So who is actually gonna jump ship?

[Kerro Perro]

@iamVFX: Oi well i only thought your second comment was a joke - the third just baffled me frankly. I think sarcasm doesn't always travel well in text, maybe a few strategic emoticons would help but i suspect that's not your style

@ Bullit: Well i've "mastered" the modelling - texturing - rendering part but am still dipping my toes in the ICE and animation part, wich is the deeper subject i think but also where Softimage really starts to shine. Again i already decided to stay but was curious to - yes - the feelings of others.

And to the others thanks for answering, yes Hirazi it seems that my feelings are not that uncommon. I frankly find it comforting that a guy like Pooby also has similiar thoughts.

I guess the real question should have been: "do think there is anything out there that does the job for you as well as Softimage does?" Should be a different answer depending on what you do - for instance i think if you just do product shots Modo might well be looking pretty good right now but for others Softimage is still the best game in town - even if it is run by mobsters!

Again @ iamVFX: yes Blender for me is the most interesting alternative also, and the app i see as my emergency parachute if i ever see the this message on screen: "You cannot run Softimage anymore without logging into the cloud - please have your credit card details ready" - but that will never happen right? ;)

[Nizar]

But if you don't want to see how Autodesk making an katamari-like monster from it, Blender is a perfect alternative, besides not-so-great object manipulation tools (I really hope the work of this guy will be merged with the main trunk)

Again @ iamVFX: yes Blender for me is the most interesting alternative also, and the app i see as my emergency parachute if i ever see the this message on screen: "You cannot run Softimage anymore without logging into the cloud - please have your credit card details ready" - but that will never happen right?

IMHO the less useful project in blender yard. Actually, if excluding some minor issue, blender GUI is pretty good. Need only to study it a bit, but after an afternoon you can manage it very well and, sure, you will like it. in any case the GUI improvement will be present in 2.65 release so before Christmas. If you want some advice about blender feel free to pm me (blender need some customization to match an used softimage user)

Replacing Softimage? Actually I have a foot in blender and modo. For rendering purpose I like the fast and simple approach they have (more modo, and not, shader tree is not a wrong thing, again, an afternoon on it and you will apprentice it), also for modelling blender has a similar approach to softimage (modo modelling is, for the major part, only hype IMHO). I starting studying animation, and test all three application in this field, but for animation and rigging modo has an odious too clicks/"disseminating tabs everywhere" workflow, blender is better and in some area when rigging has some faster approach. When going to animate or handle large scene all fall, and softimage turn back as only, fast solution for everything (excluding rendering).

In any case the other two application make big steps every release, Modo improve drastically his stability (with the last SP3 modo is very solid, I see more softimage crash now compared to modo), and 701 for sure (word of one of the head developers) point to handle more heavy flux data and improve viewport performance. Some for blender, viewport performance is a Google summer of code project (viewport FX) is one of the most important. So this two little application gain ground with every new release, with blender going incredible fast in its development. Blender has just a fast and simple workflow, modo need to polish it a bit.

Also I see a Cinema 4d very competitive and Houdini making big effort for appear more appealing and artist friendly, I bet in release 13 they will improve animation and modelling tools. Cinema is the one I would like to test, but scary me the big amount of work need to learn a so big application, also Maxon has a licensing similar to Autodesk and I don't want coming again under this type of agreement (from this point of view Modo licensing is the best: you can buy a license and use it on every PC you want, the important thing is only one license at time working, and if you want, you can cage it from window to mac or viceversa without any issue, and upgrading is the some if you came from an old release or from the last). One of my favoured artists, Glen Southern, recently switched to cinema his entire workflow, this incurious me a lot.
Lightwave too struggle for appear more modern and appealing.

Cage application is a big effort, and actually I don't see a real alternative to softimage, but constantly take a look around. I wait the really big evolution in one of the cited software

[Mathaeus]

yes Blender for me is the most interesting alternative also, and the app i see as my emergency parachute if i ever see the this message on screen: "You cannot run Softimage anymore without logging into the cloud - please have your credit card details ready" - but that will never happen right? ;)

Actually you're the last user, all others already are replaced by robots. After all you can notice some redundancy in forum life...

now seriously, imho the brightest part of Softimage is just a learning experience, if you want to know a little bit more than "usual" artist, a bit of scripting, vector math and so. No one 3d app has so smooth border between artistic and technical area.

[SreckoM]

Totally agree with that Mathaeus.

[talent103]

For me the answer is economical. Which product would give me the most work. I have been able to make a good living from XSi since 2004. However I have used Maya professionally and it was the 1st package I learned. I use XSI because I love using it. I would use Maya if I HAD to. Maya can do anything XSI can do but it usually takes 2 to 3x longer simply because of its particular workflow. I have been considering C4D for motion graphics and simple things. I see Maya and C4D as the options for the most employment. XSI employment options I see decreasing as the user base shrinks and less new people bother to learn it. In the meantime I will continue to use XSI as long as I can get work using it. As for my subscription; I will see how it is developed over the next year. I have the Creation Suite so either way I am good.

[Kerro Perro]

Yeah i can see that - although the only job in cg i ever had was specifically because i knew Softimage ;) - But i'm currently in the "starving artist" catagory (that's basically the same as hobbyist but more deluded ) so what studio uses what is not important to me - if it was i frankly might just be learning Maya as it would seem the "safest" option.

( Btw like is said my experience is limited but i did also start in Maya and the much faster and pleasant workflow in Softimage when i tried it out after being stuck in the Hypershade and losing expressions in Maya scenes is the reason i instantly fell in love!)

@Nizar: thanks for that - that has actually cleared some doubts up for me. Sometimes i fear that the main reason i stay is just because of the investment and that i'm ignoring a better way of doing things, especially when i see things like this:


Moderator edit: youtube tags only "take" the video ID

But if animating with it sucks then at the moment it's not right for me as that is what i really want to get into - but i will definitely keep a close eye on it!

[Daniel Brassard]

It's all about how "jump ship" is defined.

To me, Softimage is my main tool for 3DCC but it is a tool. I started with Max and Lightwave way back, moved to Maya later and now using Softimage.

I am still using C4D, althought several version back now but it complement well Softimage.

I use Photoshop extensively and Painter for texturing.

Overtime I have and still use POV Ray, Modbox, TrueSpace, Bryce, Poser, Blender, etc.

So if I was Yoda ....

Jump ship I will in time, young jedi
Master your own destiny, you must!



Daniel
May the Get > Forces be with you!

[Letterbox]

Kerro: Everyone, and I mean everyone should jump ship.

If you learn Houdini or Blender, you'll have more skills. You'll be able to find more work and not be a 'starving artist'. (side: I think Houdini's program of $99 is an excellent opportunity, as is Blender for free). Second being: A artist is an artist, and a tool is just a tool. Some are tools are better than others, but an artist can always adapt. Third reason being you have no guarantees, that Max, or Maya, or even Softimage will last long enough to even make it to the cloud.

That's because: Autodesk is a public company it WILL do whats in their interest first, not yours. No matter what ANYONE says to you, ever.

Don't ever forget: You've just seen that happen. Lesson learned?

As said before "if you want loyalty get a dog" - or put another way... If you're loyal: You'll get treated like a dog.

[Nizar]

Kerro: Everyone, and I mean everyone should jump ship.

If you learn Houdini or Blender, you'll have more skills. You'll be able to find more work and not be a 'starving artist'. (side: I think Houdini's program of $99 is an excellent opportunity, as is Blender for free). Second being: A artist is an artist, and a tool is just a tool. Some are tools are better than others, but an artist can always adapt. Third reason being you have no guarantees, that Max, or Maya, or even Softimage will last long enough to even make it to the cloud.

That's because: Autodesk is a public company it WILL do whats in their interest first, not yours. No matter what ANYONE says to you, ever.

Don't ever forget: You've just seen that happen. Lesson learned?

As said before "if you want loyalty get a dog" - or put another way... If you're loyal: You'll get treated like a dog.

Well said

Kerro @ No, Blender don't suck for animation. IMHO blender is the tool more close to softimage in animation (blender "think" like softimage in many area), but has not the power softimage has, cannot handle the some big scene.
If you want be impressed by blender, look at cgcookie.com and/or blenderguru.com and/or blenderdiplom.net

Tomorrow starting my little voyager into Cinema 4d, really curious about.

[Kerro Perro]

As said before "if you want loyalty get a dog" - or put another way... If you're loyal: You'll get treated like a dog.

Haha slight irony there that my artist name basically is "Kerro the dog" ;)

I really do see your point though, and to also answer Daniel i'm also learning Z-Brush and 3D Coat, and am considering learning how to mix motion capture in MotionBuilder - already use Mudbox (though i want to drop that because of it's buggyness) Photoshop (of course) Painter, Flash, After Effects and even Daz sometimes.

But the main 3d app can be a real time investement, especially if you want to learn it "deep", wich is the only way you really can become good i think - and as for the "starving artist" thing: i currently set myself a year to make a short (viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2557) and would like spend as much time as i can working on that instead of learning another big app. Learning all the side apps takes enough time as it is!

But still.... i really do get where your coming from....

So if I was Yoda ....

Jump ship I will in time, young jedi
Master your own destiny, you must!



Daniel
May the Get > Forces be with you!

Yes Master!

[Cacoman]

I'll jump ship if there is ever another piece of software around that improves upon XSI in all the important areas for me.

However, I'd be prepared to carry on using Softimage, even if it were discontinued, than just jump ship to something inferior for my workflow, which totally relies on a flexible and fast non-linear rigging and deformation workflow, and speedy visual programming at a point level.
I dont see anything remotely in the same ball park as XSI, in fact not even on the horizon yet.

To be honest, for what I'm doing. I'm really happy with what I have right now. I dont yearn for new features that I can't add myself.
Saying that, there are some ICE improvements I'd like to see.

I'm trusting in Fabric Engine for the future though. Thats the glimmer of hope I have for the longer term because I'm sure as heck not going for Maya in its current state.

For me Pooby just said it.

But I will say it again.

Even if Softimage is discontinued, I will still be using it as it is now perhaps for the rest of my life. What I see from AD is that they are desperatly trying to get more of Softimage into Maya, perhaps they should rename it Softimaya

[Falam]

I'll jump ship if there is ever another piece of software around that improves upon XSI in all the important areas for me.

However, I'd be prepared to carry on using Softimage, even if it were discontinued, than just jump ship to something inferior for my workflow, which totally relies on a flexible and fast non-linear rigging and deformation workflow, and speedy visual programming at a point level.
I dont see anything remotely in the same ball park as XSI, in fact not even on the horizon yet.

To be honest, for what I'm doing. I'm really happy with what I have right now. I dont yearn for new features that I can't add myself.
Saying that, there are some ICE improvements I'd like to see.

I'm trusting in Fabric Engine for the future though. Thats the glimmer of hope I have for the longer term because I'm sure as heck not going for Maya in its current state.

For me Pooby just said it.

But I will say it again.

Even if Softimage is discontinued, I will still be using it as it is now perhaps for the rest of my life. What I see from AD is that they are desperatly trying to get more of Softimage into Maya, perhaps they should rename it Softimaya

I'll jump ship when the need arises, there is no guarantee learning Maya or especially Houdini will land work, you have a better chance with Softimage. Houdini I'll never use, the only alternative I can think of that is more geared towards individuals and smaller studios that I would go is Cinema 4D. At this point I invested too much time into Softimage, to throw that aside and go to another program. Softimage lost the war to Maya 11+ years ago, bad timing I say, it's still around, and studios will acknowledge if you are a Softimage user, regardless if all their seats are Maya.