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Adobe Makes Acrobat Three-Dimensional
Adobe Systems delivered this week a 3D version of its popular Acrobat document design and authoring package.
Acrobat 3D works with Acrobat Reader 7.0.7 to enable users to use three-dimensional capabilities in their documents, the San Jose, Calif.-based company said in a statement.
Adobe Acrobat 3D is intended for design engineering, technical publishing and creative professionals. One key feature of Acrobat 3D is the capability to embed computer-aided design (CAD) files in Adobe PDF documents. The package can convert 3D models used in a wide variety of major CAD packages and embed them in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files, eliminating the need to have the original CAD software in order to display them.
Additionally, users can enhance PDF documents by editing lighting, adding textures and materials and creating animations such as assembly and disassembly instructions, the company said.
Adobe Acrobat 3D costs $995. Registered users of Acrobat Professional versions 6.0 and 7.0 can upgrade for $545 and $699, respectively. The package is available for Microsoft Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 2), as well as Windows XP Professional, Home and Tablet PC Editions. It also supports IBM AIX 5.2, HP UX 11.0, SGI IRIX 6.5, and Sun Solaris 2.8 (for Acrobat 3D Capture utility).
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.