SoftImage Is dead.

Started by TheBadger, July 15, 2014, 10:58:53 PM

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TheBadger

Autodesk has discontinued development of softimage.
People are saying that 3DMax is next. Well, people have been saying that for a while. But now many more people are thinking it too.

I say GOOD!

I like softimage and max. I always thought they had features that are really great, and better than some aspects of the soft I use. But What I have said before and what I say yet again is that Autodesk should combine the best most powerful parts of their packages into ONE single killer app... With a new EASY and intuitive UI.

Im not for monopoly. But Autodesk cannibalizing their own products and market has been stupid and bad for the industry IMHO. And I'm NO expert. But I think thats its pretty obvious running 3 or 4 of their own softs against each other has been a waist of development resources.

One Soft to rule them all! Yes. But not just from one company.
I would like to see a new maya that is all the best of auto desk. And then to see MODO get up to par beyond modeling. There is also Houdini and others out there.

But frankly, if you took the best of all of autodesks products and combined them into one new soft (lets just call it Maya 2016). Then we would really have a chance at a big step forward.

I Have really grown to hate having to use several different soft(s) to get anything done. Itas called a pipeline. Yeah, makes me want to hit a pipe  ;D.

I understand that for some very specialized things one needs dedicated apps; Plants, global terrains, maybe a couple of other things like water and fire. But its more than a little irritating as an end user with limited capital and time.

Anyway, I hope things get more focused, and development happens faster. I hope they take all those programers from different departments and get them on board for a break through program. One program supporting all major operating systems. That dose everything, and does everything better. Something like this will really push the other 3D soft companies too.

I would say I am just dreaming. But sometimes dreams come true  ;)... Just not very often.
It has been eaten.

Dune

Totally agree. I also struggle with my pipeline; having made people in DS, wanting to make them more efficient and smaller, I have to take them through Poseray (because ML can't read them right away), then Meshlab, then Poseray again (where I have to refit all materials, because it can't read the ML outcome), then TG, where I have to refit all parts' surfaces in a combined surface (because there are 7 parts which all need the same surface).... a lot of work, and totally confusing, because I end up with a lot of 'halfway files', of which I forget which ones to delete afterwards.

Oshyan

I preferred it when all these apps were owned by different companies and there was actual competition! Softimage had some really cool stuff, in particular in the last few years the ICE (Interactive Creative Environment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk_Softimage#ICE_Interactive_Creative_Environment) stuff which was kind of Houdini-esque (or MEL-like I guess?), and allowed for some really impressive stuff to be just *built* within Softimage. Speaking of not having to "pipeline", how about having a nice ICE-based fluid sim right in Softimage? Sure! Want to do a Massive-like crowd sim? Why not! etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do1kzR6gVYk
I am not enough of an expert on Softimage, Max, and Maya to know if this stuff is also possible (or as good) in MEL or if Max even has a counterpart to it, but if not, I do hope Autodesk incorporates ICE-type stuff into either one and doesn't just let it die.

- Oshyan

TheBadger

From what I have read so far, the softimage user base is pretty pissed. And I think thats rather understandable. But there is already a ton of talk about ICE!

ICE is freaking cool ;) And people are asking about it just as you did. I hope they port it (or whatever the right term is). ICE made me want to go with softimage when I was trying to decide what I wanted to learn. The UI was also very good looking.

The reason I read that MAX may be the next to die, is because it is only available for WIN. And People (rather qualified or not) are saying that if AutoDesk wants to have just one super app, it needs to be WIN OSX and Linux. Aperantly its quite hard to port Win to OSX and Linux???

But I have also read that Maya's code is super dated and messy. From what I have been reading about it, some people think Auto desk would want to build this new ONE app from the ground up, with the idea of incorperating all the best parts of their pageges by re writting them maybe with Ice?

But its all just speculation >:( Autodesk has not said what they are really doing. And anyway, whatever they do, it will probably take forever. And in the mean time, if people on the fence about things are doubtful about future support, they may go with MODO or LW, or Houdini.

Some people think they will keep MAX and Maya and nothing else. Who knows though. I just like the idea of only having to know 2-3 softwares. right now (including all the little apps + post and editing and print. I have like 15 apps I go between. It really sucks!
It has been eaten.

efflux

#4
It will over for many of these big companies in the end in my opinion. All their apps will eventually fail if they stay with the same marketing practice.

An example of Autodesk ludicrousness is Sketchbook Pro. There's a new Sketchbook out with new features except no Sketchbook Pro, at least yet. The new version is subscription and really expensive. But forget Sketchbook altogether. This blows it away completely:

http://www.clipstudio.net/en

It's the best painting app I've ever used. Anyone choosing to use Sketchbook pro over this needs their head examined.

Upon Infinity

Clip studio (Manga Studio) is awesome.  Picked it up a few weeks ago.  Well priced, too.

AP

Competition is good for the market, choices are good.

I like Sketchbook Pro. The Copic markers are very helpful and the software for me at least is easily learn-able and quick to use. I do however like Clip Studio as well. Paint Tool SAI is nice for clean lines. There is not ideal software for me digital painting, yet. Corel Painter is high on my list for realism but I am waiting for this...

http://www.expresii.com/

TheBadger

Quote from: ChrisC on July 18, 2014, 02:09:00 AM
Competition is good for the market, choices are good.

Yes. But Im not talking about the whole market, just one company with a lot of soft and programers.

Just imagine the power of ICE in the film world of MAYA, and the game modeling of MAX. SO ICE and MELL and Python (somehow), And all the best tools from each, in one soft with a new break through UI (assuming a lot here I know). And available on OSX WIN and Linux. Now throw Mudbox into the same program so you never have to leave the one app unless you want to. Now thats change I can support!

Get it all working, then go back in and make modeling as good as modo and there you have my super app. Now make it less than $2,000 and that my friend is a competitor.

But again, I know I just dream.  :-[
It has been eaten.

Kadri


All of those together (it could be) and you would be lucky if it was under 6000-8000 $ :D

Actually in the past it was much harder to buy a software at all.
It is not much spoken about but probably most people begun with pirated software.
And if you think that ones you had a specific machine to use them it was a dream then, not so much now.
http://www.3dartistonline.com/news/2013/12/the-evolution-of-cg-software/

AP

Quote from: TheBadger on July 18, 2014, 03:47:30 AM
Quote from: ChrisC on July 18, 2014, 02:09:00 AM
Competition is good for the market, choices are good.

Yes. But Im not talking about the whole market, just one company with a lot of soft and programers.

Just imagine the power of ICE in the film world of MAYA, and the game modeling of MAX. SO ICE and MELL and Python (somehow), And all the best tools from each, in one soft with a new break through UI (assuming a lot here I know). And available on OSX WIN and Linux. Now throw Mudbox into the same program so you never have to leave the one app unless you want to. Now thats change I can support!

Get it all working, then go back in and make modeling as good as modo and there you have my super app. Now make it less than $2,000 and that my friend is a competitor.

But again, I know I just dream.  :-[

I get what you are saying though. It is like there is not an ideal digital painting software. I am always caught as to what to use.

AC5LT43R

I don't think Max will be going away any time soon. There's still a lot of really big studios (mine included) still using Max whereas SoftImage isn't so widely used. In any case, I will start learning Maya sooner or later.

Oshyan

I used to imagine such "mega" software and that it would be perfect, but I think it is simply impractical, unless it is modular and can be bought and maintained in pieces by separate teams. In that sense you might as well just have really good interoperability functionality like FBX, Alembic, etc. And indeed you see that's the way the industry is going. A way to have the data exchange be more "live" would improve the experience, but it's not so bad already for apps that properly support these common formats.

- Oshyan

PabloMack

#12
Quote from: TheBadger on July 18, 2014, 03:47:30 AMYes. But Im not talking about the whole market, just one company with a lot of soft and programers.

Autodesk didn't develop Softimage. They bought it to acquire their user base and then try to muscle them into migrating over to one of their other products. I think they planned this from the beginning. There are two different strategies for killing your competition. One is to make a superior offering. The other is to buy it, scavenge it then kill it.

Quote from: Oshyan on July 16, 2014, 03:12:26 AMI preferred it when all these apps were owned by different companies and there was actual competition!

You said it.

efflux

Quote from: Upon Infinity on July 18, 2014, 01:44:44 AM
Clip studio (Manga Studio) is awesome.  Picked it up a few weeks ago.  Well priced, too.

I totally agree and yes, for anyone wondering, it's Manga Studio but Clip Studio Paint is just the version from the original company. I've actually watched this app for years. I tried it way back when it was all beta and Japanese but difficult to deal with Japanese sites and software. I knew back then it was only a matter of time before this exploded in popularity. I think it's one of the best programs I ever used. Extremely good feature set, intelligently designed and efficient.

When it becomes purely about money it all goes downhill. I wouldn't buy from Autodesk. I think the same thing is happening to Apple now. I have a Mac Mini here and OSX is going totally downhill. Best version was 10.6. It's all downhill now. Audio used to be a mainstay with Apple but I've got major problems with it. Logic Pro X is a joke. I had to move to Reaper. Even Windows is better. Apple died with Steve Jobs in my opinion.