Industry Bias?

kshep92 · Post by **kshep92** » 15 Oct 2010, 04:41

I've just gotten started with Softimage after a frustrating romp with Maya and 3DS Max. I think XSI is a great tool, but a apparently, the industry doesn't - there seems to be oodles of training material for 3ds max and maya but hardly any up-to-date training for Softimage... it's like people stopped teaching Softimage after version 7 $:-\$

What do you guys think? Do you think the industry is somehow forcing people to use Maya (with it's burdensome tools and wild interface) and Max (with it's horrendous character studio toolset)?

Gabba · Post by **Gabba** » 15 Oct 2010, 09:09

I don't think that they stopped to teach or release tuts after version 7.0 but I think that for some reasons Softimage is a little "underestimate" so when you try to get into the 3D world and you search for your own you get a ton of things about maya and max... if the market is maya and max oriented what would you teach? Softimage? I don't think so...
I can tell you what happend to me. I started whit a maya training in a training center (when maya was under Alias) then, I bought a XSI Foundation that was really cheap so I could do my own stuff without problems even at home. But I left the box to the dust and continued to work on maya at office. Then, when Avid "cracked" I decided to do the jump and bought a 7.0 license and from there start to learn Softimage and left Maya behinf... If I didn't bought that foundation license, I think that I will never come to Softimage...
So, what I think is that maybe, is the market that "decide" what it's the most popular software, but I don't think that it's forcing this fact.

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 15 Oct 2010, 09:30

Well, technically Avid|Softimage seemed to already have stopped producing their own training material (for the "masses", not for the "Certified Training", which AFAIK was never publicly available before Redi-Vivus unearthed it), when they decided to take the plunge with their "official training partners". If Autodesk would only release their "Certified Training" commercially and up-to-date to the most recent version, all would be well again...

IMHO stuff like the famous "production series" was absolutely priceless and beat the "official training partners" quite easily.

Rork · Post by **Rork** » 15 Oct 2010, 10:29

With all due respect,

With some Googling you would have found several posts on xsibase, or here, about (commercial training) and the redi-vivus project.

Those will keep you busy for quite some time if you're starting with XSI. If you're looking for/want more specialized training or training on a particular subject, go here:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=983
and fill in the questions.

But to give you some names: i3dtutorials, 3DQuakers, 3DMastermind, DigitalTutors, Noesis, the Softimage Wiki, Redi-vivus, EdHarriss, kobayashytips, caffeineabuse, vimeo..... etc.

And when you get used to the slightly different workflow and naming conventions, all the max/maya tutorials can be quickly re-engineered to be useful in Softimage. ;)

rob

Gabba · Post by **Gabba** » 15 Oct 2010, 10:48

Rork wrote:
And when you get used to the slightly different workflow and naming conventions, all the max/maya tutorials can be quickly re-engineered to be useful in Softimage. ;)

rob

Simply true!

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 15 Oct 2010, 11:08

@Rork - ...but while the situation obviously isn't as dire as a newcomer might think, the situation IMHO actually is somewhat worrisome nonetheless, especially where good tutorials about new(er) features are concerned.

Rork · Post by **Rork** » 15 Oct 2010, 11:17

You really are a "glass half empty" kind of guy aren't you?

There is enough training to get you started with Softimage on a comfortable level, and yes, new features videotraining are not abundant.
Although for ICE there are some terrific sets out there, two from Thiago at CMIVFX (Forgot that one in the previous list)

One of the reasons I started the thread about training, was to see what people really want to see in Softimage training, and it's not always the latest features. Just the 'basics' to get your head wrapped about concepts.
But so far, there's no avalanche of reactions which I can start to conclude:
-there's enough training to start with
-people don't really care about new training coming out

rob

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 15 Oct 2010, 11:24

Well, if that makes me a

"glass half empty" kind of guy

so be it. There have been some killer features in the newer versions of Softimage, stuff that convinces people to buy the software, but virtually no serious attempt at good tutorials for them (except the cmivfx stuff Thiago Costa did for ICE, although I don't think it's stuff for true beginners), which these newcomers lured by the new features might expect.

edit: And the lack of reaction to your training thread doesn't necessarily mean there is no desire for more new training. I for one did react and was somewhat hoping for a response, before you seemingly abandoned the whole idea.
;)

Rork · Post by **Rork** » 15 Oct 2010, 11:48

The idea is not abandoned at all.

see....... 'hall full' ;)

What 'killer features' are you talking about?

One of the big things since v6 is ICE, and is covered in training from e.g. i3dtutorials, DigitalTutors, CMIVFX and 3DQuakers.
More than enough to get into the matter and get comfortable.
Facerobot? An interesting, but very niche part of the application.
Workflow? Most of hasn't really changed since it came out, newer stuff like Linear Workflow was added though.
And let's not forget the F1 manual is pretty good...

I would like to get more reactions on the thread I started, to see what people are really looking for. It could be interesting to see what comes up..

rob

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 15 Oct 2010, 11:52

Well, if there haven't been any new "killer" features introduced,
then that's okay then...

edit: where new features are concerned you seem to be more of
a "glass half empty" kind of guy, don't you think?

Rork · Post by **Rork** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:01

still not helping here.......

What, in your opinion, are killer features that are on the top of the list for training videos???

rob

p.s. Let's take this off list, as we're hijacking a thread....

Hirazi Blue · Post by **Hirazi Blue** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:06

Let's not take this off-list, let's just end it here...
I always thought stuff like FaceRobot (2010) and ICE Kinematics (2011) quite impressive new features, but that's probably just me...

Chris_TC · Post by **Chris_TC** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:27

I totally agree. Facerobot and ICE Kine are huge, and yet there's very little training material out.

Rork · Post by **Rork** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:28

Yes,

True, but like I said, ICE is there since v7 (ICE Kine or not) and -is- decently covered in training (ICE Kine not yet), and FaceRobot -however awesome - will only address a small group of people. And for FaceRobot there's the wiki with an excellent set of videos to start with.

So I still didn't hear from you what features you would like to see covered in training, or what is hugely missing and -needs- to be covered in your opinion.
I'm not trying to drag this thread on forever, I'm just trying to find out what people experiencing as 'missing training'.
And you're one of the few that responded to my initial thread.

rob

gman · Post by **gman** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:52

I would like to see a few match move tutorials. With maybe a production workflow using XSI along with Match mover, FX Tree and composite.

G

redmotion · Post by **redmotion** » 15 Oct 2010, 12:53

Face robot only addresses a small amount of people because of two reasons:

1. Video facial capture ISN'T built into it, when it should be.

2. Animation isn't used as much in a 3d app as say modelling and rendering (but probably more than specialist FX - which begs the question....)

Industry Bias?

Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Re: Industry Bias?

Who is online