As a graphic designer, I often find myself transferring my work from Adobe Illustrator to Adobe Photoshop for 3D rendering.  Opening programs, copying and pasting, importing, etc… all things that make the work become tedious and tiring.  After doing this for a while, it was time to find something that assists in the day-to-day of a graphic designer. They say we can do the whole process from design to render flat in Adobe Illustrator? Let’s evaluate the possibilities.

Strata Company, known for being one of the first companies to have invented a rendering program, launched a very interesting product. Strata 3D CX Enfold works as a plug-in for Illustrator. Renders are easily generated, and it also facilitates the creation of these plans. We can have a quick 3D visualization of our work, and predict potential errors if assembly has to print, fold and paste (for packaging designs).

Within the Strada family, there other very useful programs: The Strata 3D, Strata Foto 3D, Strata Enfold Live 3D and Strata 3D. All tools that facilitate the task of the designers.

I had the option of testing Enfold Strata 3D CX, which comes with a tutorial to make it very fast to understand how to use some of the basic tools of this plug-in. You can test a trial version of the program by downloading it from the Strata website.

You can, using the Strata 3D CX Enfold define cross cutting and doubles, close files for printing or exporting the finished 3D model to Strata 3D CX Suite to track work on design and visualization.

Possibly the most important feature of Enfold Strata 3D CX is the function of “distributing”. For those who work in packaging design and try to match the folds we know that this is one of the things difficult to work. Strata automates this essential work.

Strata 3D CX with Enfold does not have to guess or spend hours and hours making model just to see if the details of folding are perfectly ready. Finish your design in Adobe Illustrator and Strata 3D CX Enfold to be ready to print and turn out to the real world.

Strata only works with Adobe Illustrator CS3 and CS4.