window



or use the left/right arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the left/right arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate the graphic around its center line

"Ctrl + Shift-drag" on the window



or use "Shift" and the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Shift + Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To cancel any rotation: (graphic is face-on) press "Alt + Home"

Note:

If the text cursor is displayed, hold down "Alt" to rotate the text or click the show/hide cursor button to remove the cursor.

Page 23

Rotate options

You can rotate your graphic by using the keyboard shortcuts below. Alternatively you can use View

options

to rotate your graphic horizontally, vertically and around its center line by precise increments in degrees. To rotate around the horizontal (x) axis only:

"Shift-drag" on the window



or use the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate around the vertical (y) axis only:

"Ctrl-drag" on the window



or use the left/right arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Ctrl" and the left/right arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To rotate the graphic around its center line

"Ctrl + Shift-drag" on the window



or use "Shift" and the up/down arrow keys (1ÅŸ rotation)



or use "Shift + Ctrl" and the up/down arrow keys (15ÅŸ rotation)



To cancel any rotation: (graphic is face-on) press "Alt + Home"

Note:

If the text cursor is displayed, hold down "Alt" to rotate the text or click the show/hide cursor button to remove the cursor.

Page 24

Light the graphic

Shadow

Light

Three colored lights create the highlights and shadows on the graphic. You can change the positions and colors of each light. The fourth light (shown striped) controls the position of the shadow ? see shadows .

To display the lights:

Click the 'light bulb' button



or choose Display lighting on the View menu



To change the color of a light, display the color options dialog box by:

Double-clicking on the light



or choosing Light color 1, 2, 3 on the View menu.



To move a light just drag it. To move a light from in front of the object to behind it (or from behind to in front) keep dragging the light left or right.

Page 25

Color the graphic

You can color the graphic either by changing the colors of the graphic or by changing the light colors or both. If you are creating a graphic and you want two or more colors on the text, it is easier to use pale colored lights and to color the text. (The default text of Xara 3D Maker is an example of this: the X3D is pale gray, Version is light blue and version number is dark blue. The light shining on the face of the text is an orange cream color.) The colors you see depend on the overlap of the lights, their colors and the graphic colors. The colors are also influenced by whether the graphic has a matt or gloss surface (selected in extrusion options ). The graphic can have different colors on the faces (front and back) and on the sides. You can change the color or texture on a per-character basis. See color options .

An example of an incut bevel with white face color and dark gray sides and bevel Bevels display the color of the sides. Using square, round or triangular-faced or incut bevels can give the effect of two colors on the face of the graphic. You can also use textures to color the sides or faces. You can import any BMP. GIF, ICO, JPEG or PNG file as a texture. Texture options let you scale, move or rotate the texture. Color options let you tint a texture (an effect similar to placing a colored film over the texture).

Page 26

Resize the graphic

Display frame

The frame

The easiest way to resize larger graphics is to resize the Xara 3D Maker window by dragging the corners or sides. For smaller graphics this can make the Xara 3D Maker window too small and you cannot see all the buttons. To avoid this, choose Display frame on the Window menu or click the display frame button (

Standard Tool Bar

). This displays the graphic in a smaller frame which you can resize independently of the main Xara 3D Maker window.

An advantage of the frame is that you can set it to a specific size. Use Frame size on the Window menu. When you save an X3D file when using the frame, Xara 3D Maker remembers the frame size and always opens the graphic at that size. To make the exported image the same size as the frame area, select Current window size and uncheck Crop in the Export dialog box . Alternatively you can fix the graphic size using the font size drop-down list on the text toolbar. Choose any value except Fit to width .

Page 27

Add bevels & extrude

The bevel

The extrude

When the cursor changes to the bevel tool you can click and drag the bevel to the required size.

You will see the cursor appear when altering the extrude.

The bevel is the decorative transition between the faces and the sides of the graphic. The extrude is the depth of the sides.

Bevel designs range from a simple angled or rounded bevel on the corner to complex rippled bevels that run the length of the sides. Bevels are always applied to the sides of the graphic, not to the faces. The result is to make the graphic larger and, with larger bevel sizes, text characters can merge into each other. This also has an effect when the faces and sides are different colors ? the bevel takes the side color. To alter the bevel, hover you mouse over the edge of the text while holding the shift key.

Bevel options

let you have more advanced control, like choosing a bevel style. For small extrude values there may not be enough space to display the complete bevel (depending on the bevel design.) To change the extrude depth, just click and drag on the side of the text.

Extrude options

gives you more advanced control over the extrusion, and whether the graphic is matt or gloss. You can also choose the surface, either Gloss (reflective) or Matt (non-reflective.) The surface affects the entire "feel" of the graphic. Gloss (shown below top) creates shiny, metallic effects; matt (shown below bottom) more subtle, toned-down graphics. When swapping between the two surfaces, you often need to move the lights to get the best results for that surface.

Page 28

Page 29

Select characters

First step is to display the text cursor. Click the show/hide cursor button on the standard toolbar:

Almost all Xara 3D Maker attributes (such as colors, bevels, textures, animation types) can be applied character-by-character. (The exceptions are the shadow, the lighting and some animation types.) Before you can apply an attribute to a character or block of characters, you must first select that character or block.

Then:

Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor.



"Shift + left/right arrow keys" selects the character on the left or right.



"Ctrl + Shift + left/right arrow keys" selects all the characters from the cursor to the left or right of



the line.

"Ctrl + A" selects all characters.



"Ctrl + P" selects all characters on the current page (for multi-page animations.)



When you have a selected character or block, any changes you make apply only to that character or block.

Page 30

Add shadows

To move the shadow, either drag the shadow ? the cursor will look like this when you hover over the shadow and can drag:

Or display the lights. A fourth light (shown striped) controls the shadow position?drag that light.

A shadow behind the graphic gives an impression of the graphic floating above the surface and adds realism. To create a shadow, open the Shadow options dialog box and check Shadow .

To change the color of the shadow

either double-click on the shadow or shadow light?this opens Color options ready to edit the



shadow color

or choose Shadow color on the View menu



or click Color options and choose Shadow from the drop-down list.



To change the shadow transparency, use Transparency in Shadow options . Real shadows are usually semi-transparent and the shadow looks better when you can see some of the background behind the shadow. To change the shadow blur, use Blur in shadow options. Real shadows do not have sharp edges (no blur) and you can use blur to soften the edges. Large blur values are useful for creating "halo" effects. Move the shadow directly behind the graphic and give the shadow a bright color to emphasize it.

Shadow styles

Shadow options have two styles of shadow:

Style 1

is a simple offset copy of the graphic. Artistically this is incorrect but looks 'right' for static images.

Style 2

is artistically correct and looks best with animations where the eye is more aware of the shadow shape.

Shadows and Flash vector format

Flash vector format does not support shadows. If you want your graphic to have a shadow, use a different export format such as GIF or bitmap Flash.

Page 31

Shadow styles

Shadow options have two styles of shadow:

Style 1

is a simple offset copy of the graphic. Artistically this is incorrect but looks 'right' for static images.

Style 2

is artistically correct and looks best with animations where the eye is more aware of the shadow shape.

Shadows and Flash vector format

Flash vector format does not support shadows. If you want your graphic to have a shadow, use a different export format such as GIF or bitmap Flash.

Page 32

Shadows and Flash vector format

Flash vector format does not support shadows. If you want your graphic to have a shadow, use a different export format such as GIF or bitmap Flash.

Page 33

Create animations

You can easily create animated graphics using Xara 3D Maker. You have the option of either a single image (single page) or a sequence of images (multi-page).

To create a single page animation, just create the image in the regular way then display Animation



options and choose the required options.

To create a multi-page animations, create the first image. Then press Enter to start a new page



and create the image for that page. Alternatively you can use Text options. Click Insert page break to start a new page. Continue until you have created as many pages as you want. Then display Animation options and choose the required settings. These options apply only to multi-page animations:

Step animation



Overlap pages for Pulsate animations



Animation options and file format

Xara 3D Maker can save animations in several different formats: AVI, ANI, Flash SWF and animated GIF. Some options in the Animation dialog box are not supported by all file formats. Pause is supported by all formats except AVI movies. Loop is supported only by animated GIF format (other formats play continuously.)

To preview an animation

Select the start/stop animation button on the standard toolbar. To preview the animation in real-time, Xara 3D Maker displays a reduced-quality image. You have greater control over quality when exporting to disk.

Editing the text for multi-page animations

Unless you have the cursor displayed, new text is added to the page currently displayed in the Xara 3D Maker window. This can make editing slightly tricky. Either stop the animation and edit the text or use

Text options

.

The time line

Displaying the Time line lets you step through an animation, frame-by-frame, or pause, stop or run the animation. You can export an individual frame by pausing the animation at the frame you want and using Export on the View menu.

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter

Page 34

animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 35

Animation options and file format

Xara 3D Maker can save animations in several different formats: AVI, ANI, Flash SWF and animated GIF. Some options in the Animation dialog box are not supported by all file formats. Pause is supported by all formats except AVI movies. Loop is supported only by animated GIF format (other formats play continuously.)

To preview an animation

Select the start/stop animation button on the standard toolbar. To preview the animation in real-time, Xara 3D Maker displays a reduced-quality image. You have greater control over quality when exporting to disk.

Editing the text for multi-page animations

Unless you have the cursor displayed, new text is added to the page currently displayed in the Xara 3D Maker window. This can make editing slightly tricky. Either stop the animation and edit the text or use

Text options

.

The time line

Displaying the Time line lets you step through an animation, frame-by-frame, or pause, stop or run the animation. You can export an individual frame by pausing the animation at the frame you want and using Export on the View menu.

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



Page 36

For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 37

To preview an animation

Select the start/stop animation button on the standard toolbar. To preview the animation in real-time, Xara 3D Maker displays a reduced-quality image. You have greater control over quality when exporting to disk.

Editing the text for multi-page animations

Unless you have the cursor displayed, new text is added to the page currently displayed in the Xara 3D Maker window. This can make editing slightly tricky. Either stop the animation and edit the text or use

Text options

.

The time line

Displaying the Time line lets you step through an animation, frame-by-frame, or pause, stop or run the animation. You can export an individual frame by pausing the animation at the frame you want and using Export on the View menu.

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 38

Editing the text for multi-page animations

Unless you have the cursor displayed, new text is added to the page currently displayed in the Xara 3D Maker window. This can make editing slightly tricky. Either stop the animation and edit the text or use

Text options

.

The time line

Displaying the Time line lets you step through an animation, frame-by-frame, or pause, stop or run the animation. You can export an individual frame by pausing the animation at the frame you want and using Export on the View menu.

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 39

The time line

Displaying the Time line lets you step through an animation, frame-by-frame, or pause, stop or run the animation. You can export an individual frame by pausing the animation at the frame you want and using Export on the View menu.

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 40

Applying animation effects to selected text

The animation style applies to all characters (see notes below) but you can apply most attributes of the animation to just a selected character or block of characters. For example, for a Rotate animation, you could have some characters rotating in a different plane to the others. Rotate, Swing and Pulsate animation styles have two versions, 1 animates all characters as a group and 2 animates each character individually. You can mix versions by selecting part of the text and selecting the other version (1 or 2.) Fade, Step and Typewriter animation styles: you cannot apply different settings to a selected area.

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 41

Tips for creating animations

Animations can create large file sizes, which are slow to download over the Internet. To keep animations small we suggest:

Make the image as small as possible by selecting the Crop option on export.



Select Front face only for Rotate animations.



Have no more than about 20 frames per animation. (The fewer the better for keeping the size



down.)

For multi-page animations avoid having too many pages.



When exporting try selecting 16 colors (4-bit) with no dithering and optimized palette. When



images are animating, the banding is far less obvious than with a static image.

When exporting GIFs (animated or static) that have a complex background, try exporting them



as transparent GIFs.

Rotating the lights changes the file size only slightly.



For Flash animations, Fade or Step animations create much smaller files than the other animation



styles. For multi-page Pulsate animations, overlapping the pages creates smaller animations.

Don't get carried away! For example using loads of textures can create very large animation files.



Turning the shadow off can reduce file size.



When exporting select to optimize Per frame.



For tips when saving as a Flash SWF file see Tips for creating Flash files.



Page 42

Using the animation picker

A quick way of creating an animation is to copy the settings from an existing X3D file.

Choose Import animation on the File menu. This opens the animations folder, which contains ready-made animations in a wide variety of styles. This short cuts the creation of animations. For each of the ready-made animations, the file name gives you information about the animation type. The preview in the animation picker shows how the current graphic would look with the animation settings of the selected file. Click Open to apply those settings to the current graphic.

Page 43

Creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files

You can use Xara 3D Maker to create static cursors (CUR files) and animated cursors (ANI files) for use within other programs (please refer to Windows Help for using icons, we cannot help in the use of icon files). Generally cursor files are small, standard sizes are 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48 pixels although you can create custom sizes. Some programs have a maximum size of 256x256 pixels. A cursor shows you exactly where in the window you are clicking (for example which menu item). However, a cursor often covers two menu items. To determine which item to select, the cursor has a 'hotspot'. The item under the hotspot is the one you click on. Display hotspot on the view menu displays a cross showing you where the hotspot is for that graphic. Drag the cross to move the hotspot?by default the hotspot is in the center of the graphic.

Export options for ANI files

Page 44

Importing 2D objects

For use as a board or border design

You can import a 2D object for use as a board, board with holes or border design (if you are in text only mode, you will automatically be switched to a button design type when importing). To do this, just click the design picker button under design options or select Import design from the File menu. Supported file formats are WMF, EMF and Xara's WEB and XAR files.

For use as a text character

You can also import 2D objects to use a character in your text. To do this, click Import on the File menu. Supported file formats are WMF, EMF and Xara's WEB and XAR files. Showing the text cursor (Ctrl+E) will allow you to choose the correct place to import the object. As it is then a text object, you can color and animate it as you would with normal text.

Copying from Xara Designer Pro

You can design your own shapes in Xara Designer Pro then easily import them into Xara 3D Maker. This is a quick and simple way of importing 2D shapes, and is a combination of both methods outlined above. If you are in text design mode, the shape will be used as a text character. If you are creating a board, board with holes or border design the object will be used as the design's overall shape. In Xara Designer Pro copy the object you wish to use ("Ctrl + C"), or select Edit then Copy). Then switch to Xara 3D Maker and paste the object ("Ctrl + V"), or select Edit then Paste ). If you wish, you can then copy your finished 3D design and easily paste it back into Xara Designer Pro for use in your Xara Designer Pro documents.

Page 45

For use as a board or border design

You can import a 2D object for use as a board, board with holes or border design (if you are in text only mode, you will automatically be switched to a button design type when importing). To do this, just click the design picker button under design options or select Import design from the File menu. Supported file formats are WMF, EMF and Xara's WEB and XAR files.

For use as a text character

You can also import 2D objects to use a character in your text. To do this, click Import on the File menu. Supported file formats are WMF, EMF and Xara's WEB and XAR files. Showing the text cursor (Ctrl+E) will allow you to choose the correct place to import the object. As it is then a text object, you can color and animate it as you would with normal text.

Copying from Xara Designer Pro

You can design your own shapes in Xara Designer Pro then easily import them into Xara 3D Maker. This is a quick and simple way of importing 2D shapes, and is a combination of both methods outlined above. If you are in text design mode, the shape will be used as a text character. If you are creating a board, board with holes or border design the object will be used as the design's overall shape. In Xara Designer Pro copy the object you wish to use ("Ctrl + C"), or select Edit then Copy). Then switch to Xara 3D Maker and paste the object ("Ctrl + V"), or select Edit then Paste ). If you wish, you can then copy your finished 3D design and easily paste it back into Xara Designer Pro for use in your Xara Designer Pro documents.

Page 46

For use as a text character

You can also import 2D objects to use a character in your text. To do this, click Import on the File menu. Supported file formats are WMF, EMF and Xara's WEB and XAR files. Showing the text cursor (Ctrl+E) will allow you to choose the correct place to import the object. As it is then a text object, you can color and animate it as you would with normal text.

Copying from Xara Designer Pro

You can design your own shapes in Xara Designer Pro then easily import them into Xara 3D Maker. This is a quick and simple way of importing 2D shapes, and is a combination of both methods outlined above. If you are in text design mode, the shape will be used as a text character. If you are creating a board, board with holes or border design the object will be used as the design's overall shape. In Xara Designer Pro copy the object you wish to use ("Ctrl + C"), or select Edit then Copy). Then switch to Xara 3D Maker and paste the object ("Ctrl + V"), or select Edit then Paste ). If you wish, you can then copy your finished 3D design and easily paste it back into Xara Designer Pro for use in your Xara Designer Pro documents.

Page 47

Copying from Xara Designer Pro

You can design your own shapes in Xara Designer Pro then easily import them into Xara 3D Maker. This is a quick and simple way of importing 2D shapes, and is a combination of both methods outlined above. If you are in text design mode, the shape will be used as a text character. If you are creating a board, board with holes or border design the object will be used as the design's overall shape. In Xara Designer Pro copy the object you wish to use ("Ctrl + C"), or select Edit then Copy). Then switch to Xara 3D Maker and paste the object ("Ctrl + V"), or select Edit then Paste ). If you wish, you can then copy your finished 3D design and easily paste it back into Xara Designer Pro for use in your Xara Designer Pro documents.

Page 48

Apply the style of an existing graphic

Use the animation picker (Import animation on the File menu.)

Use the style picker (Import style on the File menu.) Like the animation picker, you can browse through files and see how they affect the current graphic.

Sometimes you want to create a graphic that is similar to an existing graphic (either one you created or one of the samples supplied with Xara 3D Maker.) For example, you might like the look of one of the samples but are not sure how to create the effect. Xara 3D Maker makes it easy to copy either the animation options or selected options from another graphic.

Copy the animation options

As you click on file names, the preview shows you how the current graphic looks with the animation settings of the selected file. When you find the animation effect you want, just click Open to update the current graphic. This just changes the animation settings?it does not change options such as wording, bevel, extrusion, and so on. To copy these, see the following section.

Copy selected options

Unlike the animation picker, you can select which options to copy from the selected file. You could for example copy both the lighting and the position (angles) from the selected file. You can copy any combination of options from the file, including the animation settings.

Page 49

Copy the animation options

Use the animation picker (Import animation on the File menu.)

Use the style picker (Import style on the File menu.) Like the animation picker, you can browse through files and see how they affect the current graphic.

As you click on file names, the preview shows you how the current graphic looks with the animation settings of the selected file. When you find the animation effect you want, just click Open to update the current graphic. This just changes the animation settings?it does not change options such as wording, bevel, extrusion, and so on. To copy these, see the following section.

Copy selected options

Unlike the animation picker, you can select which options to copy from the selected file. You could for example copy both the lighting and the position (angles) from the selected file. You can copy any combination of options from the file, including the animation settings.

Page 50

Copy selected options

Use the style picker (Import style on the File menu.) Like the animation picker, you can browse through files and see how they affect the current graphic.

Unlike the animation picker, you can select which options to copy from the selected file. You could for example copy both the lighting and the position (angles) from the selected file. You can copy any combination of options from the file, including the animation settings.

Page 51

Create buttons, boards, boards + holes and

Boards.

Sit your heading on a solid board, so the text extrudes from a solid background.

Button.

Creates a button with the text flat on its surface.

Borders.

Adds a border around your heading, giving it more impact.

Board and holes.

As if you'd taken a saw to your board, to give an impression of a cut-out image.

borders

There are four different design types:

You can either use one of Xara 3D Maker's predefined design shapes or import a shape from another X3D file. The great thing is that one shape can be used with any of the design types above. One design?four totally different combinations.

A design takes its values (bevel, lighting and so on) from the current graphic but you can of course select new values if required. Steps to creating a design:

Choose Open Sample from the File menu to choose a sample design provided with Xara 3D

1.

Maker or create your own text for the you design. Animated designs can show multi-page

messages?see Creating animations for details.

Click one of the predefined shapes on the design toolbar on the bottom left of your screen, or

2.

open design options and choose a design type from there using the Design picker. By default

this displays the designs folder (in the same folder where you installed Xara 3D Maker) but you

can browse to and choose any X3D, XAR or WEB file. If the file contains text, the first letter is

used as the design shape.

Change the value in Stretch to make the design wider or narrower.

3.

For predefined design shapes you can control the corner radius. Uncheck Corners for the

4.

default radius.

If necessary, edit the design in the regular way, for example, by changing the bevel, extrusion or

5.

colors. You can create interesting design shapes using symbolic fonts such as Geotype (supplied with Xara 3D Maker.) Create a graphic with just the character you want to use as the design shape. Save the graphic as an X3D file. You can then use that X3D file as an imported design shape in the future if you save it to the designs folder.

Page 52

You can also use your own drawn design shapes. Import the shape as a metafile (or, if you are using Xara X1 or later, just copy the shape and paste it into Xara 3D Maker) and export in X3D format to the designs folder.

Page 53

Create screen savers

Screen savers protect the monitor screen from being burnt by a static image when the computer is not being used and allow for a unique looking computer. Using Xara 3D Maker you can create a custom screen saver either for use on your own computer or for distribution to other people. Screen savers are always animated (because they need to show a moving image to avoid burning the screen.) We suggest:

Use a dark-colored background, not white or other light colors.



Don't use light-colored text in areas that show little movement.



To create a screen saver:

Create the animation in the regular way (see tips) or select from one of the sample screensaver

1.

animations in the Sample, Screensavers folder (choose Open Sample from the File menu or use

the style picker).

Choose Export screen saver on the File menu.

2.

Xara 3D Maker screen savers are effectively movies within a screen saver. (See also Export

3.

options for AVIs (movies and screen savers) for AVI options). There are a number of preset

options. Low is one third of your current screen resolution, medium is half, high is two thirds and

full is your full screen resolution. You can also choose from a number of standard resolutions by

choosing other. We recommend selecting a value half the screen area. (For example 512x384 for

a 1024x769 screen area.) This should give a good quality image without creating a large file size.

Choose either:

4.

Install?this saves the screensaver and installs it as the default screen saver. The default folder

o

is your Windows system folder?this is the best folder to use. We recommend this option as it is easier than manually installing a screen saver. Save?this saves the screen saver but does not install it as the default screen saver.

o

Enter a name for the screen saver file.

5.

Click Save.

6.

Because Xara 3D Maker has to generate each frame of the animation, this process can take a few minutes.

Previewing a screen saver file

Browse to the screen saver (SCR) file.

1.

Right-click on the file. This pops-up a menu.

2.

Click Test to preview.

3.

Using a screen saver file

If, in step 4, you installed the new screen saver as the default, everything is already set up for you. No further action is necessary. If you saved the screen saver to the Windows system folder:

Click Start on the Taskbar. If you are using Windows XP, go to step 3.

1.

Choose Control Panel. Double-click Personalization.

2.

Click Screen Saver.The Screen Saver Settings dialog lists all screen savers in the system folder.

3.

Choose the screen saver you want.

4.

Click OK to make the selected screen saver the default.

5.

If you saved the screen saver to a different folder:

Browse to the screen saver file.

1.

Right-click on the file. This pops-up a menu.

2.

Click Install to select the screen saver. Then click OK to make the screen saver the default.

3.

Page 54

Tips



To create a smooth screen saver animation it's recommended you create an animation with a fast

animation speed (15?20 frames per second) and between 50 and 100 frames in each cycle.

Windows stretches the animation to fill the screen. If you want the text to partially fill the screen,

in Xara 3D Maker select a point size, such as 72pt from the text size drop down, instead of Fit

to width.

For ideas on creating screen savers, look in the screensavers folder (in samples). This folder

contains a wide range of examples.

Page 55

Previewing a screen saver file

Browse to the screen saver (SCR) file.

1.

Right-click on the file. This pops-up a menu.

2.

Click Test to preview.

3.

Using a screen saver file

If, in step 4, you installed the new screen saver as the default, everything is already set up for you. No further action is necessary. If you saved the screen saver to the Windows system folder:

Click Start on the Taskbar. If you are using Windows XP, go to step 3.

1.

Choose Control Panel. Double-click Personalization.

2.

Click Screen Saver.The Screen Saver Settings dialog lists all screen savers in the system folder.

3.

Choose the screen saver you want.

4.

Click OK to make the selected screen saver the default.

5.

If you saved the screen saver to a different folder:

Browse to the screen saver file.

1.

Right-click on the file. This pops-up a menu.

2.

Click Install to select the screen saver. Then click OK to make the screen saver the default.

3.

Tips

To create a smooth screen saver animation it's recommended you create an animation with a fast



animation speed (15?20 frames per second) and between 50 and 100 frames in each cycle.

Windows stretches the animation to fill the screen. If you want the text to partially fill the screen,



in Xara 3D Maker select a point size, such as 72pt from the text size drop down, instead of Fit

to width.

For ideas on creating screen savers, look in the screensavers folder (in samples). This folder



contains a wide range of examples.

Page 56

Using a screen saver file

If, in step 4, you installed the new screen saver as the default, everything is already set up for you. No further action is necessary. If you saved the screen saver to the Windows system folder:

Click Start on the Taskbar. If you are using Windows XP, go to step 3.

1.

Choose Control Panel. Double-click Personalization.

2.

Click Screen Saver.The Screen Saver Settings dialog lists all screen savers in the system folder.

3.

Choose the screen saver you want.

4.

Click OK to make the selected screen saver the default.

5.

If you saved the screen saver to a different folder:

Browse to the screen saver file.

1.

Right-click on the file. This pops-up a menu.

2.

Click Install to select the screen saver. Then click OK to make the screen saver the default.

3.

Tips

To create a smooth screen saver animation it's recommended you create an animation with a fast



animation speed (15?20 frames per second) and between 50 and 100 frames in each cycle.

Windows stretches the animation to fill the screen. If you want the text to partially fill the screen,



in Xara 3D Maker select a point size, such as 72pt from the text size drop down, instead of Fit

to width.

For ideas on creating screen savers, look in the screensavers folder (in samples). This folder



contains a wide range of examples.

Page 57

Tips



To create a smooth screen saver animation it's recommended you create an animation with a fast

animation speed (15?20 frames per second) and between 50 and 100 frames in each cycle.

Windows stretches the animation to fill the screen. If you want the text to partially fill the screen,

in Xara 3D Maker select a point size, such as 72pt from the text size drop down, instead of Fit

to width.

For ideas on creating screen savers, look in the screensavers folder (in samples). This folder

contains a wide range of examples.

Page 58

Create Flash files

Flash format is often used on web pages, especially for animations. There are two formats for Flash files:

Bitmap format: the advantage of this is that you can use any Xara 3D Maker options, including



shadows.

Vector format: the advantage is that you can enlarge vector objects without losing quality. The



disadvantage is that some Xara 3D Maker options are not supported by Flash. Select Display

as Flash on the View menu to dim or hide unsupported options.

Alternatively you can export the Flash file with unsupported features converted to bitmaps. However this can create large files and loses the scalability of vector files. Note that you cannot export shadows in Flash vector format.

Tips for creating Flash files

Flash is not ideal for 3D graphics such as those created in Xara 3D Maker. You will often find that you can create smaller files using other formats such as GIF. This is especially true for animations. If you want to create Flash animations, we suggest:

Step or Fade animations produce smaller files than other styles.



Avoid bevels. Some bevels are better than others but typically bevels make files five to ten times



larger.

Use sans serif fonts such as Arial (serif fonts have small features at the end of strokes within



letters).

Page 59

Tips for creating Flash files

Flash is not ideal for 3D graphics such as those created in Xara 3D Maker. You will often find that you can create smaller files using other formats such as GIF. This is especially true for animations. If you want to create Flash animations, we suggest:

Step or Fade animations produce smaller files than other styles.



Avoid bevels. Some bevels are better than others but typically bevels make files five to ten times



larger.

Use sans serif fonts such as Arial (serif fonts have small features at the end of strokes within



letters).

Page 60

Save and export

Xara 3D Maker has two basic save and exporting options:

Save as an X3D format file. You can reload an X3D file for further editing in the future.



Export in another format (see File Formats for a full list of supported formats.) You cannot



reload exported files into Xara 3D Maker and edit them. (Although you can load BMP, GIF,

ICO, JPEG and PNG format files as textures.) Note: If you want to copy your design into another application, copy your design (choose Copy from the Edit menu or press "Ctrl + C") on to the clipboard. The image is saved in 24bpp bitmap form, as well as in XAR format, so that you can paste it into any other application that handles bitmaps, such as Microsoft Word and Outlook, and graphics applications, as well as other Xara products such as Xara Designer Pro and Xara Xtreme. The XAR format supports a bitmap with a transparent background, while the 24bpp bitmap has a solid background. To save in X3D format?use Save or Save as on the File menu. (To reload an X3D file use Open on the File menu.) To export a static image?use Export on the File menu. To export an animation?use Export animation on the File menu. To export a screensaver?use Export screensaver on the File menu. (More on screensavers .) When exporting, a dialog box will appear with a variety of options. Most of the options in this dialog box are specific to the file format (GIF, AVI and so on.) Common to all formats are options to set the graphic size:

Current window size:

Either export the current window or frame area (crop off) or the cropped area (crop on.) Crop: Export just the area with the graphic. "Crop" ignores just the offset from the center caused by displacing the graphic by Alt + dragging it (see rotate and position the graphic ).

User defined:

Lets you specify (in pixels) the area to export. This area can be bigger or smaller than the window or frame size. The above settings control exporting of BMP, CUR (cursor), static GIF, ICO (icons) JPEG and PNG format files. Not all options apply to all formats?for example Progressive applies only to JPEGs and is dimmed for other formats.

Note:

To print Xara3D work, we suggest you use the JPEG format as this is the most compact. However you can also use BMP, GIF or PNG if preferred. Set the export size to be around 1000 pixels wide, and that will produce a file that prints perfectly well. If you want to create poster sized images you may want to increase the output size to say 2000 pixels maximum. It is NOT necessary to save images any larger. This should produce a JPEG file under 100 Kbytes large which you can them import into another program, such as Xara Designer Pro, for printing (just resize the image in your other program to the desired size).

Note:

If you exit the program without saving, your current view is automatically saved as an X3D file and reopened when you next start Xara 3D Maker.

Page 61

Export options for GIF, PNG or BMP files

GIF export is the most common and probably the best format for use on the web. GIF images can have no more than 256 colors, which you might think is a limitation. However, using Xara 3D Maker's advanced dithering and palette optimization features, you can get near perfect quality images using only 256 colors. Indeed you'll be surprised at how good GIFs with just 16 colors can be. For all export formats you have control over not only the number of colors but also whether the image is dithered and has an optimized palette. These are techniques to improve the image quality while using a reduced number of colors. For example using only 16 color GIF nearly always produces the smallest file size, but with no dithering the shading can be poor. By using an optimized palette and diffusion dithering you can substantially increase the quality of the result. There are no hard and fast rules as to which combination of export options is best?it depends on the image and your requirements. Therefore we recommend exporting in a number of different formats to see which is the best and has the smallest file size. Typical options to try include 16 color with diffusion dithering, or 256 color with no dithering. When exporting as a GIF or PNG you have the option of making it interlaced (progressive rendering as it's downloaded) and whether the image is transparent. To produce the best results when exporting transparent GIFs, set the background color to match your web page, then check the Transparent option in the export dialog (see Options below).

BMP export formats

Many other Windows programs can import BMP files but often they do not support the full range of color depths available in Xara 3D Maker. This is beyond the control of Xara 3D Maker. If you have problems importing BMPs, try a different color depth.

Other export options for BMP, Cursor, GIF, ICO, JPG and PNG Dithering

Dithering is a technique of smoothing color transitions for 256 colors or less. None produces the smallest file size but can show 'banding' when two colors blend together. Ordered and Diffused use different algorithms to reduce banding. You may need to try the different options to decide which is the best for a particular graphic. Ordered dithering is available only with 256 colors.

Palette

This is the range of colors used in the exported bitmap. Optimized selects the most commonly used colors and usually gives the best results. High-color and True-color depths contain the full range of colors and so Palette is dimmed for these options.

Options Transparent

- dimmed for BMP and JPEG as these formats do not support transparency. Transparency makes background areas not covered by the graphic or shadow, transparent so you see the web page background in these areas (see Note below). Transparency has two meanings:

for True-color PNGs, transparency is graduated so you partly see the web page background



through the shadow.

all other formats (including PNGs of 256 or fewer colors) use simple on-off transparency. That



is, the shadow is solid and the Xara3D background color shows through the shadow.

Note:

Xara 3D Maker 'anti-aliases' the edge of a transparent bitmap to the Xara3D background color. For best results you need to make the background color the same or similar to the color of the page the graphic will appear on.

Interlaced

- applies only to GIF and PNG. When displayed on a web page, interlaced bitmaps appear first as a low-resolution image. The quality increases as more of the bitmap downloads. This is particularly useful

Page 62

for large bitmaps as the viewer sees the basics of the bitmap more quickly.

Progressive

- applies only to JPEG. This is similar to Interlaced in that a progressive JPEG displays with increasing detail as more of the file downloads.

Quality

JPEG only. JPEG format compresses files by discarding unnecessary information. Quality controls how much information is discarded. Default is 80%, which usually gives the best balance of quality and file size. Above 80% produces larger files with little improvement in quality. Below 75% the quality loss may be noticeable and you may need to use a higher setting. Our advice for the best results is use the lowest quality setting that gives acceptable results.

File size

This tells you the size of the bitmap with the current settings. The smaller the file size, the faster it will download over the Internet.

Preview window

This shows you how the exported bitmap will look with the current settings. It is a useful check that you have selected the best settings for this particular graphic.

Export options for JPG

JPEG bitmaps are always 24-bit, true color, but the JPEG compression system means that the quality is often not as good as a GIF. The quality setting determines how small the resultant file is?the higher the quality, the larger the file. Quality settings less than 80% usually produce inferior images to those available from using palette optimized GIFs. A progressive JPEG is similar to an interlaced GIF. The JPEG displays first as blurred (low resolution) image. As more of the file loads, the image comes into focus. Note that some older browsers do not support progressive JPEGs?the image displays when all the JPEG has loaded.

Export options for animated cursors (ANI)

To learn more about creating cursors see creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files. Because animated cursors can be quite large, you may find that a 16 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes cursors look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for animated GIFs

To learn more about exporting animated GIFs see creating animations . Because animated GIFs can be quite large, you may find that a 16 or 32 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes GIFs look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off).

Page 63

User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but

Page 64

at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ? video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog.

Page 65

The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 66

Export options for GIF, PNG or BMP files

GIF export is the most common and probably the best format for use on the web. GIF images can have no more than 256 colors, which you might think is a limitation. However, using Xara 3D Maker's advanced dithering and palette optimization features, you can get near perfect quality images using only 256 colors. Indeed you'll be surprised at how good GIFs with just 16 colors can be. For all export formats you have control over not only the number of colors but also whether the image is dithered and has an optimized palette. These are techniques to improve the image quality while using a reduced number of colors. For example using only 16 color GIF nearly always produces the smallest file size, but with no dithering the shading can be poor. By using an optimized palette and diffusion dithering you can substantially increase the quality of the result. There are no hard and fast rules as to which combination of export options is best?it depends on the image and your requirements. Therefore we recommend exporting in a number of different formats to see which is the best and has the smallest file size. Typical options to try include 16 color with diffusion dithering, or 256 color with no dithering. When exporting as a GIF or PNG you have the option of making it interlaced (progressive rendering as it's downloaded) and whether the image is transparent. To produce the best results when exporting transparent GIFs, set the background color to match your web page, then check the Transparent option in the export dialog (see Options below).

BMP export formats

Many other Windows programs can import BMP files but often they do not support the full range of color depths available in Xara 3D Maker. This is beyond the control of Xara 3D Maker. If you have problems importing BMPs, try a different color depth.

Other export options for BMP, Cursor, GIF, ICO, JPG and PNG Dithering

Dithering is a technique of smoothing color transitions for 256 colors or less. None produces the smallest file size but can show 'banding' when two colors blend together. Ordered and Diffused use different algorithms to reduce banding. You may need to try the different options to decide which is the best for a particular graphic. Ordered dithering is available only with 256 colors.

Palette

This is the range of colors used in the exported bitmap. Optimized selects the most commonly used colors and usually gives the best results. High-color and True-color depths contain the full range of colors and so Palette is dimmed for these options.

Options Transparent

- dimmed for BMP and JPEG as these formats do not support transparency. Transparency makes background areas not covered by the graphic or shadow, transparent so you see the web page background in these areas (see Note below). Transparency has two meanings:

for True-color PNGs, transparency is graduated so you partly see the web page background



through the shadow.

all other formats (including PNGs of 256 or fewer colors) use simple on-off transparency. That



is, the shadow is solid and the Xara3D background color shows through the shadow.

Note:

Xara 3D Maker 'anti-aliases' the edge of a transparent bitmap to the Xara3D background color. For best results you need to make the background color the same or similar to the color of the page the graphic will appear on.

Interlaced

- applies only to GIF and PNG. When displayed on a web page, interlaced bitmaps appear first as a

Page 67

low-resolution image. The quality increases as more of the bitmap downloads. This is particularly useful for large bitmaps as the viewer sees the basics of the bitmap more quickly.

Progressive

- applies only to JPEG. This is similar to Interlaced in that a progressive JPEG displays with increasing detail as more of the file downloads.

Quality

JPEG only. JPEG format compresses files by discarding unnecessary information. Quality controls how much information is discarded. Default is 80%, which usually gives the best balance of quality and file size. Above 80% produces larger files with little improvement in quality. Below 75% the quality loss may be noticeable and you may need to use a higher setting. Our advice for the best results is use the lowest quality setting that gives acceptable results.

File size

This tells you the size of the bitmap with the current settings. The smaller the file size, the faster it will download over the Internet.

Preview window

This shows you how the exported bitmap will look with the current settings. It is a useful check that you have selected the best settings for this particular graphic.

Export options for JPG

JPEG bitmaps are always 24-bit, true color, but the JPEG compression system means that the quality is often not as good as a GIF. The quality setting determines how small the resultant file is?the higher the quality, the larger the file. Quality settings less than 80% usually produce inferior images to those available from using palette optimized GIFs. A progressive JPEG is similar to an interlaced GIF. The JPEG displays first as blurred (low resolution) image. As more of the file loads, the image comes into focus. Note that some older browsers do not support progressive JPEGs?the image displays when all the JPEG has loaded.

Export options for animated cursors (ANI)

To learn more about creating cursors see creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files. Because animated cursors can be quite large, you may find that a 16 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes cursors look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for animated GIFs

To learn more about exporting animated GIFs see creating animations . Because animated GIFs can be quite large, you may find that a 16 or 32 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes GIFs look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop

Page 68

off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background.

Page 69

Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export

Page 70

Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 71

Export options for JPG

JPEG bitmaps are always 24-bit, true color, but the JPEG compression system means that the quality is often not as good as a GIF. The quality setting determines how small the resultant file is?the higher the quality, the larger the file. Quality settings less than 80% usually produce inferior images to those available from using palette optimized GIFs. A progressive JPEG is similar to an interlaced GIF. The JPEG displays first as blurred (low resolution) image. As more of the file loads, the image comes into focus. Note that some older browsers do not support progressive JPEGs?the image displays when all the JPEG has loaded.

Export options for animated cursors (ANI)

To learn more about creating cursors see creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files. Because animated cursors can be quite large, you may find that a 16 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes cursors look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for animated GIFs

To learn more about exporting animated GIFs see creating animations . Because animated GIFs can be quite large, you may find that a 16 or 32 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes GIFs look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width

Page 72

(on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width

Page 73

(on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 74

Export options for animated cursors (ANI)

To learn more about creating cursors see creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files. Because animated cursors can be quite large, you may find that a 16 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes cursors look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for animated GIFs

To learn more about exporting animated GIFs see creating animations . Because animated GIFs can be quite large, you may find that a 16 or 32 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes GIFs look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Page 75

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

Page 76

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 77

Export options for animated GIFs

To learn more about exporting animated GIFs see creating animations . Because animated GIFs can be quite large, you may find that a 16 or 32 color, optimized palette per frame, produces the best results for the smallest file size. However you might need to experiment. Dithering always makes GIFs look better, but also makes them larger. When outputting at 256 colors you may find that there is no need to turn dithering on. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you

Page 78

specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Page 79

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 80

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

You can also export your Xara 3D Maker design as an AVI video file. You can configure AVI options when exporting your file as an animation or screen saver.

Color depth.

Choose between the different amount of colors in your video. True color will give more accurate results, but may create a large file. Try exporting at both color depths to se what results work best. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off). User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width. AVI options. Clicking this will allow you to choose from any of the AVI codecs on your computer. A movie codec is basically the system used to create the movie file itself, and some formats are better than others. Use the default, or select a codec of your choice. For some codecs you can also set the quality percentage and how often key frames are set, and you can click Configure for more options.

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Page 81

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista).

Page 82

The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 83

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

You can export Xara 3D Maker graphics as a Windows screensaver (SCR) file. See Create screen

savers

for more details.

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Page 84

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 85

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files. To learn more about exporting movies see creating animations . Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Color depth:

the more colors, the larger the file size. For animations where each image appears for only a short period you may find 256 colors gives satisfactory results.

Dithering

(dimmed except for 256-colors). None creates the smallest files but you may see bands of colors instead of smooth color graduations.

Transparent

(dimmed for High-color): select this for a transparent background to the animation. Deselect for a solid background. Lossless and quality (dimmed except for true-color): quality values below 100% give smaller files but at a lower quality. Lossless is equivalent to 100% quality. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback.

Page 86

This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 87

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

These options apply to both static and animated SWF files. More information on creating Flash files . Note that Flash vector format does not support some Xara 3D Maker features (such as shadows and textures). You can use Xara 3D Maker features not supported in vector format except shadows but these get exported as bitmaps within the Flash file and can make the file much larger. If you intend to output in SWF format, we suggest using the display as Flash option on the View menu. Current window size lets you export just the area surrounding the text (Crop on) or the entire window area (Crop off.) User defined lets you specify the dimensions of the bitmap. With Fit to width (on the text toolbar) selected, the text and the background scales to suit the values you type in. If you specified a font size, the size of the text does not change but the background scales to the values you type in. This is useful if you want to create several headings, all the same height and width.

Quality:

the higher the quality, the larger the file. You may need to experiment to get the best trade-off between quality and file size.

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows

Page 88

XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 89

General info on AVI videos

The AVI format (Audio Video Interleaved) isn't actually a proper video format! It's rather a so-called container where very general conventions such as audio and video data can be specified and sent to a program. The exact memory format of the files is specified via the codec (coder/dec oder). A codec compresses audio/video files into its own private format with which only that codec can work and decodes the files again on playback. This means that an AVI file created on your computer can only be loaded/played on computer B if this computer has the same codec installed. Many codecs (for example, Intel Indeo ïƒ¢ video) have now become standard components of the Windows installation. Others, such as the popular DivX codec, are not. If you create an AVI file with such a codec and you wish to use it on other computers, install the corresponding codec on them as well. On older video editing cards certain codecs that function only with the hardware of the corresponding cards can be problematic. This type of AVI can only be used on the computer on which they were created. Avoid using this type of codec when possible.

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 90

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

If you plan to export a Xara 3D Maker animation to a MAGIX movie editing program, for example as a title or caption to play on top of a movie, your animation will need a transparent background. The standard AVI export in exports an animation with a solid background, covering the movie behind it. To play it on top of a movie, you'll need a video effect (called chroma keying or blue screen) to remove the background. In this case, export the animation as a CFX file. This is a special file format used in MAGIX movie editing and slide show programs. As well as containing a reference to the exported AVI file, the CFX file holds all the transparency information you need to allow you to blend your animation perfectly with the movie. To export your animation as a .cfx file choose the file format "MAGIX CFX (*.cfx)" in the "Export Animation" dialog. The transparent titles consist of the .cfx file and the associated AVI file which contains the animation movie. The .cfx file contains the background transparency information. All AVI files are stored in Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (WIndows XP) or Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7\AVI_CFX (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). The files must not be deleted or moved from there, otherwise the .cfx files will not work. However, the .cfx files can be stored in the video project folder or anywhere else.

Note:

Substitute your own user name for <User> in the above file paths. In the MAGIX slide show or video editing programs, the .cfx file has to be loaded via the Media Pool. The Timeline Mode has to be active. Then you can drag the files into the timeline and they will be placed on the title track automatically. To use .cfx files in MAGIX programs, you need at least the following versions of the program: MAGIX Movies on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6, MAGIX Movies2Go Version 2, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14.

Page 91

Customize Xara 3D Maker

In this chapter

Changing the default document Changing quality settings Adding comments Docking and undocking dialog boxes and toolbars Moving toolbars Option bars Advanced customization Reset settings

You can customize Xara 3D Maker by either changing the default graphic or by docking or undocking dialog boxes or toolbars. With the Window menu item Customize you can add icons to a menu or the standard toolbar, customize the right-click menus available in the main working area and even create your own custom menu. You can also change the keyboard shortcuts there. Note: if you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click the Window menu then select Reset user interface .

Changing the default document

If you want Xara 3D Maker to start up showing a different image:

Create the image you want to use as the starting (default) image.

1.

Choose Save as default on the File menu.

2.

This creates a file called Default.x3d, which appears in one of the following directories:

C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7 (if you are using Windows Vista or Windows



7)

C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\xara\xara3D7 (if you are



using Windows XP)

Note:

Replace C in the above paths with the drive that Xara 3D Maker was installed on and <User> with your own user name. To revert to the standard default document:

Find the Default.x3d file that you previously saved as default in one of the above file paths and



delete the Default.x3d file. This restores the original default document, so that the next time you

open Xara 3D Maker, it reverts to displaying the standard new file image instead of the one you

created.

Changing quality settings

Th Settings option on the Window menu lets you alter the quality settings for display and export (keyboard short cut Alt+Q). Usually the default settings give excellent results, but you may wish to try different settings to fine-tune Xara 3D Maker to your requirements.

Page 92

Screen quality

controls the quality of the on-screen display. Increasing the quality setting means that the preview takes longer to redraw on screen. Static and moving images have separate controls: animations can use a lower setting.

Anti-aliasing

is a technique of blurring the edges between color transitions. Turning anti-aliasing on gives better results but takes longer to redraw.

True perspective

displays the heading with slightly non-parallel sides (as if drawn from a distant vanishing point.) This gives better results for some images than displaying parallel sides. The drawback is the extra processing can slow down redraw. This may be noticeable when previewing animations.

Export quality

controls images exported as static bitmaps. Increasing the quality may give better results for some graphics in shadow or highlight areas. The drawback is that graphics may take longer to display on screen.

Animation quality

controls images exported as animated GIFs and AVIs. As the viewer sees each frame only briefly, the quality is less important than for static bitmaps. Note that increasing the quality too much can cause jerky animation on slow computers. If you are using Windows 7, by default rarely used fonts are hidden. If you would like them to be displayed in 's font list, click Show hidden fonts . Note: If you are a Windows 7 user and the Show hidden fonts option is grayed out, go to your Control Panel and choose Appearance and Personalization > Fonts. Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker and reopen the Settings dialog. You should now be able to edit the Show hidden fonts option.

Adding comments

You can add comments to your own images or Xara 3D Maker sample files so that you and others can see extra information or helpful hints on a file before you open it. To add a comment to an image:

Open the image and choose Edit Comment from the Edit menu, or press "Ctrl + M".

1.

Add the comment to the pop-up dialog box and click OK.

2.

Save the file to save your comment.

3.

The next time you choose Open from the File menu, click the file in the Open dialog box. The file's comments are displayed below the preview window.

Page 93

Docking and undocking dialog boxes and toolbars

To give you freedom in how you use the program, you can undock and move toolbars and windows and position them where you wish. This is particularly useful if you have two monitors, so you could for example put your windows on one screen and keep the other monitor dedicated to the Xara 3D Maker workspace. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Moving toolbars

There are five toolbars: standard, design, options, text and time line. You can turn these on and off via the Window menu. You can drag them around the screen by clicking and holding them (see the image above) and dragging. If you drag a toolbar to an edge of the program it will dock there. You can also just drag the toolbar out elsewhere on the screen, and it will undock entirely and become free-floating. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Option bars

The option bars can be found to the right of the screen when you first start Xara 3D Maker. Rather than opening and closing endless windows, most of Xara 3D Maker's settings are contained here. You can easily switch between the tabs to access the different features. You can turn this entire panel off or on via the Window menu. You can also tailor how you use the option bars as follows:

To undock an option bar.

Just click and drag one of the options (where it says color options, extrusion options etc.) out of its current location. The window will undock, and you can position where you require. You can do this with as many of the windows as you wish. If you find the window is redocking when you don't want to, hold the Ctrl key while moving it.

To redock an option bar.

Just drag the window back to the panel options bar at the right of your screen, and the window will redock.

Pinning an option bar open.

After undocking a window, by default it will minimize once you move your mouse away from it. As soon as you move your mouse back, it will expand. To get the window to remain open, just click the little pin icon at the top right of the window. Click again to return to the auto-hide format.

Removing or reopening an option bar.

Once undocked, you can click the X icon in the top right hand corner of that window to close it. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Page 94

Advanced customization

's customization options are recommended only for advanced users. They can be accessed by clicking Customize from the Window menu, or by right clicking on a toolbar and selecting Customize . Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu. Customize options are broken down into five areas:

Commands

Here you can add icons to a menu or the standard toolbar, and even create you own custom menu. Click a category to see related commands to its right. You can drag any of the commands to the standard toolbar where they will be added to allow easy access to that tool or feature in the future. To remove a button, just right click it and select delete. Commands can also be dragged to any of the menus. Or you can create your own menu. Click the New Menu option then drag the New Menu command to the menu bar at the top of your screen. To give the menu a custom name just right click it and select Button Appearance . You can then drag icons to it as you would with a standard toolbar (described above). If you right click an icon or menu option, and select Start Group , a divider will appear between it and the previous icon or option (grayed out for the first option in the list). Right clicking an icon and selecting Image and Text will show a text label with the icon?useful if you forget what an icon does. To show all text labels, see the Toolbars option below.

Toolbars

Another way of choosing which toolbars and options to display. It is quicker to use the Window menu to achieve the same results. If you select the standard toolbar, text options or time line, clicking Show text labels will show descriptive text below each button.

Note:

The Design toolbar's text will only show if the toolbar is docked horizontally across the page or is undocked completely. The text will not display when it is in its default position at the bottom right of your screen.

Keyboard

Here you can set the keyboard shortcuts. Click the relevant category then the command for which you wish to assign or change a shortcut. Any present shortcut will be listed under Current Keys. You can click it and select Remove to remove that shortcut entirely. To add a new shortcut, just click in the Press New Shortcut Key box and type the shortcut. Press the actual keys, do not type it, i.e., do not type the word "Alt", press the Alt button as if you were using the shortcut.

Menu

This allows you to customize the right click menus available in the main working area. These are currently set to be relevant to the work in progress., i.e., if you right click a shadow, you get options relating to shadow control. If you wish to change these, select the relevant menu from the Context Menus list, then go back to the

Commands

Page 95

screen and add or remove commands as described in the Commands section above. Please note: The Application Frame menu is not used in this version of Xara 3D Maker.

Options

These options are mostly self explanatory.

Show ScreenTips on toolbars

: These are the little informational tool tips that appear when you hover your mouse over an icon.

Show shortcut keys in ScreenTips

: Grayed out if you turn off the Screentips option above. Large icons: Icons lose quality, but are bigger to see. If using this option you will probably need to rearrange your toolbars (see Docking and undocking dialog boxes and toolbars ).

Reset settings

To return all display settings to their default value (for example, windows, toolbars, time line and option bars):

Click the Window menu then select Reset user interface.

1.

Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker. Your display settings will have returned to their standard

2.

layout. To return all settings to their default value:

Click the Window menu then select Reset all settings.

1.

Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker. Every setting that you have changed previously changed will

2.

have returned to its default value. Note: If you have previously created your own default document that displays when you click New from the File menu, this default document will not be deleted by using Reset all settings, and will still be displayed when you create a new file. See Changing the default template for details on how to delete a default document that you have created.

Page 96

Changing the default document

If you want Xara 3D Maker to start up showing a different image:

Create the image you want to use as the starting (default) image.

1.

Choose Save as default on the File menu.

2.

This creates a file called Default.x3d, which appears in one of the following directories:

C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Xara\Xara3D7 (if you are using Windows Vista or Windows



7)

C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Local Settings\Application Data\xara\xara3D7 (if you are



using Windows XP)

Note:

Replace C in the above paths with the drive that Xara 3D Maker was installed on and <User> with your own user name. To revert to the standard default document:

Find the Default.x3d file that you previously saved as default in one of the above file paths and



delete the Default.x3d file. This restores the original default document, so that the next time you

open Xara 3D Maker, it reverts to displaying the standard new file image instead of the one you

created.

Changing quality settings

Th Settings option on the Window menu lets you alter the quality settings for display and export (keyboard short cut Alt+Q). Usually the default settings give excellent results, but you may wish to try different settings to fine-tune Xara 3D Maker to your requirements.

Screen quality

controls the quality of the on-screen display. Increasing the quality setting means that the preview takes longer to redraw on screen. Static and moving images have separate controls: animations can use a lower setting.

Anti-aliasing

is a technique of blurring the edges between color transitions. Turning anti-aliasing on gives better results but takes longer to redraw.

True perspective

displays the heading with slightly non-parallel sides (as if drawn from a distant vanishing point.) This gives better results for some images than displaying parallel sides. The drawback is the extra processing can slow down redraw. This may be noticeable when previewing animations.

Export quality

controls images exported as static bitmaps. Increasing the quality may give better results for some

Page 97

graphics in shadow or highlight areas. The drawback is that graphics may take longer to display on screen.

Animation quality

controls images exported as animated GIFs and AVIs. As the viewer sees each frame only briefly, the quality is less important than for static bitmaps. Note that increasing the quality too much can cause jerky animation on slow computers. If you are using Windows 7, by default rarely used fonts are hidden. If you would like them to be displayed in 's font list, click Show hidden fonts . Note: If you are a Windows 7 user and the Show hidden fonts option is grayed out, go to your Control Panel and choose Appearance and Personalization > Fonts. Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker and reopen the Settings dialog. You should now be able to edit the Show hidden fonts option.

Adding comments

You can add comments to your own images or Xara 3D Maker sample files so that you and others can see extra information or helpful hints on a file before you open it. To add a comment to an image:

Open the image and choose Edit Comment from the Edit menu, or press "Ctrl + M".

1.

Add the comment to the pop-up dialog box and click OK.

2.

Save the file to save your comment.

3.

The next time you choose Open from the File menu, click the file in the Open dialog box. The file's comments are displayed below the preview window.

Docking and undocking dialog boxes and toolbars

To give you freedom in how you use the program, you can undock and move toolbars and windows and position them where you wish. This is particularly useful if you have two monitors, so you could for example put your windows on one screen and keep the other monitor dedicated to the Xara 3D Maker workspace. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Moving toolbars

There are five toolbars: standard, design, options, text and time line. You can turn these on and off via the Window menu. You can drag them around the screen by clicking and holding them (see the image above) and dragging. If you drag a toolbar to an edge of the program it will dock there. You can also just drag the toolbar out elsewhere on the screen, and it will undock entirely and become free-floating. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Page 98

Option bars

The option bars can be found to the right of the screen when you first start Xara 3D Maker. Rather than opening and closing endless windows, most of Xara 3D Maker's settings are contained here. You can easily switch between the tabs to access the different features. You can turn this entire panel off or on via the Window menu. You can also tailor how you use the option bars as follows:

To undock an option bar.

Just click and drag one of the options (where it says color options, extrusion options etc.) out of its current location. The window will undock, and you can position where you require. You can do this with as many of the windows as you wish. If you find the window is redocking when you don't want to, hold the Ctrl key while moving it.

To redock an option bar.

Just drag the window back to the panel options bar at the right of your screen, and the window will redock.

Pinning an option bar open.

After undocking a window, by default it will minimize once you move your mouse away from it. As soon as you move your mouse back, it will expand. To get the window to remain open, just click the little pin icon at the top right of the window. Click again to return to the auto-hide format.

Removing or reopening an option bar.

Once undocked, you can click the X icon in the top right hand corner of that window to close it. Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu.

Advanced customization

's customization options are recommended only for advanced users. They can be accessed by clicking Customize from the Window menu, or by right clicking on a toolbar and selecting Customize . Note: If you experience a problem with your windows or toolbars at any time, or wish to return them to their standard layout, click Reset user interface on the Window menu. Customize options are broken down into five areas:

Commands

Here you can add icons to a menu or the standard toolbar, and even create you own custom menu. Click a category to see related commands to its right. You can drag any of the commands to the standard toolbar where they will be added to allow easy access to that tool or feature in the future. To remove a button, just right click it and select delete. Commands can also be dragged to any of the menus. Or you can create your own menu. Click the New Menu option then drag the New Menu command to the menu bar at the top of your screen. To give the menu a custom name just right click it and select Button Appearance . You can then drag icons to it as you would with a standard toolbar (described above). If you right click an icon or menu option, and select Start Group , a divider will appear between it and the previous icon or option (grayed out for the first option in the list). Right clicking an icon and selecting Image and Text will show a text label with the icon?useful if you forget what an icon does. To show all text labels, see the Toolbars option below.

Page 99

Toolbars

Another way of choosing which toolbars and options to display. It is quicker to use the Window menu to achieve the same results. If you select the standard toolbar, text options or time line, clicking Show text labels will show descriptive text below each button.

Note:

The Design toolbar's text will only show if the toolbar is docked horizontally across the page or is undocked completely. The text will not display when it is in its default position at the bottom right of your screen.

Keyboard

Here you can set the keyboard shortcuts. Click the relevant category then the command for which you wish to assign or change a shortcut. Any present shortcut will be listed under Current Keys. You can click it and select Remove to remove that shortcut entirely. To add a new shortcut, just click in the Press New Shortcut Key box and type the shortcut. Press the actual keys, do not type it, i.e., do not type the word "Alt", press the Alt button as if you were using the shortcut.

Menu

This allows you to customize the right click menus available in the main working area. These are currently set to be relevant to the work in progress., i.e., if you right click a shadow, you get options relating to shadow control. If you wish to change these, select the relevant menu from the Context Menus list, then go back to the

Commands

screen and add or remove commands as described in the Commands section above. Please note: The Application Frame menu is not used in this version of Xara 3D Maker.

Options

These options are mostly self explanatory.

Show ScreenTips on toolbars

: These are the little informational tool tips that appear when you hover your mouse over an icon.

Show shortcut keys in ScreenTips

: Grayed out if you turn off the Screentips option above. Large icons: Icons lose quality, but are bigger to see. If using this option you will probably need to rearrange your toolbars (see Docking and undocking dialog boxes and toolbars ).

Reset settings

To return all display settings to their default value (for example, windows, toolbars, time line and option bars):

Click the Window menu then select Reset user interface.

1.

Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker. Your display settings will have returned to their standard

2.

layout. To return all settings to their default value:

Click the Window menu then select Reset all settings.

1.

Exit and reopen Xara 3D Maker. Every setting that you have changed previously changed will

2.

have returned to its default value. Note: If you have previously created your own default document that displays when you click New from the File menu, this default document will not be deleted by using Reset all settings, and will still be

Page 100

Xara 3D Maker - 7.0 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Welcome to Xara 3D Maker 7

Purchasing and unlocking Xara 3D Maker

Other Xara products

Getting Help

Support

About Xara 3D Maker

Tooltips

Working with Xara 3D Maker

The Xara 3D Maker window

Getting started

How To ...

Quick overview

Open a new document

Change the text

Rotate and position the graphic

Status bar

Positioning options

Rotate options

Light the graphic

Color the graphic

Resize the graphic

Add bevels & extrude

Select characters

Add shadows

Shadow styles

Shadows and Flash vector format

Create animations

Animation options and file format

To preview an animation

Editing the text for multi-page animations

The time line

Applying animation effects to selected text

Tips for creating animations

Using the animation picker

Creating cursor (CUR & ANI) files

Importing 2D objects

For use as a board or border design

For use as a text character

Copying from Xara Designer Pro

Apply the style of an existing graphic

Copy the animation options

Copy selected options

Create screen savers

Previewing a screen saver file

Using a screen saver file

Tips

Create Flash files

Tips for creating Flash files

Save and export

Export options for GIF, PNG or BMP files

Export options for JPG

Export options for animated cursors (ANI)

Export options for animated GIFs

Export options for AVIs (movies and screen savers)

Export options for screen savers (SCR)

Export options for Flash bitmap format (SWF) files

Export options for Flash vector format (SWF) files

General info on AVI videos

Exporting transparent title animations for movies

Customize Xara 3D Maker

Changing the default document