My customers like the look of Presenter, but want their own branding. How do I deliver that?
Presenter is an open system. Custom 3D content can developed by anyone with 3ds Max and a licensed copy of Presenter.
Furthermore, Instant Effects runs a production department that creates logos and FXThemes for users ranging from small corporations and independent event production contractors up to very large companies like Intel, Autodesk, and Fox. For more information, please
contact our sales department.
What kind of custom assets can be created?
There are 4 types of 3D assets that can be created for Presenter. In order of increasing complexity those are: Insert Scenes, Video Insert Scenes, Transitions, and FXThemes. The simplest type of custom content is 3D insert scenes. Those are usually animated company logos and products. Video insert scenes are can be used for "framing" your videos in a highly-customized fashion. Transitions can be customized and delivered in generic form so they work with any theme (like the Standard Aspect and Wide Aspect transitions that come with Presenter). FXThemes encompass all the expertise required to create themes and transitions. They control the entire look of your presentation and are the most powerful way to customize or brand your presentation.
How do I learn about authoring custom 3D content for Presenter?
First read the page devoted to the Authoring Toolkit on our site. Then download the Authoring Toolkit. The Toolkit contains full documentation on the Presenter authoring process, along with tutorials and example 3ds max files. It runs in trial mode for 30 days before a license is required to run it.
Can I buy 3D models from sites such as Turbo Squid and use those in Presenter?
Those models are typically in the format of 3D authoring tools such as Maya, Lightwave, or 3ds max. In order to use 3D models in Presenter, they must be in our FXML format. The Authoring Toolkit includes an FXML exporter that runs inside of 3ds max (and Viz) from Autodesk. For users with access to 3ds max or Viz, models can be purchased from these sites. Those models can be output with the FXML exporter for use in Presenter.
I've built and exported my first 3D customer logo as an insert scene in 3ds max. When I add that to my presentation in Presenter, I get a rectangle shape as my stand in image in PowerPoint. How do I create a custom stand in image of my logo similar to what appears for all the insert scenes supplied by Instant Effects?
Easy. Just put a PNG file with the same name as your insert scene into its folder in the repository. Say your insert scene is named "ABC". In Repository / Insert you'll see a folder called ABC. In that folder, put a PNG file named ABC.png. The PNG file must be exactly the same aspect ratio as the 3ds Max camera that was used to create your insert scene. That match up is what allows you to size and position the stand in image in PowerPoint and have that size and location accurately control the insert scene in Presenter.
You can also use the Standin Image "Grab" feature to create the PNG file automatically from within FXEdit. Just hold down the Ctrl key when pressing the Grab button and the resulting PNG file will be written into the proper Insert Scene folder.