Corel MotionStudio 3D review

Objects are animated on the timeline that runs across the bottom of the screen, with separate lanes for each object’s position, orientation, texture and so on, plus various project-wide properties such as lights and camera. It generally works well, but would be even better with keyframe lane on/off switches, copy and paste commands and timeline zoom controls. It’s not possible to animate along a curved path, so animations tend to have a robotic look to them.

Export options include Flash SWF format, in this case saved as a series of bitmaps with transparency so animations can be laid over other content in video-editing software. These imported correctly into Premiere Elements but not Sony Vegas Movie Studio or Cyberlink PowerDirector, and SWF export is limited to 800×600-pixel frames. For wider support and higher resolutions while maintaining transparency, we had to resort to the lower-quality GIF format. Corel VideoStudio imported the native C3D files directly onto its timeline. Bitmap and video exports (without transparency) are available too, although defining an HD export resolution wasn’t easy.

Features such as the FreeForm distortion tool mean there’s plenty of editor power for those who want it

MotionStudio 3D has its merits, but at £80 it seems overpriced. Corel also adds download insurance to the shopping cart for an additional £12.40 – we don’t expect the ability to reinstall the software to be a chargeable extra. Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had here, especially for technically minded people who want to explore the advanced controls. If you’re tempted, give the 15-day trial a go to see if it’s for you.