WTF??? Autodesk snubs Softimage in GDC schedule!

[Bellsey]

@Tekano no problem and I am more than happy to catch up next week, when I am back in the UK.

@myara The focus of GDC was really around out Gameware offerings. We didn't mention anything about 2013 because it would of probably distracted people from Gameware. It's true the other software was mentioned but that's only because they were used in making Hyperspace Madness. Softimage wasn't snubbed or deliberately ignored around this, the simple fact was we only had 2 (and a bit) months to make the game and they guys in question went with what they knew and could do in the time. Incidently Mark was showing Softimage on the Intel booth for several hours a day.

@bottleofram - yes there is alot of effort around Suites and Chinny has also mentioned this. Personally, knowing and using multiple apps, I like the idea of a Suite, it makes sense and my life easier. Also considering Autodesk have all these apps, it also makes sense that they should be able to 'play nice' with one another. Users and studios are dipping in and out of other packages all the time, so why not Autodesk products as well, especially if they are using a shared 'platform'.

[Bellsey]

There is another data point that goes in Autodesk. When you run any Autodesk products for the first time on Windows, you get offered to opt-in the "Customer Involvement Program"http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/in ... eID=123112. This sends various metrics data to Autodesk about how you use the software. With this program, which a surprising amount of people opt into, the company draws statistics about usage. So they know roughly what products in the Suites the clients actually use, and how much time they spend in each of them.

Incidently following Lucerics post, my colleague Jamie posted the Max data points here:

http://jamiesjewels.typepad.com/jamies_ ... aphic.html

[luceric]

I actually dunno whats supposed to be a next-gen software. Kinda speechless about it. Do we really need something like that? When there are so many things that can be fixed and improved.
Whats this next-gen everyone talkin about? Some alien tech that no one has?

What's next gen is something we've spent a lot of time thinking about.
A few hints about those discussions, is that the general feeling that one app that attempts to do everything for everyone and save all in one proprietary scene isn't really what people need anymore. The data you're dealing with may not even fit in RAM or be local. Also, there is a great canyon between game tech and the tech that the DCCs are built on. Procedural is nice, but having everything procedural as it is today is not necessarily futuristic or optimal, for example if it's all designed to run on the CPU - or saved when you don't even need to edit that construction history. Thing is, a lot of these workflows were built to run on the CPU, often on limited SGI hardware, and overly generalized to the point that the software is doing things in the background that people don't care about and don't scale with complexity. Anyways, those were a few of those thoughts, there were many more.

[Daniel Brassard]

Little information ... Shows where AD apps fit and interact with each other in a modern pipeline scenario.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/in ... eID=123112

[ActionArt]

What's next gen is something we've spent a lot of time thinking about.

For me as a freelancer a next gen ap would look like this. I know this would not likely be the best for large studios where everyone is specialized but here goes:

The interface is just skins that you can change easily. Buttons that you can just drag where you want them etc. It could be made to act and look just like Maya, Max, SI or whatever with 1 click.

Complete GPU acceleration throughout wherever practical, especially simulation and volume rendering.

Basic categories just like SI Model, Animate etc. but with a few more:

Modeling expanded: (three or more tabs)

Basic Polys/SubD's (much like current).
Solids and Nurbs with excellent import of CAD data like Solidworks etc.
Achitectural (great archvis tools like LWCAD).
Mudbox completely integrated. No sending to, getting from. Just do. Ptex supported throughout.

All modules highly inter-operable.

Complete Nature Tools: Something like Vue but with a real interface.

I'd like to be able to plant a few trees and build a building all in the same package.

Simulation: Real smoke and fire like FumeFX but GPU accelerated. I wan't to blow stuff up easily and have it look great. So do a lot of people...

Rendering: As easy a quick as possible for 3rd party companies to integrate their rendering engine. Then, you pick when you order, which one you want.

And lastly, a team of consistency police who do nothing but go through all functions throughout the entire package and make sure they all work, look and act in a constant fashion to minimize learning time and frustration.

If all three teams at AD were put together so they're not all re-inventing the wheel I think a lot could be done.

I know I don't want much

Would be nice though...

[EricTRocks]

If all three teams at AD were put together so they're not all re-inventing the wheel I think a lot could be done.

And so many redundant positions would cause how many people to lose their jobs? Not sure I'd want that.

[jamination]

that's the nature of a competive market (companies are forced to be streamlined an efficient). I guarantee there are other employers from programmers out there.

[Hirazi Blue]

@Daniel Brassard - that's a nice piece of infographic, although it seems to perfectly illustrate the point of (part of) this discussion: from a pipeline POV Max, Maya & Softimage seem to be almost "perfectly" interchangable, even Autodesk doesn't seem to attempt to highlight their individual qualities in a pipeline demonstration anymore. And if that's so, some might argue, Autodesk does have a slight redundancy issue, while others might point out that this interchangability isn't reflected in the way the product Softimage is being marketed, considering the focus on ICE & FR, while the infographic seems to clearly show, Softimage might fill almost any spot in the pipeline otherwise reserved for Max and Maya.
And we're back to "square one"...

[ace63]

I'm just happy Softimage does appear on that chart^^

[Daniel Brassard]

My point exactly!

[ActionArt]

Nice graph. Indeed it is nice to see SI in there. Ironically, they seem to have forgotten their own "Flame" package in the compositing section. It used to be a big deal but maybe not anymore. Combustion and Inferno seem to be gone completely.

[curly]

I think Softimage weak point is that it doesn't have enough modifier like 3DS Max has. There are only a few of them. Things like a surface modifier to convert curves or splines into a solid mesh.
Perhaps some better retopology tools. Gizmo based modifiers like in 3DS Max. As mentoined before something like Fumefx. A muscle system -> although you could apply softbody dynamics to clusters. A nice scattering tool like object paint in -> you know the other application.

More modifiers that's what we need.

[origin]

hm c'mon, surface mod was cool 10 years ago when some people did models with spline modelling.
as for scattering tool i'm finishing one right now

[ActionArt]

as for scattering tool i'm finishing one right now

Looking forward to that!

You're not waiting for "next gen" tools, you're making them!

[Chris_TC]

I'm just happy Softimage does appear on that chart^^

Absolutely! I'm surprised and happy.

[Hirazi Blue]

We're way too easy to please...
One mention of Softimage in an Autodesk infographic and all's well again...


edit: this is meant as a joke, hence the big grin smilie...