Though a Mac public beta of Adobe Atmosphere won’t be available until summer, Adobe promises that Mac users won’t be left in the lurch regarding the upcoming professional Web tool for authoring, viewing and interacting with immersive, virtual 3D worlds. The app is now available as public beta for Windows, which, naturally, doesn’t sit well with some Mac users.
“We wanted to get a build in the marketplace to get as much feedback as quickly as we could,” Asako Yoshimura, Atmosphere product manager, told MacCentral. “But, being an Adobe product, Atmosphere will certainly be cross-platform. We’re absolutely and very committed to the Mac platform.”
She said that a Mac OS X version would also be released. Currently, however, no pricing or release dates for any version of Atmosphere is available.
Adobe says the new product, which capitalizes on the GoLive engine, will let designers “create graphically rich, true-to-life 3D worlds, enabling end-users to virtually walk the Web and communicate in real-time for a richer, more realistic Web experience.” Atmosphere leverages standard Web design practices, such as connecting worlds through URLs; linking in textures, sounds, and objects; and using JavaScript to animate objects, add sound, and program special effects. And it will sport a familiar Adobe user interface.
The application’s worlds allow designers to import objects created with 3D design tools from Viewpoint, Curious Labs, Discreet 3DStudio Max, and Alias|Wavefront Maya through importing Viewpoint file formats. Atmosphere also works with Web content creation tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator, through the import of the standard Web graphics file formats JPEG, GIF, and PNG.
By the way, Photoshop Elements is now available from Adobe. The software application is a new addition to the Adobe family of digital imaging products.
Elements, based on Photoshop code, will be a replacement for Photoshop Limited Edition (LE). It will lack some of the high-end features of the parent app, but will introduce others designed to appeal to business users, hobbyists, and digital photographers. See our Feb. 11 overview for details.
Elements for Macintosh OS 8.6, 9.0, 9.0.4 and 9.1 is now available in the U.S., Canada, and Europe for an estimated street price of US $99. In the States and Canada, registered users of any version of Adobe Photoshop LE, PhotoDeluxe, or selected competitive digital imaging software products are eligible to receive Elements for $69 if purchased through Adobe Direct or a $30 mail-in rebate if purchased in the U.S. or Canada.
French, German, and Japanese versions of Photoshop Elements software will also be available in the second quarter. For more product information, cruise on over to the Elements Web site.