In this day and age, there is no shortage of tools for the graphically minded. The digital medium has created a world in which anyone with a vision can now bring it to fruition in a virtual, 3-dimensional format. Not only that, but with enough work and the right software, movement and audio can breathe life into an otherwise static image. It used to be that only those with artistic talent and hand-eye skill could take a picture from their head and transfer it to paper. And motion graphics were of the frame-by-frame variety. But a little creativity and a lot of technical know-how is all it takes to make the digital graphics that we see on web pages, in movies, and pretty much everywhere we turn. You don’t even need to spend major money on specialized graphics equipment and software anymore thanks to the low-cost of high-end home computers and open-source programming. And if you happen to be a graphic designer looking for mobile solutions, Forger is one handy Apple app that you should definitely check out.

While the name may have some people raising an eyebrow, the app has nothing to do with the criminal art of creating false identities or copying another person’s signature. In fact, it’s designed for use by both amateur and professional modelers, or those who create 3D models (of characters, objects, and so on) in virtual space. And along those lines it allows users to not only sculpt frameworks, meshes, masks, and skins, but it also provides the tools necessary to add the finishing touches to any model with a variety of options for color, texture, effects, and so on. With options for layering and saving previous versions, as well as the ability to work on multiple models at the same time (jumping back and forth between them if you want) even the pros will find this mobile tool immensely useful. And at just $2.99 for the download, it’s definitely a steal.

What you will probably love the most, aside from the comprehensive functionality of Forger, is that it has been intuitively designed with the touch user in mind. You might be accustomed to working with a keyboard and mouse, or if you have a professional tablet (like a Wacom product), a stylus is likely your tool of choice when it comes to graphic design. But the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch are built to be manipulated with your hands, and in this regard the app is ideal. With a little practice you’ll be using gestures to zoom, pan, orbit, and select in no time flat. The only way 3D modeling could be more realistic is if you were actually prodding and pinching a piece of clay.

Of course, the app has not yet been optimized for the retina display on the iPad 3, although one can reasonably assume that is in the works for future updates since this app is graphics-based. And if you’re looking for a simple tool to create 2D images (a storyboard or infographic, for example) you will likely find this app far too complex to suit your needs. But for anyone who would like to use their leisure or travel time to work on 3D models, Forger is not only ideal; it is probably the best option in the mobile marketplace.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this guest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.