Sculptris is insanely cool, free 3D modeling software

by Erez Zukerman

from:http://www.downloadsquad.com/

Sculptris is, without question, the coolest thing I have seen all day. What was supposed to be a short spin became an hour of prodding and playing around with every tool of this incredible creation.

In simple terms, it's sculpting software. It's free, and it's accessible. I once downloaded Blender and spent an hour trying to figure it out to no avail. With Sculptris, I got it, started playing around, and in less than an hour I created the rudimentary pig-man that you see in the image. And I have no previous experience with any sort of 3D graphics (except for a bit of SketchUp).

Yes, the ears are on purpose -- it's a tribute to Sebastian's furry friends.

When you fire up the program, you get a round sphere of clay-like substance. You can change the material; what you see above isn't rendered, it's just a different material -- and this is what it looks like mid-sculpting. An array of tools are provided with you sculpt your clay. You can pull, push, pinch, twist, and do just about anything that you could do with a regular piece of modeling clay. There is one important distinction with Sculptris, though, and that's symmetry.

By default, a line crosses the sphere in the middle. Every operation that you perform on one half of the sphere is exactly mirrored on the other half. So, you only have to sculpt one ear, one eye, etc.

It's not limited to faces, of course. Hit Ctrl+N and it adds another pair of blobs (or just one, if you hold Shift). You can then make it into a body or anything else you can think of.

The program is obviously geared for character sculpting and "organic" models. This isn't SketchUp; it's something completely different and far more artistically-oriented.

Once you finish sculpting your character, you can export it or paint it. Painting renders the image, and then you get a completely different set of tools for painting over the surfaces, as though you have baked your sculpture and now you're decorating it. You are no longer able to change its shape, but you get a wide, sophisticated array of brushes and painting options and all tools are aware of the 3D nature of your sculpture. It's not like painting a 2D bitmap.

This tool is a real tour de force in UI design and user friendliness; it is responsive, powerful, and fast. I can't believe it isn't better known. You simply have to download and try it! Be prepared to lose an hour or two, though.

Be sure to check out the video below -- it shows you what can be accomplished with Sculptris when you actually know what you're doing!

Dissecting Microsoft Office 2010

computerworld.com — The soon-to-be-released Microsoft Office 2010 will offer users some exciting new changes, including a vastly improved Outlook and other snazzy features.

Click here for the full article: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9176254/Dissecting_Microsoft_Office_2010_?taxonomyName=Applications&taxonomyId=18

Armado: 3D Platforming Comes to the iPhone

by Darrell Etherington

Gaming on the iPhone and iPod touch comes in many forms, but a lot of genres still lack representation on the mobile platform. Cross one more off that list as Tricky Software, Inc. introduces Armado, a 3D platformer for Apple’s handheld devices.

Tricky Software is a new development studio staffed by former EA employees, including devs who worked on games like the Tiger Woods series, Godfather, and Spore Origins for the iPhone/iPod touch. Armado is their first release developed and published under the Tricky Software banner, so there’s a lot riding on the success of the game for the fledgling company.

Spore Origins is one of the most lauded games on the iPhone/iPod touch platform, so I had high hopes for Armado. What made Spore so successful was its intuitive controls, which showed that it was obviously designed specifically for the accelerometer-sporting device, instead of merely shoehorned to fit as an afterthought. Could Armado live up to its predecessor in this regard?

Upon launching the app, I was impressed immediately with two things. First, the soundtrack that greeted me even on the initial menu screen was professional and pleasant. Second, when I started the game, an illustrated cutscene with professional narration played, setting up the backstory of the character without being over laborious or involved. Additional cutscenes between levels continue to expand the story. Basically you’re trying to save eagles from ants. And you’re an armadillo. I think they’re going for realism.

In-game 3D graphics are good, though there is little variety in level design. Essentially you’re either going up or down a mountain, and movement is restricted to forwards or backwards only (like a simplified Crash Bandicoot), which you control by tilting the device. You can jump to avoid obstacles by tapping the screen, and two taps results in a double jump. I found jumping on enemies very hard to do, even after I discovered that you can control your in-air movement by tilting as well, although they also aren’t very good at striking you, so it sort of evens out.

Overall, the game is difficult, and the controls are not as intuitive as they are in Spore Origins, and the occasional crash put a damper on my enthusiasm. That said, it’s an impressive and well-designed example of what the iPhone/iPod touch are capable of, and if you’re willing to deal with a little initial frustration, once you get the hang of the controls it becomes a very fun time-waster indeed. Look for more exciting things to come from Tricky Software in the future, since they seem to have a good grasp of what the platform needs.

Armado is available from the App Store now for $4.99.