What's new in Foundry version 3?
Everything is New
The easy-to-use, free-form framework for RapidWeaver and Stacks has just gotten dramatically more powerful!
No, Really, Everything is Completely New
Re-engineered from the ground up. Every tool in Foundry v3 has been re-written from scratch. It now features Bootstrap 5 at its core and takes an even more modular approach to web design.
These changes bring more power and speed to both Foundry and your sites, while maintaining its drag-and-drop ease. But Foundry isn't just for beginners. We've built new tools for our more advanced users and made them easy enough for beginners to grow into.
Bootstrap 5
Forged in Fire
When we set out to build Foundry 3 we wanted to use the latest and greatest version of Bootstrap for its core. In order to switch to Bootstrap 5 we needed to upgrade how all of the underlying code worked, as to not bring over any unnecessary overhead from Foundry 2, and to also make the most of the new version of Bootstrap. So we started from scratch, and in doing so re-wrote and re-imagined everything.
More Capable
We've combined the functionality from our previous base set of tools, as well as its addon packs, into one package. This makes things simpler, while also bringing you more powerful tools for your next build.
Infinite Possibilities
More versatile and modular. While we've combined some of the previous tools to make them more powerful, we've also split some of them out into smaller, more focused tools – each with their own specific job to do. Additionally, this means we can re-use Foundry's various tools for multiple purposes.
Only What You Need
Smaller, single use tools means less unused code in each individual Foundry tool.
More Control
This more modular workflow gives you far more control over your page layout and designs.
Save Money
Combining tools from our previous add on packs into Foundry's main suite saves you money.
Edit Mode
Easier Than Ever to Use
We all spend a lot of time navigating Edit Mode when building our sites. Foundry 3 brings many improvements to this workflow, including Foundry's new Toolbox, as well as improved speed throughout.
New & Improved
We didn't stop at reimagining Foundry's existing tools, and giving them a slew of new features, we've also created several brand new tools to aid you in building better sites than ever before.
Every tool has been upgraded to unlock new possibilities. Here's a small sampling of additions below. Be sure to check out the documentation pages and getting started videos to see all of the available features of each tool.
More Advanced Palettes
Color palettes are easier to use and more versatile. In addition to six customizable presets, we've included 9 gray variations as well as white and dark. We didn't stop there though — we've also included 10 presets that allow you to refine their individual shades. Presets are now found in more areas of Foundry than ever before!
Palette Laboratory
To compliment these new color palette features we've also developed a Palette Laboratory site. Experiment with new palette variations and then drag them directly into RapidWeaver and Stacks. We've mixed up a few hand-picked preset palettes as well.
Modular Forms
The new Form tool combines our previous two form-based tools with an extra heaping of new features – floating labels, gated content, configuration checklist, and modular form layout.
Next Gen Icons
We've included the ability to choose to add the new Bootstrap Icons or Font Awesome 5 to your pages. Or go without if you don't need them and lighten your site's load.
Modal Mania
The Modal tool has been separated from its built-in button and can now be triggered in several different ways, providing you more options for managing your content.
Mobile Friendly
Foundry 3 has doubled the number of responsive breakpoints. Use its six distinct breakpoints to help refine your designs across an even wider array of screen sizes and devices.
Design Like a Pro
Foundry's new Spacing tool takes the old Margins tool and improves on it greatly. Apply Margins and / or Padding around just about any page element. Use Easy Presets for quick results, or fine tune your spacing to get things just right. Make adjustments on a per-breakpoint basis.
Versatile Navigation
Build site navigation that stands out. Foundry's Navigation Bar includes a vast array of styling options. Build beautiful drop downs, sticky navigations, as well as the ability to use anchor based links for one-page sites. These manually currated menus are next-level.
Beyond Embeds
Foundry's Video tool is an evolution of Foundry's previous Video Embed tool. No longer are you limited to YouTube and Vimeo embeds – you can now self-host your own video files. Self hosted videos can even be set to start playing as the page is scrolled.
Lightweight Carousel
Our Slider tool has been taken up a notch — or two — adding a slew of new, pro-level features. Show multiple slides at once, combine image, video and content slides, fine tune animations, slider navigation and much more.
Even More Control
The main Control Center now gives you the ability to load code for tooltips and icon fonts on a per page basis. It also helps you define your color choices, adjust presets and much more, and all using less code under-the-hood.
Modern Image Formats
This update includes support for many modern image formats such as WebP and SVG. While RapidWeaver & Stacks don't support these directly, we've worked out new tools to allow their use, as well as other remote server-based images.
Stylish Alerts
Dismissable popups that can be shown on page load or after a preset delay period. A good way to convey information to visitors that they can dismiss. Can be configured to use cookies to remember if visitor has hidden popup.
Pro Animations
Our new Alchemy tool is a combination of both Reveal and Reveal Pro from previous version of Foundry. Choose from preset animations or build your own complex variations. Additionally Alchemy works in more places than our previous animation tools.
Delightful
The new Whimsy tool is aimed at helping you add fun, delightful CSS-based animations to your images when hovered over by your site's visitors. Mix and match settings, overlays and more to get a unique look and feel.
Sliding Panels
Off Canvas is a versatile shell for hiding content just off screen and having it slide in at the visitor's request. This tool replaces Side Slide, and when paired with other tools, like List Group or Accordion, also fills the roll of the old Slide Navigation.
Terrific Typography
Foundry 3 uses the native font stack, meaning it selects the best font-family for each OS and device. We’ve enabled responsive font sizes by default, allowing text to scale more naturally across devices and browser sizes.
Smaller Footprint
Everything has a smaller footprint — we've trimmed down the CSS and javascript libraries to give things a boost of speed. We've also worked hard to make everything more accessibility friendly.
Markdown Maestro
Reduce distractions and write faster with Foundry's Markdown-based paragraphs. Its simple approach helps you to focus on important things and increase your speed and productivity when writing the content for your next site.
Only as complex as you like
Foundry 3 comes equipped with our new Blacksmith tool that allows you to craft your own custom styles using our point-and-click stylesheets. Create CSS rules that help you tweak your sites in ways like never before. Blacksmith is easy enough for beginners and powerful enough for advanced users.
Scratching the Surface
While we've touched on just a few of the new features in Foundry 3, there's so much more that we know you're going to love. We've painstakingly re-worked and tweaked everything from the ground up to help empower your site builds. Get ready to start a new site design today!
Returning Customers
If you've purchased Foundry 2 in the past, you'll receive a huge discount off of your purchase of Foundry 3! You'll simply need to click the Upgrade button on the Purchase page and use the email address from your Foundry 2 order during checkout.
See it in Action
Want to see what Foundry 3 can do? We've created several tutorial videos to get you started with this latest version. Watch a few of the videos to see what it is capable of before upgrading. We're always adding more videos to the documentation pages as well.
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