Windows 10 Creators Update brings ideas to life in 3D with Paint

Windows 10 Creators Update has become a large success for Microsoft. The OS is no longer monolithic software that slowly evolves and lags behind the needs of its users. Windows 10 is now an ever evolving platform which updates add valuable features.

The latest update, dubbed “Build 1703”, but more commonly known as “Windows 10 Creators Update” is no exception. The Windows 10 Creators Update brings to the OS a series of new features, along with some security updates that can change the way their user base will interact with the OS.

Continue reading this research summary to discover what’s new in the Windows 10 Creators Update (released: April 11, 2017).

Windows 10 Creators Update is mainly focused on end-users

That said there is still something for everyone, including small businesses. However, it is better to start with the update that is more of a new app than an update: Paint 3D.

This new app allows a user to recolor, retexture, or modify 3D models, including models from Minecraft and Sketchup, and also create new 3D objects from scratch.

Furthermore, it also permits users to create 2D objects and turn them into 3D with a simple click of the mouse.

That said there is still something for everyone, including small businesses. However, it is better to start with the update that is more of a new app than an update: Paint 3D.

This new app allows a user to recolor, retexture, or modify 3D models, including models from Minecraft and Sketchup, and also create new 3D objects from scratch. Furthermore, it also permits users to create 2D objects and turn them into 3D with a simple click of the mouse.

Once the image is ready it can be shared through social media as well as Remix 3D, which is a community website created by Microsoft. These two updates cater to the user that cannot, or will not afford high-end design tools, like Adobe Photoshop. Moreover Remix3D.com, at first sight, looks like it caters to users that are willing to explore the vast online catalog of models.

At first sight, this update seems of little use for the average people outside of the highly creative population and Minecraft users. However, the introduction of Paint 3D made the Edge browser 3D compatible. This means that 3D models can now be uploaded and downloaded using Edge. Furthermore, if any user has a 3D printer, they can also print the models made in Paint 3D.

More updates brought by Creators Update

Microsoft PowerPoint now gained the ability to incorporate 3D models and 3D transitions on its presentations. Microsoft has promised to expand this 3D application to Microsoft Word in the upcoming year. But for now, Paint 3d has transformed even how school presentations can be made. So it will be interesting to see how Microsoft expands this 3D usage in the near future.

The next update that the Windows 10 Creators Update brought also seems just a bit bland.

This update is the Windows Mixed Reality. The reason this update is already a bit disappointing is the absence of the peripherals needed to enjoy the experience. The purpose of the “HoloLense headset,” the peripheral being developed by Microsoft, is to allow users see the real world as well as digital images that will be superimposed on the real world.

There is a lot of backend program that supports the use of virtual reality headsets, but nothing more beyond that. Hopefully, Microsoft will add more in the next update that is programmed for later this year.

Windows 10 Creators Update for gamers

Gamers will see several improvements in their experience after this update. The first major feature that will greatly benefit gamers especially in this age of live streaming is the use of Beam. By pressing the Windows key + g the Beam window will be brought up, and no additional software will be required. Beam will use the Microsoft DVR service that already allows users to save clips of their games and upload them to XBOX Live.

The way to use this system is pretty simple. All that is needed is a Beam account and an XBOX Live ID to start using this option. As well as streaming the game, the service also offers a webcam and microphone option, which is all that is needed to start streaming. If this addition sounds too good to be true and has everyone racing to start streaming, it is important to mention that it comes with some caveats.

This service will only work for XBOX Live. Players will be able to stream content into that platform live, and it will only inform XBOX Live friends that a live broadcast is happening. That means that more popular services that YouTube and Twitch will still require an additional software to be broadcast. Furthermore, this service cannot be used with Skype or Skype Business. Microsoft has stated that the reason behind this is because it will prevent private conversation to be accidentally streamed

Windows 10 Game Mode

Game Mode is another major update created with the gaming community in mind. This one is a little more technical, because it is an option that, allegedly, improves the PC performance when playing games. The idea is pretty simple; when using Game Mode, the PC will thread dedicated processor cores for games, move background tasks to other cores. And even though games already get priority regarding GPU and CPU usage, this mode tilts that priority further in their favor.

This mode is supposed to work best with UWP (Window Store) applications, but Microsoft has stated that it will also help Win32, or desktop games. It is hard to tell the veracity in which this system will truly improve the performance once activated. Preliminary reviews have been mixed with some claiming some improvement while others pointing out no improvement at all. Overall, it will be better to wait until enough benchmark tests are being performed before a proper assessment of this feature is given.

The biggest surprises of Windows 10 Creators Update

There is another important update that was given to a browser that still gets little appreciation by the Internet. Edge doubled down on its Windows 8 immersive functions for the Windows 10 Creators Update. The new Edge offers a tab previews bar that gives you a preview of every tab you have opened. Users also have the option to set tabs aside for later viewing, declustering your tab bar. There is a further addition given to the tabs where users have the option to share their tabs with other apps on the PC. All these buttons are located at the left side of the tab bar.

Here are the less flashy improvements that were given to Edge. The first of them is the fact that the browser will now prioritize HTML5 content over Flash whenever possible. User will be able to decide whether or not to use Flash over HTML. This decision to block Flash will improve battery life on laptops, and overall security. It is a move that follows a decision already made by Google, Apple, and Mozilla. Another technical update that was given to Edge was a redesigned architecture to make it more stable and responsive.

Lastly, Edge now supports Brotli compression. This type of compression promises to make loading times faster by having better compression ratios and decompression speeds. It is a compression used by Google and Mozilla, so the more websites that use Brotli compression, the better Internet experience.

Microsoft Edge and the Payment Request API

The Creators Update also brought to Edge web payment support to pages that use Payment Request API. This was designed to make online payments faster and easier by providing credit card information as well as shipping information through the usage of Microsoft Wallet. This feature will not always be available. For now, it only works on websites that support it.

The last major update that was made by the Windows 10 Creators Update was Security and Cortana. Microsoft has added Cortana support to the installer process, so that means most of the initial installation process can be done by voice command. Cortana can also turn off, restart, lock, and put asleep the PC with just voice a command. Cortana can also work while the PC is locked by simply saying “hey, Cortana.” and while this additions are quite helpful, the security aspect of potentially having Cortana storing information could cause some concern.

Windows 10 Security

This is where the security changes are greatly appreciated. Firstly, there is a new privacy page for your Microsoft account. This page will allow users to see any information stored and delete it if needed. Secondly, this new page provides more information about what Microsoft is collecting and why. Lastly, the telemetry levels are also being simplified to “basic” and “full.” Basic will share less information than it previously did, and “enhanced” level is being removed altogether.

This latest update brings some major changes that look promising. However, most of the rewards regarding 3D implementation won’t be seen until later this year or maybe next year when the peripherals will be available. The improvements in gaming, while at first sight they look like quite beneficial for the gaming community, put in question if it will be used as heavily as Microsoft intents it to be used.

Our take on the latest Windows 10 Creators Update

Overall, this update is quite promising, but it fails slightly short in its delivery. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does with its following update that should come later this year. For now you can go to the Microsoft page and download it or it will automatically download if you have Windows 10 set to auto update.

Is jv16 PowerTools compatible with Windows 10 Creators Update?

Short answer: yes!

Long answer: we are working to ensure compatibility of our PC System Utilities software with various versions of Windows on an ongoing basis. If you notice any incompatibility issues, please open a support ticket with us and we will be glad to investigate it in the lab.