I have been using Astro Synthesis for some time and recently upgraded to version 3.0. It is a great tool. My group is playing an interstellar 4X game that used to be PBM. We get the stellar coordinates from the game database file and paste them into a spreadsheet saved as CSV. Run the import in Astor Synthesis and viola! There are several useful plugins as well.

The only improvement I would like to see is a way to dynamically access the underlying AstroDB file system from an external MS Access or VB application using a robust ODBC driver. Alas, we have yet to find a reliable way to do that to date and the author does not seem willing to facilitate our needs in that regard. This has us continuing to look deeper at developing our own tools and eventually leaving Astro Synthesis behind. But for now it is great once you get the data imported.

As with all the NBOS software that I have bought over the last couple of years, I am extremely happy with the new version of AstroSynthesis v.3.0. I think the best new feature is "On the Fly Surface Map Generation" in my opinion. I love to click on a planet and have it automatically generated and ready to be examined for a possible RPG adventure setting.

AstroSynthesis V3 has some great enhancements like the 3D models for spaceships and you can add your own to. I have not fully explored the new version but I do like the tabs that let you specify a FWE file to use and or an image file to use, the only thing I have not been able to accomplish is when you make a report in the htm format none of the planet graphics are exported with it like in V2, but it could be because I did not use the image map tab. The one thing I was would of liked to see, is adding the data for some of the other information like the escape velocity being able to add to the planet data display list, if you wanted that data. This new version is great overall!

A must-have upgrade. Smoother movement, easier on the eyes, and much more stable for me. For anyone that has an interest in sci-fi and/or other space enthusiasts, I fully recommend it. The only drawback I could find is with regards to it being "windows only". :( If this could get ported to the Android OS for use on a tablet, it would be the coolest thing ever for any sci-fi RPG game. Maybe in v4. :)

AstroSynthesis v2.X was an excellent three dimensional mapping program, but v3.0 is even better. It does everything it says on the tin.

Everything in the new version of AstroSynthesis seems improved over 2.X. Switching from interstellar views to intra-system views is the first obvious difference, and makes use of the program feel much more fluid. The addition of a calendar is also a wonderful feature of the new release. The program is a little bit unconventional in navigation, but it is very easy to learn, with solid documentation. AS 3.0 handles very large maps more smoothly than in past releases, so if you have more than a few star systems you'd like to map, this is an excellent way to do so.

I wish that there was a "control-Z" undo function, and I wish that I could set stars in a close multiple system orbiting the combined center of gravity. It is possible to make unintended changes, and then be stuck with them. My solution has been to save often and revert, but that is less than ideal. For multiple systems, there are also work-arounds.

The community of users has supported the program with some handy scripts in the past, with plug-ins to support Traveler and GURPS, as well as some universally useful tools. Support from the publisher is solid. The forum is sparsely populated, but checked by the publisher frequently.