CompuServe Messages

Paul, I regularly use Photoshop, Corel, and Picture Publisher for special effects, fonts, 2D import, etc. If you haven't got any of these I would recommend getting Corel first. They are all priced in the same price range, but Corel is a complete package. You get one of the "standards" in 2D drawing packages, a top rated paint program with most of the features of Photoshop and Picture Publisher, a desktop publishing package (Ventura), and much more. I use Corel Draw for 2D drawings into the Shaper. I have found that the best translation from Corel to the Shaper is AI instead of DXF. I have also used Corel Draw to translate TTF fonts to PFB for the Shaper. I have used Draw to layout advertising, brochures, etc. Corel Paint has an excellent fractal explorer that is very useful for texture maps. All the above support the plug-ins like Power Tools. Hope this helps. byron