Post
by pdesopo » 10 Jul 2011, 19:52
Hi all,
I'm new here. Just wanted to tell about my initial approach to SI.
I've used C4D in the last 11 years and Blender in the last 3. My interest about Blender is mainly due to what I wasn't happy about C4D: wanted a faster and better modelling tool, faster view port and initially hoped to get a more powerful particle system. Even if I've got what I hoped about the modelling tools and the view port, unfortunately the particle development lags. After all Blender is maintained by volunteers and only a few paid developers, thus cannot ask more then what I get.
C4D MoGraph is a great tool, despite over used nowadays. But soon or later with MoGraph you'll hit the wall: hard to handle the scene with lot of cloned objects (even with low LOD) and even though there are several options to create interesting results, at the end you use tools ready-to-go, i.e. they are not customizable at least you get your hands dirty and use Xpresso.
Now, why should I be interested in SI, and especially ICE a node system while I could already use Xpresso on C4D, just another node system? Well, I think that the gut feeling plays a big role here. I never felt comfortable with Xpresso, probably due to its gui. So, what's so different with ICE? Even if I still don't completely understand what I'm doing when I connect nodes. I'm starting to get a clue of how things work with ICE. Anyway, to me it simply looks 'close' to the artist view. Ok, I guess that to get complex stuff you need to be an advanced user. I'll probably never be that user as I'm lazy with math stuff and the free time is really little. But the thing is I want to use it mainly as a tool, as long as I can get what I need from it. And the feeling is that I can get a lot from it. I already did a few basic particle simulation that I never did in Cinema in 11 years. Nothing special, but it gives me a sense of the potential. And I guess I'll find some support here the moment I'll need to create something behind my skills.
Working with C4D it's quite flawless, but the *ready-to-go* approach has many limits. If I need something more, I'm in trouble.
One more reason to stay away from pre-built tools, is that at the end everyone will do the same thing. Just have a look at a few mograph websites and you'll see what I'm talking about. Yet still useful for quick stuff when the pitch is ending soon.
I can see Max's point about using a tool as an artist rather then spending time with math and complex stuff. But that's the tricky part of the story. I'm now tired of MoGraph repetitiveness (and btw C4D view port slowness and the 'mograph' look of its render engine), so as artist it seems I'm using a *closed* tool whereas I need more to experiment. But also I don't want to spend time with scripts or mathematical problems, I want to use a tool to create what I need. Well, as already stated the perfect tool doesn't exist. I'll not go with Houdini as, at first glance, it seems ever more complicated. Therefore if I want a bit more of MoGraph it seems to me that ICE is the perfect solution. And as with *every* tool a training is required.
Now, it's interesting that the same thing that makes Max disappointed about SI is also the same thing that can get new users interested in SI. Probably there's no proper answer, as each 3D artist has different needs. The only thing I can say is that at the end when I need to model I open Blender, for some render quality, again Blender (especially now that Cycles appeared). For quick MoGraph stuff I've C4D. Hope to add SI as new weapon when it comes to create something more complex. And lastly I'm of course excited about MR.
Sorry for the long post.
