Saving SI in an obscure way

[pluMmet]

http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2014/ ... ol-issues/

China has strange rules when it comes to patents. I had heard that when companies move over to productiion there they are asked to hand over their patents as part of the reduced labor cost compinsation.

I'm sure that there is more to it then that but parhaps AD sending SI over to China for this last refinment will in the not so distant future allow us to be purchasing it from them in their future development.

Hope springs eternal

[pluMmet]

I'm no laywer but it would seem that handing it over to them for progression then announcing abandoment of the product might ever fall into exceptable in our legal system for them to take ownership:

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s2138.html

In an internationl court of law this might just be the easiest patent acuisition in the history of the world.

[luceric]

there is no "them". Softimage was being developed in Autodesk's Singapore office.

[pluMmet]

there is no "them". Softimage was being developed in Autodesk's Singapore office.

Aw Dang. Thanks for the info. *hangheadlow

[Draise]

Maybe.. redesigning a whole new platform with concepts and ideology based off SI? (So that in 2 years time there will be a replacement?)

I wouldn't mind new competition.

[Helli]

Too many dreamers in here ;)

2 years ?
Modo is not close yet to beeing able to compete fully with Maya or Max and it allready is out there for 10 years.

You need years to develop a product which is production ready.
There won't be any product in the near future, capable of doing what maya/max/modo can do, if it isnt out allready.

Even if you build something on fabric were you allready have a core. It would take years.

What that means:
Take what is out there or stay with Softimage, but pls forget about "writing a new application or hoping for something which includes as many features as maya or soft coming out in the next 2 years"

[EricTRocks]

Yeah, what Helli said.

[Hirazi Blue]

Well, I wouldn’t see it all that bleakly and to dream is everybody’s prerogative. And those who stuck with Softimage for all these years were surely dreamers to a large extent...
Two years would seem a ridiculously short time-frame, though, not just "based on SI", but in general. We do, however, have no idea, what new solution is already in development “in secrecy” and there is always the possibility some “in-house” tool makes a surprise appearance on the open market. But, while dreaming, I must state I am not delusional (I think), so I really wouldn’t count on either of those to materialize.

[luceric]

I'm aware of at least one person who had begun to write a 3D authoring tool based on open source libraries with interface widgets that looked like XSI.
But the problem is that XSI is not just a bunch of grey buttons arranged in a certain way. Otherwise, you could already just move to any other 3D apps, all of which have indeed a decade of development behind them already.


(btw no one think that singapore is in china, right?)

[xsi_fanatic]

we should deceive AD into moving the team from singapore to china. tell them about how much money they would save, they like that kind of stuff.

[luceric]

I'm a little baffled by this thread and this last post. Surely you guys don't think that you send work to china you give up your patents and that would allow "saving SI"? Did Apple give up their patents? And since when are patents preventing anyone to write a decent 3d app? Do you ever hear the guys on Blender complain they could make a great a great app but there was a patent in the way?

The story at the top of the thread is about the trouble for a foreigner of selling something in the Chinese market. It's not about anything else.

[Helli]

And since when are patents preventing anyone to write a decent 3d app?

Joe Alter ?
Had to post this one ;)

[Draise]

True I guess it all would be too ideal to develop a generalist efficient 3d authoring package with fx and Ice environments and compositing and all the bells and whistles within few years, even with a paid dedicated team of developers.. Maybe in house propriety software can be released, learning that withholding tools and secrets doesn't sway the world of media, but enriches it, thus enriching it's demand for it, bigger markets..

Though if I could, and had the business for such a thing, I would.. Maybe with a different marketing strategy, but something nonetheless.

Be it in a few years..

But I can't right now....

Joe Alter? Saw his website and software..?



Concerning si being saved, maybe still feeding into products and market demand for...... Forget it.

Supply and demand.. Public should demand for more products si and their artists provide, even studios and artists should... . The current results speak for themselves, si is abut great tool, but little is known about it .. Should have be done earlier and now it's all a little too late.....

Maybe it failed due to market politics within autodesk, market share and pirac doing more harm to development than predicted, but just the idea that open software in this feild become stronger, slowly but steadily, might be light to all.......

Meh.

I still use Truespace today even when it died years ago, I assume softimage will still be the same for me the years coming till I find that product that strikes an artistic and production worthy cord in me. I will have to just fork out that much more of my finances in expensive seats hoping I will be able to scale in the future somehow.. Unlike Truespace being left free in its doing breath..

I'm bitter...

To me it is disrespectful killing it to the people who coded Si and those who mastered it.