Recommended Software

Recommended Software

To get the most out of Awning Composer, it helps to use some additional software for various specialized purposes.  We've compiled the following list of software recommendations based on our experience and customer feedback.  You'll find both commercial and free options listed.  Please choose the software that best suits your needs.  In general, commercial software costs money but offers more functionality, technical support and training options, and has a company standing behind the product.  Free software generally relies on self-guided support and volunteers, but is capable enough to handle many common needs.  As a service to our customers we will provide direct download links for free software whenever possible.

DISCLAIMER: All third party software mentioned on this page (software other than Awning Composer) has been created by other organizations.  We cannot provide technical support for third party software or make any guarantees about it.  By using third party software, you must accept full responsibility for your use of the software.

 


Image editing software

Useful for converting bitmapped graphics (stored in file formats such as JPG, BMP, TIFF, and others) to transparent PNG format to use in Awning Composer with the Apply Graphic feature.  Also useful for making the background transparent in logos/graphics/backdrop images, obstruction removal, file format conversion, and general photo editing.  Refer to the Awning Composer documentation section "Making Sections of Graphics Transparent" for related instructions.

Commercial software:

Free software:

For more information:

 


Vector graphics software

Useful for converting vector graphics (stored in file formats such as AI, SVG, PDF, PS, EPS, and others) to transparent PNG format to use in Awning Composer with the Apply Graphic feature.  Refer to the advanced FAQ for instructions related to this task.

Commercial software:

Free software:

For more information:

 


PDF creation software

Useful for creating PDF files using Awning Composer's Print feature.  Refer to the Awning Composer documentation and beginner FAQ for instructions related to this task.  Can also be used to create PDFs from any other software capable of printing.

Free software:

IMPORTANT! When installing PDFCreator, uncheck the box shown below unless you want to install some extra software which we don't recommend:

For more information:

Eclipse Update

Awning Composer 5 for Eclipse

The latest version of Awning Composer 5 for Eclipse was released on 4/11/2012.  Click the download button below to update.


Development Log

Version 5.1.4484.12920 - 4/11/2012

  • Changed arrow key movement/rotation in 3D view to be more precise (with and without shift)
  • Added keyboard commands (comma and period) to cycle through previous/next object in 3D view
  • Changed automatic advancement of time to halt upon manual rotation of light
  • Improved zoom sensitivity in page layout view
  • Fixed loss of transparency when copying and pasting images within the page layout
  • Fixed image replacement when copying and pasting images with same dimensions within page layout
  • Fixed per-object shadow visibility settings to be saved in scene files
  • Fixed opacity to be saved in scene files
  • Fixed ground texture to be saved in scene files
  • Fixed backdrop image not being included in scene file after undoing set backdrop
  • Fixed several uncommon crashes

 


Version 5.1.4462.24492 - 3/20/2012

  • Major improvements to page layout and printing interface

 


Version 5.0.4449.28267 - 3/7/2012

  • Initial release

Download FAQ

Download FAQ

I downloaded the file but my computer won't let me open it.  What's going on?

When the download started, did you see a prompt that looks like this?

Download prompt

If so, you're using Internet Explorer 9 as your web browser.  (You may want to consider using Firefox or Chrome instead.)  By default, Internet Explorer 9 uses a feature called "SmartScreen Filter" which purposely makes it difficult to download and install software.  However, you can still do it by following these instructions:

First, choose Run or Save.  Either option will work.  Choose Run if you just want to install the software now and don't need to save the installer file.  Or, choose Save if you want to save the installer file to run again later or copy to another computer.

When the download finishes, you should see the following prompt:

Download prompt

Choose Actions.

Then you should see the following window:

Choose More Options at the bottom.

This causes an additional option to be displayed:

Download prompt

Choose Run anyway.

Now, if you chose "Run" at the beginning of the download process, or if you run the downloaded file at any point later on, you may see the following prompt:

Run prompt

Choose Yes.

Now you should see the installer:

Installer welcome page

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Example Layouts

Example Layouts

Awning Composer includes custom page layout support for printing and saving as PDF.  The following fictional examples were created in Awning Composer by arranging renderings, text boxes, and imported images on the page.  You can click on any of the images below to view the original as a PDF file.  Click here to find out more about the page layout feature.

 

Engineering style with side info panel.

 

Engineering style with bottom info panel.

 

Rendering with disclaimer text and watermark.

 

Simple concept rendering.

Trial Thank You

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Awning Composer® and Tri Vantage® are registered trademarks of Glen Raven, Inc. Copyright © 2012.
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