http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif .......................
XaraX GOOD stuff:
A Fast and Efficient program. Good handling of Vector Nodes. Fill and Transparency handling is very good too!! Text handling is superb. Good Exportation dialog for .jpg, png, bmp and .gif's!! Envelopes and Moulding shapes are very very well handled (no issue with artifacts when moving the shape around to ANY position). The Bevel tool cannot be beat (IMHO) and the Drop Shadow tool is just fantastic. You CAN create a glow efffect with this tool by dragging & dropping a new color into the shadow color area (it will replace the black color, which is default). Shadows are detachable, which is a real nice extra!! Transparencies are just fantastic as well. Multitudes of options under this area. Also love the Cloud and Plazma Fractal Transparencies, really great!! Feathering tool is one of the best out there as well!! The Freehand tool is useful and pretty easy to work with (under that same icon resides the Brush tool giving you many different line effects and shapes, all controllable with line width's and line shapes. I really like the Arrange/Combine Shapes/Slice(cut)Shapes operation. The shapes outlines are used to cut out what ever you want but does NOT subtract the cut out shape, instead it leaves the sliced shape in tact so you can use it for something else, really wonderful handling there!! Some programs handle this differently by subtracting the top shape completely, Xara has this one in the bag!! Blend tool is really good too. I don't use the Contour tool too much, so I can't really comment. The Button and NavBar Tool bar were very confusing to me, so I don't use them either. And finally, there are many download-able brushes from here at TG and Pixelparity to add in to the program as needed!!
XaraX BAD stuff:
NO Bump Maps and NO 3D Lighting. Galleries are not dockable, which personally for me is an option that would make my experience much better and more organized!! The Vector Node tools could use a little improving upon like more options for curves, etc.... and more Quick Shapes. The Brush tool NEEDS to be debugged and improved upon (this bug causes some users to have program crashes and unsaved work is lost, NOT GOOD! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/mad.gif)! The addition of tools that acts like an Eraser, Blur and Smear tools would be helpful (Satori is a 'paint' program that actually uses vectors to paint with and they have these tools or 'brushes" available and MORE!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif ). Button and NavBar Tool bar could be a bit more user friendly. More Quick Shapes too!! Import and Export filters are BADLY in need of revamping and aditional ones added in!! One of the worst things about Xara Ltd. is they have not updated XaraX in quite some time (going on 3 years now, I think http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif) and very little interaction with the client base here at TG if at all. That should be changed to a more friendlier interaction and willing to listen to the users. Support is not one of their strong areas. Also their Sales division needs to be reworked!! This program RULES and yet not a whole lot of folks knows about XaraX, a real shame. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/frown.gif Other than that XaraX is a winner in my book!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
DrawPlus7 GOOD stuff:
Similar to CorelDraw, NOT XaraX. DrawPlus 7 has it's own versions of tools SIMILAR, but not the same as, XaraX (if your going to compare it to XaraX, that is.... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif ) I like that the user has the option of Dockable Galleries. LOTS of Quick Shapes and very cool, ready to drag & drop Color, Color Fills, Color Meshes and Transparency swatches. 3D Lighting and Bump Maps galore!! I think the best handling of Vectors Nodes (sorry Xara but DrawPlus 7 DOES have some really fantastic tools for handling nodes!). Example: Once you create a new shape then click on the Node tool icon and up pops the Curve Toolbar and you have a set of tools that XaraX cannot beat (YET!) http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Also, once you create an effect you really like and want it available for other objects/shapes then got to the Effects Gallery and under My Effects drag the entire object over to it and drop it, you will then be presented with a Name dialog and then presto chango, in goes the effect, available to apply to any other object just by double clicking on the effect and the selected object will have this set of effects aplied. This includes any and all Filter Effects. One other thing is that Serif's DrawPlus 7, along with all the other products they have in their product line up, are updated at LEAST once a year and Serif release's patches as needed and they DO listen to the user base and actually interact with them on the forums. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Kadoos to Serif for that!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
DrawPlus 7 BAD stuff:
While DrawPlus 7 had a plethora of cool tools that XaraX does not have it IS missing a very important feature that XaraX seems to have every one beaten in, Ssssspeeeeeeeed!! Example: I worked on a 'Fantasy Castle' project for a couple of months and ended up trashing it. Why?? The heavier the file got to be, the worse it was to work on!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/frown.gif Try moving separate objects about with Filter Effects applied, it just became too heavy and the program slowed to a crawl. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/frown.gif Even using the 'layers' manager did not clear this up very well. I called it a "sticky problem" which worsens as new objects are added to the file, especially ones that have ANY Filter Effects applied to them! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/mad.gif It was toopainful to keep going through that, so I trashed the project and moved on! No detachable Shadows. The Filter Effects are how the program achieves the Bevels, 3D Lighting, Feathering and other effects. The program is not set up to allow any Filter Effect to be ungrouped or detached from the parent object/shape. In XaraX you can detach just about any "filter effect" that you apply. It is either vectorized and ungroup-able or bitmapped and ungroup-able. For me very that is too limiting to what I can do in DrawPlus 7. I also can not stand the (dis)organization of the Gradient Transparency gallery. There is something NOT QUITE right about it. Also, while there are many options using the transparencies, the "Fractal" Transparencies are just plain ugly!! Plus for the novice the Filter Effects dialogs can be a bit daunting. They DO give you absolute control over the effects applied but for a newbie each area of the Filter Effects is a new challenge to get to know all the controls. As I said this program is really structured more after the Adobe/Corel software products (Illustrator and CorelDraw). Import and Export filters are BADLY in need of an over all improving upon!!
I think that's about it.
For some of the best 3D Lighting Effects and Bump Maps out there RealDraw-Pro 3.1 is the way to go!! The Vector Nodes tools needs to be reworked, BIG TIME! In fact the entire Vector area needs reworking. If you were to zoom in on a vector line at about 300 - 400% you get jaggies. Not a true vector. Then of course you are asked to use the "Super" Anti-Alias option which really does NOT make that much difference. So I think Oscar took a short cut some where in the vector area. The program would be SO much better if this area were completely re-written from the ground up with more Nodes options!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif BUT I give credit where credit is due, the program IS only going on it's 3rd release, so it's still in it's infancy compared to XaraX. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif And don't let XaraX fool you, it HAS been around for a while now!! I'm not quite sure but I think Gary could tell you, it's had about 5 or 6 releases total? Including the 2 releases under the Corel banner. I would keep an eye out on RealDraw-Pro though, it's going places but with only ONE man running the show (no lie) (his name is Oscar) it takes time to get things just right. Oscar DID hire on some other employee's to help with upkeep of the site and the sales areas and I'm not sure but I think Oscar is still coding most, if not all of the 12 or more software applications that he created and wrote him self!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/eek.gif Pretty impressive in my book!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
So there you have it. I know I'm biased but just ask any one around here, I'm the man that loves to play around with all these programs. I go away for a while and play and then come back and write these home spun reviews, but in the end I always come back to XaraX. For some of my finishing up or post work, that may need a little extra light here, bump map there or what ever, I will sometimes export the finished image from XaraX and import it into RealDraw-Pro to add these finishing touches to it and then I'm finished!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif XaraX can not do it all, YET! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif But there IS talk about a new release, but GOD ONLY KNOW'S when that will be!! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
Richard http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif
http://www.ramwolffsworld.com//Publi..._Prowl_sig.gif
http://www.ramwolffsworld.com/RAMWolffsWorld
[This message was edited by RAMWolff on October 09, 2003 at 00:19.]
Richard
---Wolff On The Prowl---
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks