Under the terms of the agreement, Strata will market a new product, Strata Enfold 3D CX, which has been developed using software technology under licence from EskoArtwork.

Strata Enfold 3D CX is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that allows designers to create professional folded 3D designs directly in Illustrator.

The software, which includes two palettes for 3D and fold control, allows users to link Photoshop graphics to 2D Illustrator artwork, define die-cut lines and folding scores, and then view the result in 3D within Illustrator.

Ken Bringhurst, president of Strata, said: "Enfold 3D CX is a revolutionary product. The addition of this product to the Strata line-up is a big step forward for the design workflow of graphic designers, package designers and commercial space designers."

Meanwhile, EskoArtwork has added support for Strata Foto 3D CX, which uses images from standard digital cameras to make fully textured models of real world objects, to its AtriosCad package.

Arjen Maarleveld, senior vice president of packaging solutions at EskoArtwork, said: "EskoArtwork understands that the best packaging comes from cooperation with product designers, allowing them to seamlessly import product structure into ArtiosCad."

According to EskoArtwork, Strata Foto 3D CX is used by ArtiosCad to automatically create box shapes around products.

Strata models can be imported directly into ArtiosCad's 3D environment, where users can automatically create packaging that uniquely fits the product. The completed design files can then be exported into the EskoArtwork workflow to proceed to packaging production.

Maarleveld said: "The Strata portfolio of products is used by a large base of designers.

"Providing a new open interface to the Strata structural format makes our technology accessible to many more designers who work with Strata tools.

"This also allows us to bolster our product offering by helping existing customers improve their design efficiencies.