Real Draw Pro 2.1
June 6, 2001
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Real Draw Pro 2.1 is such a steal that when I first saw what the
program had to offer, I fully expected to be fingerprinted and
have my mug shot taken on startup. But even if I had stolen it,
its price tag is well below the $100 needed for felony charges.
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RDP handles vector, 2D, 3D, and bitmap editing and can create
vector drawings, airbrush illustrations, painted art, photo-
realistic images, 3D-looking scenery or just about anything else
you may need short of a cup of coffee — and it does a cup
of coffee graphic so well you can almost smell the coffee beans
brewing.
The graphic on top, above, demonstrates the look of the
program when you first open it, and the graphic below it shows
many (but not all) of the tools at the user's fingertips when it
comes to editing a graphic.
If RDP looks somewhat familiar, it is because it is made by
MediaChance, the same people that created
Compact Draw,
a program reviewed on this site a few months ago. The difference
is that RDP offers even more options than Compact Draw, which is
in itself a program worth purchasing.
Some of RDP's features include a skinable interface and the
capability of objects to retain their ability to be edited (save
your work in the program's native .RDW format and export it in
the format you desire). The program also offers 3D lighting and
can export scalable vector graphics (SVG) and the Photoshop
.PSD format with separate layers.
Here is a look at its primary functions:
- Vector editing: This allows each object to have
numerous editing options available to it. Among them are shapes,
grouping, layers, resizing, envelopes, light, bevels, shadows,
and transparency. The combinations are seemingly endless.
- Bitmap editing: A great feature is the ability to
paint on any vector graphic using airbrushes, 3D or artistic
brushes, or image nozzles.
- 3D effects: There are many types of bevels and 3D
lighting effects that can give your graphics realistic
reflections and textured appearances.
- Web & Multimedia graphics: Not only can you
create an interface, but you can also apply functions to the
buttons you have on it. You can also export it to MediaChance's
Multimedia Builder (another great $45 program) or create a
script in HTML, XML, Java or Java Script. Users can also create
entire Web pages using cascading style sheets (CSS).
Users can export files in .JPG, .BMP, .PNG, .PNG transparent,
editable .E-JPG, .SVG, and Photoshop's .PSD formats. Imports
include it's native .RDW extension, .IDR (Compact Draw), E-JPG,
and .BMP formats.
Like Compact Draw, RDP offers a Quick Style bar, the
effects of which can be applied to an object by selecting that
object and merely clicking on the preferred style. RDP offers
more quick styles than Compact Draw, including textures,
transparencies, bevels, shadows and lights.
The Quick Style bar also has two libraries of effects,
allowing the user to save effects they create themselves, as
well as a selection of objects such as arrows that can be
dragged and dropped into the work area.
Real Draw Pro is a must have for computer graphics artists, and
a big advantage for Web builders. The program is easy to use, so
much so that even those who are not artistically trained can use
it and create professional looking graphics while learning to do
more with their talent.
What is it called again? Real Draw Pro 2.1
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Where can I get it?
http://www.mediachance.com/realdraw/index.html
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How much does it cost? $45
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How big is the download? 4.8 MB
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Is it worth it? If you're read
this far and don't know the answer, there's a pretty good chance
you shouldn't be handling sharp objects.
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