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Desktop Video Software
auto.des.sys, Inc. announced the release of form.Z 4.5 in September 2004. Following the successful release of form.Z 4.0, which completely restructured form.Z into modules and plug-in extensions, version 4.5 is taking the application to its next level of an open architecture. It makes public its new API
(Application Program Interface) and its new Script Language, thus extending an invitation to third parties to develop their specialized operations.
form.Z 4.5 marks the end of support for Mac OS 9, as this new version makes it fully Mac OS X native. It also supports Microsoft Windows 95SE, 98,
2000, ME, XP.
form.Z 4.5 also delivers significant enhancements and introduces a number of new features, either as plug-ins and scripts or as direct extensions:
SpaceBall 5000 - The popular 3D motion controller by 3Dconnexion, Inc. is fully supported in v.4.5.
Doodle - This plug-in offers the option to produce "wavy" images that imitate pencil drawings. A variety of parameters are available and they control the final appearance of a drawing.
Cloning - The ability to clone objects has been introduced. Clones are duplicates of existing objects that make it possible to change one object and have that change automatically applied to all its clones. Also, cloned objects may be replaced by another object by simply replacing one of the clones.
Smooth Text - The Text Place tool has been extended and can now also place smooth text, in addition to facetted text. The outlines of smooth text are resolution independent splines, which can be edited as such after their initial generation. Similarly to the facetted text, smooth text may be a surface or solid object; it can be placed flat on a plane or it can be standing. It can be generated by itself or relative to one or two control lines, which are also editable as parametric splines. The edges of solid smooth text can be rounded circularly or elliptically, or they can be beveled.
Unicode Text - form.Z 4.5 introduced the ability to place text with Unicode based fonts. This improves the range of fonts that are supported and makes it easier to use non-Roman based scripts.
Draft Sweep - This new tool constructs a smooth object by offsetting a source shape as it is swept along a path. This tool works similarly to the Axial Sweep but allows many more options for transforming the source shape as it is swept. That is, the source profile can be expanded and contracted according to either preset mathematical functions or formulas typed in by a user.
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