Marc Petit joins Exocortex

[nuverian]

It's just like bomb waiting to explode
tick tock

[dewf]

I'm sure this idea has been floated elsewhere, but ... what if everybody just stopped buying Softimage updates until Autodesk formally abandons it? And then start a Blender-style "we'll buy the source code from you" kind of thing?

Given the relatively niche nature of Softimage these days, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a ballpark estimate of how many studios/seats are using it, and thus what AD is likely earning off it every year. Then crowdsource some multiple of that amount and purchase Softimage outright.

[gfxman]

I understand perfectly, but I don't think anyone has seen my point either and there's nothing more I can say.

Sofitimage is doomed.

[Bullit]

I'm sure this idea has been floated elsewhere, but ... what if everybody just stopped buying Softimage updates until Autodesk formally abandons it? And then start a Blender-style "we'll buy the source code from you" kind of thing?

Given the relatively niche nature of Softimage these days, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a ballpark estimate of how many studios/seats are using it, and thus what AD is likely earning off it every year. Then crowdsource some multiple of that amount and purchase Softimage outright.

It is very difficult to comment when an opinion is so way off real world...

[angus_davidson]

The open source thing would never happen. Softimage has patents that are too valuable to be put into the public domain. Also Softimage is not really the right architecture for an opensource project. It has too many dependancies on custom things.

One of two things will happen.

Development will stop all together , but folks will continue to use for as long as they can. AD will keep on charging a sub for as long as they can

Development will continue at the current rate (which is pretty much bugfixes and any paid for changes ala camera sequencer) AD will still continue to charge a full priced sub for a product that has a handful of developers for as long as possible.

Please note this is not bashing the devs. I think they are doing a great job with the shitty hand they have been dealt.

Because its a great tool people will use it for as long as they can. How long they continue to pay for subscription for it (which at the same cost of a Maya subscription where they they get massively more developer hours value) however remains to been seen.

If anyone has seen the latest whiskey tree tech demo and what Softimage is capable of doing it just goes to show just how massively shortsighted Autodesks current stance is.

[MauricioPC]

If anyone has seen the latest whiskey tree tech demo and what Softimage is capable of doing it just goes to show just how massively shortsighted Autodesks current stance is.

To be honest Angus ... the work of Whiskytree and RodeoFX is by far a lot better than major VFX houses doing work with a only Maya pipelline.

And I say more ... the work done by Blur (using Softimage AND 3ds Max) is one of the best I've seen. So there's a trend of amazing VFX and 3D work done without Maya. It seems they realized this now as there's a new attitude towards 3ds Max. But what about Softimage, right?

There's some strange things within Autodesk. For example ... they do push the Maya LT thing a lot for game development. But a simple yet very important thing 3ds Max has, that are smoothing groups, don't even exist properly on Maya. You can do something similar, but not the same thing.

Anyway ... if you look at The Foundry. They are advancing a lot in Mari, Nuke, Modo, etc. But The Foundry is so small in comparison to the Media & Entertainment section of AD (in terms of revenue), and yet, they are advancing. So in my mind, there's some mismanagement in AD house. Heck, even though Mudbox is cool, they can't catch ZBrush in terms of innovation and great tools added. And Pixologic is a small company.

Oh well ... it's sunday, let me ride a bike. Cheers.

[angus_davidson]

I tend to agree. The quality of Softimage work is very high especially considering the lack of love from the powers that be

Even modo has come a long way.

Just been through there new intro videos

http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/modo/learn/

The new intro to animation videos showcase some really useful tools I have wanted for an ages.

While I will continue to teach in Soft, personally I am starting my own new projects in Modo

[Bellsey]

There's some strange things within Autodesk. For example ... they do push the Maya LT thing a lot for game development. But a simple yet very important thing 3ds Max has, that are smoothing groups, don't even exist properly on Maya. You can do something similar, but not the same thing.

Erm, you don't need smoothing groups in Maya.. actually, smoothing groups in general are pretty useless in maya.
You can make an edge hard or soft and if you want to do the same with polys, then you can group them if you wanted. Maya also has crease sets, which work great with Subdiv surfaces.
MayaLT 2014 has full parity with the modelling features of Maya 2014.

[Eugen]

Smoothing groups... strange crap legacy technology.
What's the whole point? Defining if an edge is sharp or smoothed, nothing more. In Softimage you just select the edge and 'make it hard'. If you start subdividing the mesh, the hard edges define the creases as well. Simple, nice and logical.


Since it's sunday, and it's been a while this was last mentioned:
imagine Autodesk putting the same amount of work and money as for Maya into Softimage - going in and fixing the legay weaknesses, QTfying it, opening up the SDK ever wider, pimping the operator stack a bit - they would have something close to THE worldclass-badass-3d-application in their portfolio now...
But no, desicion was to pump all the good money into the Maya moloch. If this is going to pay off remains to be seen... after all, Maya is still... Maya. If it wasn't, we could happily switch, couldn't we.

You know what? I believe time is still on our side actually - although Softimage is kept on charity, anything is better than nothing, and any improvements are welcome.
Following the usual pattern, 2015 versions are ahead, and it also look like Redshift 1.0 will be out in just a few months. Killer combination, and a comparatively cheap one as well.

half full...

[MauricioPC]

Yep, sorry about that. It's that talking with some game characters modelers and smoothing groups is something they use a lot and like it.
Maybe it's something I misunderstood, it's possible.

Modeling wise, I like modeling on 3ds Max a lot and I don't feel so comfortable in Maya. I guess I should learn the hotbox better. But I've always been a keyboard kind of guy. But viewport 2.0 for preview is badass.

I think the thing I dislike more in Maya is the way the Attribute Editor is organized . I always feel it's a pain to search and navigate in it. But that isn't stopping me on learning it. Maya Fluids is pretty badass to not learn.

[Dwindleflip]

I understand perfectly, but I don't think anyone has seen my point either and there's nothing more I can say.

Sofitimage is doomed.

Yup Already planning on switching back to Maya. Its just a matter of when now.

[Bullit]

So in my mind, there's some mismanagement in AD house.

The way people come and go from it is just enough to tell us how the management goes in Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Then we have 2 main applications withering in wine like 3dsMax, Softimage.

What persons we have leading the applications? They don't seem to have any vision. 1, 5, 10 million $ for development doesn't matter if the people that manage it don't have an idea, vision.
Even the darling Maya doesn't improve in a sizable way. Unless they are in a secret bunker making a uber application that will throw everyone out of water, compared to every other 3D application, Autodesk speed is disaster.

Houdini,Blender, Modo, Zbrush, Cinema4D gives much more improvements per year than Autodesk. They don't need millions of costumers to justify investing in an application.

[MauricioPC]

The way people come and go from it is just enough to tell us how the management goes in Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Then we have 2 main applications withering in wine like 3dsMax, Softimage.

What persons we have leading the applications? They don't seem to have any vision. 1, 5, 10 million $ for development doesn't matter if the people that manage it don't have an idea, vision.
Even the darling Maya doesn't improve in a sizable way. Unless they are in a secret bunker making a uber application that will throw everyone out of water, compared to every other 3D application, Autodesk speed is disaster.

Houdini,Blender, Modo, Zbrush, Cinema4D gives much more improvements per year than Autodesk. They don't need millions of costumers to justify investing in an application.

That is my thinking. And in a way, I really like AD tools. But would love to see more improvements coming out.

--- EDIT ---

Hell yeah!!! A Softimage film at the top of the Box Office in the US! Lego movie with $ 69 million at the weekend of release. Since the movie cost $ 60 million, it's already a profit. Woot!

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3783&p=.htm

P.S.: A in-depth cover by FXGuide.com - http://www.fxguide.com/fxguidetv/fxguid ... ego-movie/

One more ... from FXGuide again - http://www.fxguide.com/featured/brick-b ... ment-20868