Carson City, Nevada, USA & London, UK – XChange US and XChange UK, the sources for workflow automation solutions worldwide, are pleased to announce the availability of Creative Edge Software’s IC3D product range. Both companies now carry the IC3D Suite software applications which recently received the Printing Industries of America Technology Award for Innovation 2014. These revolutionary 3D design and visualisation tools for packaging, offer speed, ease of use, reduced time to production and easy integration to workflows which makes them valuable additions to both XChange US and XChange UK for customers looking for automated solutions.

“Brand owners, creative agencies, designers and pre-media are in need of solutions that streamline packaging and improve the entire creation and approval process. We specialise in helping businesses automate their workflows, so adding Creative Edge Software’s IC3D Suite to our portfolio was a logical step, explains Tami Stodghill, Press Relations for both XChange US and XChange UK. With IC3D Suite, it means we can now offer our customers a high-quality 3D solution for package design and visualisation.”

IC3D Suite is a fully featured 3D application for Mac or Windows, offering users everything they need to ideate, design and visualise packaging. IC3D Suite has been created by an innovative development team at Creative Edge Software. “It is the first application to combine multiple packaging disciplines and into a single product”, comments Nick Gilmore, Creative Edge Software CEO. “Our new technology, which beautifully simplifies 3D design and visualisation, applies to packaging design for bottles, flexible packages, cartons, bags, plastic containers, cans, and more. It uses a patented process “Smart Wrap” allowing labels and artwork created in Illustrator to be accurately placed and moved over complex packaging models in “Real Time” by designers – as opposed to the current tedious mapping and rendering usually outsourced to third party specialists.”

Easy 3D Mock-ups:
IC3D Suite enables any package designer to easily become a 3D mock-up artist without learning a whole new paradigm. Brand owners and agencies can instantly benefit by utilising their existing talent to create 3D package visualisations without the need to outsource their projects. IC3D Suite includes a model library of common packaging models which can be selected by simply dragging and dropping into the workspace.

Labels and base artwork can have many special effects applied to them. In the Adobe Illustrator artwork, users simply specify a spot colour, select which effect to associate with it – the rest is done automatically. There are many predefined effects to choose including foils, glass, plastics, holographic and even lenticular. Users can also design their own for total creative freedom.

When IC3D Suite is in place, the production process becomes tighter and the cost of creating 3D visualisations becomes significantly smaller.

Improved Communication & Collaboration:
With demanding deadlines and pressure to get products to shelves, communicating package designs visually and accurately with colleagues or a client is vital. Designers can convey complex ideas with clarity, precision and efficiency. Anything created in IC3D Suite can be shared with customers or department staff for comments and markup, aiding in better collaboration. Users can output hi-resolution images or PDF proofs for markup, sharing their designs with colleagues and customers by sending 3D PDFs by email or by using the IC3D Movie exporter, which creates portable compressed movie files that can be shared or put on compliant websites. Users can even output IC3D models to any 3D printer to create rapid prototypes or import 3D printer files to check accuracy before printing.

IC3D Suite makes sharing 3D package designs easy so misunderstandings can be prevented and projects can stay on track and on budget. With a streamlined process in place, users of IC3D Suite not only ensure their own productivity, but they also increase their customer satisfaction and become more competitive in the process.

Award-Winning Technology:
IC3D Suite’s patented “Smart Wrap” mapping technology allows for labels and artwork to be placed accurately onto complex models without the need for repetitive coordinates-based mapping of artwork and textures. This makes IC3D Suite extremely user-friendly as changing the placement of artwork and labels on the 3D model is as simple as clicking and dragging. The experience is intuitive and is a tribute to Creative Edge Software’s commitment to developing state-of-the-art technology that bridges the gap for those who are new to 3D design.

Robust Features:
The 3D rendering model works with Image Based Lighting, which uses high-dynamic-range environments to simulate accurate and realistic lighting. This enables Brand colours to be accurately shown in different retail environments. Add-in flexible packet filling, bottle filling, shrink wrap and the ability to stage complex dynamic scenes using multiple packaging types, users will find IC3D Suite to be a complete package at an affordable price.

IC3D Carton Edition:
For companies that specialise in foldable package types, IC3D Carton Edition is a scaled down version of the fully featured IC3D Suite, offering the same robust quality features as it bigger but limited to carton creation. Users can easily upgrade from Carton Edition to IC3D Suite as their needs change.

Price and Availability:
The IC3D Suite ($12,500 / GBP7950) and IC3D Carton Edition ($2950 / GBP1750) are available now through XChange US and XChange UK. Users can visit the websites or call to reach XChange US or 0845 259 0255 to reach XChange UK.

IC3D at XChange UK (UK & Ireland)
IC3D at XChange US (North America)

XChange US and XChange UK are leading suppliers of PDF workflow and automation tools, creative and publishing applications and extended technology products. They source productivity enhancing software from across the world specific to the print, production, publishing and creative industries and offer them to an extensive user base via their websites. XChange US and XChange UK also provide consulting, integration and training services for the products they recommend. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2014 XChange US. All Rights Reserved. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.