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When it comes to software for three dimensional design, it seems that the real innovations in interfaces are to be found with smaller maverick companies. While one expects a certain degree of refinement from the bigger players in the field, it is nice to see that companies like Eovia have been able to endure in the tumultuous world of graphic software.
In this current incarnation, Amapi has been given a new title, Amapi Designer 7 as opposed to just Amapi 7. If you are not familiar with it, Amapi is a polygonal and NURBS modeler that offers up some rather interesting tools in order to create objects in 3D.
In this incarnation, Amapi Designer 7 includes the program itself, plus trial versions of Carrara Studio 2 and an importer allowing you to move more smoothly between the two programs. There is also a manual included in PDF format as well as a smaller booklet. In this version Eovia has discontinued the larger hard copy manual that came with version 6.
Amapi, version 6 was and is a unique looking program. Taking clues from it, the new version is slicker, more polished and infused with a better way for users of Carrara to interact with Amapi. Redesigned from the floor up for both Windows and Mac OS X and 9, this is a much more realized vision of the program.
Much like Carrara that uses the room metaphor, work in Amapi 7 is also broken down into rooms. The main difference is that the first one, the Modeling room is where the vast majority of the work in the program takes place. It is here where you find the basic tools needed to construct your model. The basic toolkit includes moving, rotating, scaling and stretching. The construction palette contains the line drawing, primitives, sweep, double sweep, line and face extraction, and various surfaces like ruled and Gordon. The modeling palette consists of smooth, chamfer, thickness, cut, delete, deform, bend and soften. The assembly palette includes duplicate, symmetry, close, weld snap, lay, decimate. This is just a brief over view, there are more and even more options per tool.
The only problem is that the interface, which is great to look at, requires a bit of time to learn and become comfortable with, particularly when you consider the options.
The second room, the Rendering room, is just that. It is here where the form, or forms, created in the Modeling Room is given texture and color. Such surface qualities as diffusion, reflection, refraction, transparency and shininess are chosen and applied.
The Catalog Room is basically a file manager within Amapi Designer 7. This room act as a library for all Amapi documents. It displays what has been saved. You can save your own modeling file system totally independent of the manner in which files are stored on your operating system. Like a small library from which to pull out past work.
When you see the number of enhancements and completely new tools added to Amapi Designer 7, it is easy to see why existing Amapi users would want an upgrade. There is much here to recommend it as an excellent modeling program. However, do be aware that it takes time to adjust to the interface. While the Eovia interface style works well with Carrara, at times it is rather difficult figuring out what you want to do and how to do it within the conventions of Amapi. While this is in some respects a much easier program than others, do not be mislead into thinking that it is a quick learn. The conventions of the program on first encounter can be intimidating. On the plus sides, it is also an excellent modeling program.
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