Softimage replacement, anyone

Discussions about migration to other software
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Nizar
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Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Nizar » 08 Jun 2015, 10:26

So a year passed since the bad new, did you found a valid XSI replacement?

julius
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by julius » 08 Jun 2015, 11:04

no !
For me, at this time, Softimage is still the best.

NNois
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by NNois » 08 Jun 2015, 11:10

Yup, worked with blender/modo/houdini, will stick with houdini when i can, perfect natural evolution after xsi but i'm still grumbeling with wierd behaviors with the opengl display and a little too much of expression or different foramting of variables...
And you ? you where more in the modeling field no ?

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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by angelous4x » 08 Jun 2015, 11:18

no.......

the modeling, lighting and render passes with the addition of vdb/emfluid and redshift render. it does it all, and its more scaleable for me more then then C4D or modo, though they do what they, soft is still the best for me.

softimage is like a Swiss army knife - all the tools you need for survival packed into one handy package.

and as it is now. no other package for me at least is close to having replacing it.



F.u.A.D!!!!

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SamHowell
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by SamHowell » 08 Jun 2015, 13:16

No.

There is no exact replacement and there never will be. Just find a package(s) that is closest to your needs and learn to adapt.

For me it's Houdini and Cinema 4D so far.

julius
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by julius » 08 Jun 2015, 14:06

softimage/Redshift --> unbeatable in my opinion

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mc_axe
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by mc_axe » 08 Jun 2015, 14:10

Softimage accompanied with some other apps like: (Mari/Substance,zBrush,PS,RedShift,AE),
are more than enough for me.

angus_davidson
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by angus_davidson » 08 Jun 2015, 15:37

Unfortunately in the EDU sphere softimage is very much dead. (not legally allowed to teach EOL software). It is however stil the best;)

As far as replacements go, Maya 2016 is a massive improvement. Luceric and co have done a great initial step of making it a bit more organised, and a lot less fugly to look at. The new GPU accelerated stuff is great as well. (AD really needs to actually market that a bit better) That being said its still not great to teach with. Its has a tendency to corrupt files with or without student intervention, and trying to fix stuff when the crap hits the fan is orders of magnitude less intuitive then Softimage. Unfortunately it has about 90% market share and the ARC licences are free to EDU. So pretty much a no brainer as far as management were concerned.

To me (as someone who is not heavily invested in ICE at all) the spiritual successor to Softimage is Modo. While it does still have some issues (performance being the main one, order of operation mindset required being another) it for the most part is very intuitive, and when you make changes to something you understand what happened. Houdini would definitely be the choice for those folks looking for more ice like stuff. Both Houdini's and Modo's renderer out the box are pretty damn good as well.

I havent played around with Max or C4d sufficiently to comment on them, Blender still needs to get their UI sorted out. When people would rather use an illegal copy of something, anything else rather then struggle through the Blender UI they really need to sort it out.
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Nizar
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Nizar » 08 Jun 2015, 17:05

NNois wrote:Yup, worked with blender/modo/houdini, will stick with houdini when i can, perfect natural evolution after xsi but i'm still grumbeling with wierd behaviors with the opengl display and a little too much of expression or different foramting of variables...
And you ? you where more in the modeling field no ?
I (literally) forced myself to follow the blender route not because softimage is no more good for me or the other options are not valid, but I no time to study another application, so started soon to work with blender completing clients projects using only it (a bit crazy, I know). Also I don't want deal any more with company like ADSK. I must admit the last Maya modelling tools appealing me a lot, also the strong viewport is pretty good, but don't want crazy rent software on my HD (and no more ADSK)

For my needs blender is fine, not so fast and well organized like is softimage, but for sure better than modo (don't know the 901 release), even the viewport is not so bad.

Angus_davidson@ The bad gui is only a myth, totally untrue, to be honest I start to like it (anyway working without gui). The workflow can be adapted to your needs (this, in particular is pretty nice customization for maya like navigation and tools: http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthr ... light=silo ), but I wanted explore it from scratch, so didn't use any customization (I adapted to blender workflow, navigation etc. etc.)

I'm happy with it? No, to be honest not completely, anytime I see a video where someone modelling something in softimage I crying for the so elegant and fast workflow missed... but pay my bills with blender and touch softimage (release 2013) sporadically now, and on September/October will launch a kickstarter done entirely with blender+after effect.

For the only modelling side Blender is replacement? Probably yes, can be, is fast and simple enough, also if you using the new piemenu (wazu piemenu addon is pretty handy), but understood people don't want switch to it, except few things, at the moment XSI still more powerful and features rich for every day work.

So, yes and no, not sure I found a replacement

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bb3d
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by bb3d » 08 Jun 2015, 18:32

The more I look into other 3D apps, the more I realise how superior Softimage really is. Softimage + Redshift is unbeatable currently and I will try to use it as long as possible.

For personal projects I am slowly wrapping my head around Blender and I can confirm what Nizar said - the UI is not THAT bad anymore. It's different compared to Soft, but can be efficient and quick if you learned how to use it properly. For everybody who does 3D stuff only as a hobby, I really recommend diving into Blender and not to look elsewhere. For professional use it heavily depends on the sort of projects. I know a small company here in Berlin who switched from 3dsmax to Blender and finished a quite complex project with it some weeks before.

But my main customer, another small studio, seems to favorite Houdini as a replacement for Soft, so I have to learn this aswell... exciting times are coming :ymdaydream:

angus_davidson
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by angus_davidson » 09 Jun 2015, 21:04

To me Blender is a bit like Lightwave. Lightwave had so many awesome things once you got out of the modeler app. But the trick was to get there without loosing your sanity ;)

Likewise blender should have a lot going for it specifically for 3rd world countries (which I happen to be in). , its super portable , can scale really well on hardware , has everything you need including a very decent compositor.You can do complex projects with it. And yet we just cannot get it to take in outreach programs. Even in our games degree people dropped it like a hot potato once we were able to get Maya LT licences. I do agree that the UI has gotten better, and it can definitely be made better (much like Maya), however it does have a way to go.

Then again compared to soft most have a long way to go ;)
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Draise
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Draise » 10 Jun 2015, 00:36

Agreed, it's the one here in developing countries. The large "famous" projects done in local studios are being done with Blender.

And yes, it works anywhere, mac, windows, linux, on old machines, on new... on a usb.

I just.. shrug and say, "must be opensource"... those interfaces and workflows in anything "opensource" usually is a bit quirky.

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Nizar
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Nizar » 10 Jun 2015, 11:34

I'm a freelance, and I don't want working in any studio. If I want work in any big or little studio probably I'll leave blender for maya without any remorse. This is the some for others software, even for XSI: want a job like employer into the industries? Learn maya. Stop. Is not the only reason why people choice maya, but I bet is the stronger.

So can understood if people into a school don't want learn blender at all.

The bad GUI is only legend, really, only legend (infamy undeserved) . Even the 2.49 gui was not so terrible, but now is only different from XSI, and XSI gui is different from Maya, and Maya GUI is different from 3Dmax gui etc. etc. Maya is the standard, and I hear maya users blame XSI gui (the reason is because is different from Maya), but all we know is not true at all, we all agree about. Now Blender gui is pretty different from Maya gui, so is bad for only this reason? As far as know no one saying Blender have a bad GUI can tell me exactly why is bad, because this or this other button is a different menu compared from the software you came? Maya GUI now is qt, so fully customizable, but really is so important making all the others gui ugly?

If you have time (time is the main big problem) and will (the second big problem) you need to start a and complete a project inside blender, maybe following some good tutorial (and now I don't know who have more tutorials, if blender or maya), complete a project, from start to finish, and then you can say if worth or not learn it. After the initial struggle (and you must struggle with any new software you want learn because are used to different workflow/GUI/habits) you'll agree with me and many other: Blender is a serious alternative in many, many tasks.

From my experience, Blender is better compared to LW (modelling, rigging, text tool etc). The only thing I save from LW is render engine, but Cycles grow fast and well, and with a next GPU generation many of the actual problem disappear. I think all the low/medium price software fell the blender pressure.

But agree at the end, all the software out there have a long road before can compete with XSI (the most elegant, fast, consistence and effective workflow ever seen)

angus_davidson
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by angus_davidson » 10 Jun 2015, 17:46

I really miss the LW renderer. For its time it was streets ahead
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Mathaeus
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Mathaeus » 10 Jun 2015, 19:58

angus_davidson wrote: Even in our games degree people dropped it like a hot potato once we were able to get Maya LT licences.
Me too :), have to admit. But, once people figure out how (even) LT is an complex software.... These days I'm trying it together with my former colleague, 'hard core Maxer', but conclusion is the same. Beside great performance and slick animation tools, all the rest won't go without, let's call it, 'adoration attitude', where I should be happy in advance, because I'm even able to use it. Something I'm able to remember, but impossible to explain to young people :), today. New nice interface design has an unwanted 'new shoes together with old suit' effect, I'm afraid, showing even more of 'complexity' (to say politely).

Plus all that AD 'behavior' - right now, I can't even download the LT trial at home, as my internet machine is still running a 32 bit OS (main one is of course 64). Once I'll configure everything to fit into AD cloud ideas.... it will be a time of LT 2017, and possibly some another offer.
By the way, my poor home configuration was zero problem for Modo, Houdini Indie, 3d Coat or Blender - but AD, well that's another story...

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Nizar
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Re: Softimage replacement, anyone

Post by Nizar » 10 Jun 2015, 20:59

So your replace is Maya LT?

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