Strata Design 3D CXi for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By Ctx1050

  OK but does not seem like a mature app

  I first used Stratavision in the early 1990s on a MacIIfx. I really loved it but eventually hit its limitations and moved on to other 3D programs. I have used a lot since then from high end to low end. When I saw CXi in the app store for 80% off retail I figured I’d try it again thinking it must be a very mature application and could be fun to try (a bit of nostalgia too). I was very surprised however that 26 years after using Strata’s first product, this one seems almost like a beta. The program has some depth, but the user interface is really bare bones, and there are a lot of features in other 3D programs that are absent here. It also seems a little unstable (had a couple of crashes) The discounted price seems fair for this program, but if I’d paid full retail I would have been very dissapointed.

  
  
• By ButterBeanBiker

  I was fooled and don’t want others to be.

  Well Well. I should have smelled a rat when this price was cut so much. Most links under help lead to this. "It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try one of the links below or a search?” No overview or training videos. A new version is out and apparently this one has expired. Don’t be fooled. I’m going back to Cheetah 3D

  
  
• By Screw this stupid pp

  Lousy Tutorials

  I can’t view the tutorials even though I have an account and am logged in. The application is not user intuitive and so I cannot use it without them. This was an absolute waste of $100. I want my money back. This program is a complete scam and rip off. Don’t even think about it.

  
  
• By LekkeM

  Easy modeling tools + excellent rendering engine

  Strata goes back to the early 90s. It's always been an easy-to-use program with an outstanding renderer. Being an old-school 3D guy, and someone who works a lot in 2D vector art (Illustrator,) Strata's modeling is the most intuitive for me. If you pull out your hair after 5 minutes with Google Sketchup, this might be an app for you. The price looks high but it really isn't. It's a fact that you'll be spending at least this much to get into any competent 3D tools. My main criticism of this app is its dated UI and some less-than-slick user interactions. There are lots of things that are not Windows-like, i.e. renaming objects, applying an environment from the library, etc. Once you've got its quirks learned it's not that big a deal, but you shouldn't really have to learn them to begin with. So one star off for that, but overall this is a great rendering tool which I've been using to produce some nice looking images in the 2 days since I got it.

  
  

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