SI 2013 sightings

[McNistor]

Nizar,
You seem like someone who played with Houdini Apprentice - or do you own master? - how's character related stuff (modeling, rigging and animation) in Houdini?

[Nizar]

Nizar,
You seem like someone who played with Houdini Apprentice - or do you own master? - how's character related stuff (modeling, rigging and animation) in Houdini?

I played with Apprentice (release 10), but I'm not the best users and my Houdini Knowledge is very poor. Said so, in my opinion, modelling in houdini is very poor if compared to softimage. I used in my life Blender, modo, silo, maya and 3dsm like modelling tools, and softimage is the better in my opinion (only modo has something more, with more customizable (in a simple way tools) but lack in power and stability). Houdini users say the some, only few use it for modelling, doing all in other package and import in Houdini. How can you live without Move component tool?

Rigging is a bit worse IMO, too passage for a single rigging, some for animation, I feel better with softimage (also the new rigging system in modo is not bad, too click for my taste, but I'm not used to it). I don't doing so deep in Houdini (and houdini is really a deep application). All you doing in Houdini become a Node in the node editor (practically (for doing a simplistic description) an infinite Hystory stak/undo, but all done in Node), I'm sure is really power application, and if you (like me) don't use node editor (VOP? Don't remember the name) you waste 90% of the software power (like I did).

In release 10 viewport was very weak, and the feeling was not so good for me, but sure, if you learn it can doing good things. Another worse expect is price: 7000$ dollars for master edition?! Too for my poor freelance shopping bag...

Learn a new application, for my limited brain, is a big effort, for these reason leave softimage for another application put me in panic...

Don't know what they doing in release 12

[McNistor]

Yeah thanks, I'll do a thorough research on the subject.
I have a feeling I won't stay many more years in AD wagon. I dislike Adobe's suite BS and now Autodesk is doing it too in their attempt to make everyone use all their software for all the production needs. It won't work in 3d as it works in 2d with Adobe, but let's say it'll work, that won't be the show stopper for me, but what they're going to do with XSI in the next version or two will be crucial for me.
I mean no animation/rigging improvements (aside those "crucial" renaming in anim editor), no hair update, no muscle system... ICE is great but I can't build those myself...

[McNistor]

found an interesting article http://www.cgchannel.com/2012/04/autode ... go-online/

[Nizar]

Yeah thanks, I'll do a thorough research on the subject.
I have a feeling I won't stay many more years in AD wagon. I dislike Adobe's suite BS and now Autodesk is doing it too in their attempt to make everyone use all their software for all the production needs. It won't work in 3d as it works in 2d with Adobe, but let's say it'll work, that won't be the show stopper for me, but what they're going to do with XSI in the next version or two will be crucial for me.
I mean no animation/rigging improvements (aside those "crucial" renaming in anim editor), no hair update, no muscle system... ICE is great but I can't build those myself...

And switching for what? I don't see big alternative at maya and softimage. Only Cinema (never tried) and Houdini (out of my price rage) and Modo, but only if they improve it with another big step like 601 in a next release (701 or 801).

ATM, with some issue here and there, I'm comfortable with softimage (tomorrow can need crowd simulation... who know?

found an interesting article http://www.cgchannel.com/2012/04/autodesk-all-of-our-products-will-soon-go-online/

don't think, seems to me a chimera

[McNistor]

Don't think what? Unless that article is lying, I don't see a reason not to believe. It's out of the Autodesk CEO's mouth...

[Nizar]

Don't think what? Unless that article is lying, I don't see a reason not to believe. It's out of the Autodesk CEO's mouth...

Don't think they will arrive at this objective. And don't see the utility in have the application in cloud computer. In my country internet is very slow, will be a madness (and a nightmare).
IMO they can lose many customers.

[Bellsey]

Don't think what? Unless that article is lying, I don't see a reason not to believe. It's out of the Autodesk CEO's mouth...

Don't think they will arrive at this objective. And don't see the utility in have the application in cloud computer. In my country internet is very slow, will be a madness (and a nightmare).
IMO they can lose many customers.

Read the article in full and even in the snippett, Marc Petit quite rightly says that the migration will be way more difficult for Autodesk's M&E products , so I think it will be some time yet before we see Carl's vision in our space.

[McNistor]

Yes, but my point wasn't about the amount of time will take to see it materialized.

[Hirazi Blue]

Ah well, it's another one of those great Autodesk PR moments...
Carl Bass literally says "I’d say two to three years from now, every one of our products will be used online. The only way to use them will be online". That's what he said, "two to three years from now, every one of our products" & "the only way to use them will be online". If this isn't true, maybe Carl Bass shouldn't have said it in the first place...
;;)

PS I already stated on the xsibase earlier today, Ken Pimentel has some convincing statements to counteract all this in this thread on the topic over at the CGTalk...

But you gotta love Autodesk PR...

[ActionArt]

Read the article in full and even in the snippett, Marc Petit quite rightly says that the migration will be way more difficult for Autodesk's M&E products , so I think it will be some time yet before we see Carl's vision in our space.

Maybe he'll be replaced by then. We can only hope.

[SreckoM]

Pay for upgrade or do not, simple as that. If next release is same, well, switch to another product. This is what AD understands, nothing else. Numbers = money.

Whining here, especially if you are not big studio, does only one thing, makes Bellsey pulls his hair, and that's it. So, really whats the point?

One observation though, comparing this upgrade to Modo 601, I have feeling that for Luxology devs one year last 2x days than for AD devs.

[Maximus]

Pay for upgrade or do not, simple as that. If next release is same, well, switch to another product. This is what AD understands, nothing else. Numbers = money.

Whining here, especially if you are not big studio, does only one thing, makes Bellsey pulls his hair, and that's it. So, really whats the point?

One observation though, comparing this upgrade to Modo 601, I have feeling that for Luxology devs one year last 2x days than for AD devs.

Well the point is that this is a forum which main purpose is to share toughts, no harm intended. But it seems that people take things way too personally, which defeat the meaning of a forum

Might as well keep everyone silent so forum will be ghostly

[jamination]

Pay for upgrade or do not, simple as that. If next release is same, well, switch to another product. This is what AD understands, nothing else. Numbers = money.

Whining here, especially if you are not big studio, does only one thing, makes Bellsey pulls his hair, and that's it. So, really whats the point?

One observation though, comparing this upgrade to Modo 601, I have feeling that for Luxology devs one year last 2x days than for AD devs.

I think the word is "complain", and you said it, there are Autodesk people here, and hopefully they relay the information to the powers to be.

[SreckoM]

I think the word is "complain", and you said it, there are Autodesk people here, and hopefully they relay the information to the powers to be.

We will find out on next release ...

[jamination]

Don't get me wrong, I think Autodesk has its own plan and they will stick with it, however as a consumer you owe it to yourself to be vocal about the good and the bad. If changing were that easy I would already have done it (Modo needs more seasoning as an animation platform, who knows if it gets there), I am uncomfortable with the way Autodesk is leading the pack.