Siggraph week only: LW offer

[Rez007]

P.P.S.: Concerning the brilliant head rig/animation: Who knows how long it dig take to come up with this and how compatible the rig is? Can it be scaled and altered easily to work on another geometry? Can all attributes be transferred easily from one mesh to the other? That's what counts if you need to make decisions on which software you buy.

Can't you really ask that about any software? With what you are saying there, is that there should be basically one head rig in existence which would fit an infinite amount of faces, with minimal work needed. I do not think that there is really any software that does that. How long did it take him? How versatile is his rig? I do not know, as I did not make it. I was merely posting a video in response to your initial post, which was simply categorizing LightWave as a "hobbyist" tool. If you check out his website/posts, he does some awesome work, and is in the industry. If you feel LightWave is a hobbyist tool, that is perfectly fine, but that video shows a "pro" result.

I think Luc-Eric's stance is probably the strongest, where if you are supplying material or working within a pipeline, it might be beneficial to have a particular software that makes that easier/more efficient for the project on hand.

The discount being offered is for new purchases - for people going in right now - and what was in the past, is in the past. What I was saying in my earlier reply with the video, is people should be open-minded to other possibilities, especially if it suits their needs and is in the budget they have to work with. Because I can pretty much guarantee you, that if anyone walked in a door to a studio with that video as the demo reel, even if that was the only thing on their reel, they would be getting a job.

[Pancho]

Can somebody please tell me why hobbyists seem to be always offended when they are called hobbyists? They aren't professionals since professional comes from profession, which is a synonym for "job". They don't need to earn their living with 3D, contrary to pros. That is a big difference.

It's not about capailities, though pros should no their stuff better, since they spend much more time with the software than someone how does so only in evenings or during the weekend. Usually.

And that's the reason why LW is a nice tool for them because if they hit a wall with this package, they don't need to panic. They'll find a way to deal with it, but it'll take them a bit longer. But if you are under pressure, you need solutions instantly or at least quick ways to manouver around the problem. That's crucial. And from all my experience with LW I can say that in many areas it's like Ben&Jerry's ice cream - half baked!

I'd rather work with SI for the next five years than go back to LW. This kind of switch would be ridiculous. But it all depends.

I can advise everybody to take a look at Houdini. You might want to model you stuff in Modo, but H is great. In many ways better than ICE ever was. C4D might be nice, can't say anything about it. And from what I hear from others Blender is on it's way, but not an alternative for SI. But I can't swear on that.

If it suits your need, of course start with Newtek. I just wonder whether the modeler got any love in the last years. From what I can say, most tools weren't interactive. Quite ridiculous nowadays.

[Rez007]

Can somebody please tell me why hobbyists seem to be always offended when they are called hobbyists? They aren't professionals since professional comes from profession, which is a synonym for "job". They don't need to earn their living with 3D, contrary to pros. That is a big difference.

I am not a hobbyist, so no offense taken here. I was just saying, with a great example shown, that Lightwave looks like a very capable software that can give pro results. I think they also use it on NCIS: LA for their effects, but that was a little while ago when I saw that, so I do not know for sure if they still do.

For the deal they are offering, one also gets the '3RD Powers' plugin. There are some really nice tools in there, one being the Meta Mesh. Me personally, I still use Softimage, but am getting more into Maya with the migration path and also the advancements being made.

I think there is one thing that everyone should be able to agree on, is that Newtek is resilient. They never give up. And that is quite admirable for potential and current customers.

[Bullit]

Moderator note: This thread was locked, i talked Hirazi and he deferred to me the decision to have the thread opened, so it is under my responsibility . Please everyone maintain the discussion not too aggressive level and neither too sensitive where everything said provokes an offense.


Thank you.

[Hirazi Blue]

Funny how people who use Autodesk software manage to ignore the ridiculous decisions that company (for instance the Softimage EOL) has made over the years, whilst keenly identifying the also blatant ”cracks in the system” of other companies. Even Avid Softimage gets more praise IMHO than it (on a managerial level) technically deserves. NewTek made some stupid decisions, so what else is new?

[MauricioPC]

I agree Hirazi. They already paid it for their mistakes. Most of the users jumped to Modo or XSI, most developers left, etc. It makes sense that now they work and communicate different. People here said to use Softimage instead of LW and while I agree, I'll add that you should use Softimage instead of Max, Maya, Modo!

The point is ... if you don't have Softimage yet, you are screwed. Modo at the least has a 30% off promotion now. LightWave is quite cheap for someone starting out. 3ds Max and Maya now are rentals and Cinema 4D is expensive (when you see the rate of development in it).


Now ... the problem. I was having fun learning Softimage. While I do love 3D, I always thought of it as I was learning as a kind of boring process. Well, that stopped when I was learning Softimage. I liked everything ... mostly because of the way Softimage worked. After the EOL, I tried Maya again and while it's a beast of a software, I don't have fun using it. If I'm to use that everyday for hours, it must be fun. I must point out also that I hate scripting, coding, writing expression or what else. I'm more of an artist kind of guy, in the sense that I don't want to know or mess around with this sort of thing, I don't like it. That makes a tough sell since you must at least use MEL a bit. Now ... maybe in the future that may change, who knows.

I also tried Modo and while I enjoyed it, it was not as much as Softimage or even 3ds Max, which was the first 3D software I learned. The closest I got was with Cinema 4D. The UI is really great and the software is easy to understand. Problem is ... Maxon is in a tough stop right now, kind of like Max was a few years back. Plugins as features, total silence with the users, etc. The software is still good, but also VERY expensive.

Before someone mentions it, I know that there's Blender. But that will return to my main topic ... I don't have fun with Blender.

Yesterday I watched a good presentation from Brandon Parvini at the Maxon booth at Siggraph and he actually had the same thinking as me. That this job is fun and must be fun. He's also not a technical guy, he doesn't know and don't want to know python, he's not a technical texture artist and still, he's able to create some good work. I feel that I'm kind of like him. That makes be a terrible employee, but probably a great solo artist/generalist.

Anyway ... in today's market, I feel that it's hard to find your tool of choice (as a generalist/solo artist). If you want to work at ILM or WETA or what else, just learn Maya and be done with it. If not ... than you have more problems than solution. Max and Maya will be rental only, I don't like this system. I would like more if it was cheaper, but with $1400 a year, I prefer to learn something else. Blender I have no fun using (yet). C4D is a lot of fun, but it's expensive and the development is a unknown status. LightWave and Modo are powerful tools, but I always get down by their interfaces.

Cheers!

[Pancho]

While NewTek and Autodesk both fucked up heavily in the way they treat their customers, it only counts what remains at the end of the day. So, LW is nowhere near to compete with SI.

[Hirazi Blue]

Indeed...

[Hirazi Blue]

Nobody mentioned "pmG Worldwide, LLC" yet...

[MauricioPC]

While NewTek and Autodesk both fucked up heavily in the way they treat their customers, it only counts what remains at the end of the day. So, LW is nowhere near to compete with SI.

None of the current tools are. Modo seems to be working on it, as does Maya. I do feel that Modo must have made some important changes to be able to talk with Fabric Engine. So I have high hopes for it.

If you are resurrecting Messiah, resurrect Silo as well. =)

[Hirazi Blue]

I didn't mention Messiah to resurrect it, I mentioned PmG for its "excellence" in "managerial" decisions...