Update (August 8, 2003):
New Betas continue to be posted to the VizX3D site. Each successive Beta times out at the end of the month and fixes bugs OR adds new features. Planned new features include the ability to import X3D files, much the same as VRML files can be imported directly. No exact date for the first final version has been posted yet.
One of the more interesting hidden tips on the difference between VizX3D and Spazz3D is the proprietary file formats are different. As a rule, changing the extension (.spz to .vzx or .vzx to .spz) will allow the files to be opened in the older (Spazz3D) or newer version (VizX3D). Some features may be lost on a .vzx to .spz conversion.
Update (July 27, 2003):
Our inside sources just released the very good news, the first Beta is now available. It's a full-featured program which expires end of August 2003. The program has been renamed, it's now VizX3D and is
available from the new VizX3D website.
As previously mentioned, the new program is supereasy for previous users, the interface is nearly identical to the older Spazz3d, with the major changes being that X3D export, Flux export, and X3D import have been added to make X3D creation effortless. It is suggested that you revalidate any X3D code, our testers have seen minor errors usually involving VRML import to X3D export, but this is a Beta, not the final version.
Viz3D is the first graphic editor to refuse to be blackmailed by the GIF consortium. Unreasonable license fees are the stated reason. Fortunately, PNG (8bit) are superior. For animated textures, just use a handedit from ImageTexture to MovieTexure and add loop TRUE (or similar) as with previous versions. Enjoy!
Original story (July 1, 2003):
The Alphas are here, and it's amazing to see a favorite VRML tool that also directly exports X3D. No hoops of fire, no separate converters, just click, name and save. The familiar Spazz3D interface is as before in the 2.4 version, so the learning curve is practically a vertical line. Each new Alpha fixes a bug or three, and times out quickly, but a new Alpha shortly replaces it. The URL for the Alpha folder is
http://www.spazz3d.com/download/ - pick the newest one if several are available. Other than the timeout, there are no restrictions on the Alphas.
Spazz3D is the favorite tool of most hardcore VRML worldbuilders and has been featured in virtually all serious VRML articles and on most VRML sites that review paid software. It runs $100 USD and is very much worth the price. The Alphas are free, but do time out at the end of each month. Current plans call for extremely deep discounts to users with confirmed license keys when the final Version 3 is released.
As with previous versions, it's a breeze to import a VRML file, tweak it, then reexport it. It's also very easy to build an all new file. The instant preview mode lets you see (more or less, it's an OpenGL preview, InLines and MovieTextures do NOT show up) how the file will look. Adding X3D to all this will likely continue Spazz3D's legacy of being the Web3D editor of preference. Now if there could just be a MovieTexture editor and an InLine editor, all would be beyond perfect.
On comparing the code from Spazz3D and X3d-Edit, many differences are seen. Each of these highly recommended Web3D editors uses slightly different tagsets that do NOT effect the final rendering. This means identically appearing worlds can have dramatically different file sizes. During testing, no pattern was spotted, though it's assumed that months of testing will cause a pattern of which editor makes the smaller filesize under certain predictable constraints to be apparent. Sometimes X3d-Edit made the smaller file, sometimes Spazz3D was smaller. Both validate as perfect or near perfect, which is very important.
