Curious Labs Shade 3D Graphics Designer 7.0 LE

by e frontier, Inc.

Product Features

• Sculpt models as unique as you
• Easily sketch in 2D for 3D shapes
• Play with cameras and animation
• Easy to follow tutorials and manuals teach you 3D
• Make art for images, print or web

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002YF3LU
• Item model number: SHD-W70-DE-R
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 26, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,447 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Have fun making a world of 3D art! Enjoy the power of 3D today at a great low price! With Shade art projects come to life in 3D! If you dream of creating cars, buildings, or creatures you can in Shade. Unique easy-to-use design tools makes getting started in 3D a snap. As your imagination grows so does Shade, with a rich toolset to explore and enhance your art. Make movies and produce breathtaking images to show off your creations. Shade is ideal for those new to 3D and aspiring graphic designers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars AAARRRGGGHHHHH.....!, March 8, 2005

By 

amsterdamaged - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curious Labs Shade 3D Graphics Designer 7.0 LE (CD-ROM)

I consider myself a reasonably smart guy. While still relatively new to the wonderful world of computer animation, I've nevertheless been able to become resonably proficient in a number of programs in a short amount of time. I've learned Animation Master, Poser, Bryce, and Vue, and will soon be learning Carrara Pro, which by all accounts is wonderful and easy to use. While I'm not a master at any of these, each program has been easier to learn than the one before it.

I bought Shade 7 because it is sold by Curious Labs, the same people who produce Poser. They advertise it as "companion software" to Poser (Poser fusion), and they offered it for half off with my Poser serial number. I naturally assumed that it would have a similar interface and controls as Poser.

WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! Shade was developed in Japan, by a completely different team of programmers. The only thing it has in common with Poser is that it was bought out by Curios Labs, who now market it. Poser fusion? I don't get it. Any 3d modellling software that will allow you to export into DXF, 3DS, or OBJ can be used to create props for Poser, so this is NOT a strong selling point. Importing Poser characters? Vue and Carrara Pro will allow you to import the entire animation!

So, how is the software? Let me just say that Shade is about the most UN-user friendly software I've ever attempted to use! People who are used to doing 90 percent of their work by pointing and clicking with a mouse will be instantly turned off. Not only are keyboard commands used as shortcuts, THEY'RE MANDATORY! I'm not kidding. Even simple commands like moving the camera or rotating your model require you to memorize which key (or KEYS) to hold down while dragging your mouse. Keep in mind, this is just to do basic functions that should be intuitive.

Try doing a simple boolean function. Go ahead. I dare you. In Vue or Bryce, its so ridiculously simple that a four year old could do it. In Shade? Go into the PDF manual that comes with the software and try to decifer it. It gave me a splitting headache just trying to make sense of it. Who wrote this manual? Maybe its just a literal traslation from the Japanese one.

I'm sure that a person who's proficient in Shade can make stunning 3d models. The free models that come with the software are also useful, so its not a complete waste of money. The "magical draw" software is quite useful. For these reasons, I give it two stars. As far as actually using Shade to create models to populate my 3d universe? Forget it! I just want to make movies. I don't have time for this crap!

4.0 out of 5 stars Shade 7 review, November 18, 2011

By 

Generic - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Curious Labs Shade 3D Graphics Designer 7.0 LE (CD-ROM)

I like shade 7 because you have so many ways to create things, you can outline a photo and bring it to life, draw a character and let shade bring it to life, or you can just use regular block modeling. Though this program is not without its faults. The main problem is actually learning to use it. But once you get the hang of it the possibilities are endless. In the end I give this program a 8 out of 10 stars, because even though it's a great modeling tool, they should have included better instructions.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very easy learning curve once you "get it", May 25, 2006

By 

Juan Manuel Bautista Hoepfner (Puebla, Puebla Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Curious Labs Shade 3D Graphics Designer 7.0 LE (CD-ROM)

This is a program that has lots of history... in Japan. Being so, it has developed outside the influence of other 3d programs. The natural result is that the way you work in Shade is quite different from other 3d programs. However, this is used to its advantage, as you will find out if you stick to the program and keep an open mind.

The way of doing things in Shade is very consistent, the procedure is the same for everything. So once you understand how to do A, learning to do B, C, D, and all the way to X will become second nature.