a drawing out of style [expression 3]

[slavelle]

So where does this "Creature House Expression 3" sit in the Expression line of products now offered by MS? I have the Expression Studio 3 package (that was just released and is not free) that includes Expression Design 3, which is the newest release of the vector app. Are these one in the same? Is the Create House version older (in line with the Expression Design 2 app)? or is it a completely seperate product that just is "no more" on it's own.

[georgetroy]

So where does this "Creature House Expression 3" sit in the Expression line of products now offered by MS? I have the Expression Studio 3 package (that was just released and is not free) that includes Expression Design 3, which is the newest release of the vector app. Are these one in the same? Is the Create House version older (in line with the Expression Design 2 app)? or is it a completely seperate product that just is "no more" on it's own.

I have had Expression 2 then 3 from way back. My Expression 3 by Creature House is dated 2003. Later MS came out with Acrylic which included bitmap painting and photo handling. Expression design Studio was offered as a package which you then purchased. I elected not to, I had no use for web package and blend. I figured I saved $500.00 right there.

This web site will show some of the cartoons I have done with Expression 3, you can see the variable stroke out line in many.

http://www.geotroydraws.com/

[handrawn]

Hi

Microsoft bought Creaturehouse out around 2003

They then adopted the Expression name for their product.

Expression Design is based on and has many of the features of the Creaturehouse version, including stroke brushes, but lacks many of the options such as variable width palette

The Creaturehouse version was/is a tool for artists along the lines of corel painter, but vector.
Microsoft Expression is more a tool for the modern breed of web designer/artists; this is now at version 3 - so we now have two 'Expression 3's that are different products in reality, if technically part of one development line

Microsoft still make the Creaturehouse version available as linked above - it contains a Microsoft EULA governing its use

Acrylic, as mentioned by George, was the name Microsoft Expression was known as prior to becoming Expression Studio

The Creaturehouse Expression 3 is actually a beta program and was initially released very shortly before Microsoft took control; It is pretty stable non the less.

[molucca]

E1 was Fractal Design. I didn't have E2, but upgraded to E3. So my version is CH 3.2 build 352. The program was updated by replacing the EXE file. There was a version with Living Cells. It timed out long ago. I remember the reason for changing ownership was the problem of being a small company, and trying to develop and market at the same time.

Plugin capability was removed in the first MS version, and later Map fills, variable width, and I think a couple of other things.

New users couldn't handle the UI and wanted the program to look like all the other MS programs. They seemed to be very concerned about copy and paste, too.

EPS was removed since there are so many flavors no one version would work with everything.

MS made E3.3, a non expiring trial version available. I thing the EULA says non commercial use.

E3 had an XPR extension, but I believe ED has a new extension.

Rich

[handrawn]

Living Cells was an animation program associated with Creaturehouse Expression 3, but I never used it.
E3 will do basic animation and has a very neat feature where you can scrub through the tabbed windows, as well as onion skinning

Fractal Design eh Rich - never knew that - I still have somewhere my disks of fractal painter 5, that became after a couple of interim owners corel painter - so the same roots; makes sense...

[molucca]

I never used page rotation, but a good capability.

I have a Painter five disk, but never remembered the S/N.

I also have PP10 from the Corel aquisition. After that, it disappeared.

Rich

[ginger44]

E1 was Fractal Design. I didn't have E2, but upgraded to E3. So my version is CH 3.2 build 352.

Rich

The one that I downloaded as the 'permanent beta' is 3.3 build 372