I plan on using Swift 3D in an upcoming Flash project that will feature a few simple 3D animations. This particular 3D application is especially appealing because it claims to be "the industry-leading tool for quickly and easily creating high quality 3D vector and raster animations for Flash". But what's the learning curve for a designer like me? Well, It turns out that it actually isn't so bad.

Any designer familiar with Flash and motion graphics will have no problems grasping the basics of the Swift 3D main timeline and the standard key frame animation. Other features such as the Advance Modeler, however, are at first unfamiliar and very confusing. But this is why God created online tutorials. A quick GIS for Swift 3D Tutorials returns numerous hits. One must only find the time and dedication to learn : )

Apart from the Advance Modeler, another potential challenge for designers unfamiliar with 3D applications is accepting the fact that color specification is secondary to both lighting and surface properties. For example, the colors of your logo in a 3D environment will vary greatly depending on the ambient light and the logo's surface qualities. So take a deep breath and release some control. After all, it's only #FF0000 to you, whereas it's just RED to everyone else.

Here is a simple example of an animated Keeling Design Logo created in Swift 3D and imported into a Flash file.