Re: In case you missed it..
Hate to be the one to send the negative wave, but if this thread convinced me of anything is that they will absolutely not be doing what you ask. Here's what Maurice said: Whether what we are doing is being elegantly done or not, Autodesk, across its industries,is trying to alter public perception: to move away from the notion of hero products that do everything to a suite of products that provide a best-in-class workflow to (eventually) a set of cloud services that offer you exactly what you need when and where you need it and for as long as you need it. This is a bit simplistic and Utopian but i am typing on a mobile device now. it is however at the heart of Autodesk's strategy. For Softimage, a good all-around package but without a significant market share, this is a deadly situation (no pun intended). That's my take on it, at least, and why the marketing has been as it was. No point in advertizing something opposite of your ultimate goal. But I am very confused how they think it will work. It's one thing to offer bundled products at lower prices, its completely different to insist on them. Kiril On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 5:14 PM, Eric Lampi ericla...@gmail.com wrote: Well said Jeff. Maurice, if you're still reading, please consider his summary of Soft as a Generalists tool, because I feel that he pretty much nails it. Sure perhaps Soft is the closest thing AD has to compete with Houdini, so I understand the particles angle. However if you limit the scope to that alone, you're really missing an opportunity to capture users in the small to medium sized studio environments in TV and Film. Which as far as I can tell are where most of us on this list are at. I think it's pretty much at the heart of what has everyone so frustrated. Eric On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 10:31 AM, Jeffrey Dates jda...@kungfukoi.comwrote: The one thing I take from reading this thread is the Soft community at large is generally upset and concerned. Whether the individual concerns are real or perceived, I would think Autodesk would hear the frustration and appreciate where it's coming from. Even speak to how to resolve it perhaps. I for one, think Maurice is a brave soul coming into the lions den as it were, and speaking candidly. Attempting to show that Softimage is going forward, perhaps not in the primary marketing role it has enjoyed in the past. But to their credit, I'm a fan of the latest updates, the OGL viewport improvements for instance... So from my vantage point I see progress. Our industry is fairly new. A significant paradigm shift from one software to another has only REALLY happened once before. We've seen it from Soft/3d Alias P/A to the desktop XSI Maya respectively. Understanding where XSI came from, and how it was built helps us also understand WHY it's in the place it is. When Sumantra was created under AVID the developers at the time, as I understand it, were forced to use the Microsoft API. Building what was to be the 'new' foundation on something like Microsoft has been our biggest shortcoming concerning the open-nature of Soft. We've been overcoming that since day 1, and will continue to. Softimage has never recovered from those days as a userbase is concerned. This has been outlined in great detail in earlier posts in this thread. On the business side, Autodesk has it's own model for capturing new users. When you have more new Maya users each year, than the entire XSI userbase. It would be hard to justify holding XSI up in the Area of Excellence as it were. ;-) No amount of new marketing is going to change the momentum that Maya enjoys in schools, film, and elsewhere suddenly to Soft. Autodesk is going to continue to do what is best for Autodesk, why wouldn't they? The fact Maurice is standing by Softimage and trying to reassure the users it's here and should continue to be here is a positive thing in my mind. So I would hope we give him the benefit of the doubt? Maurice, if I might make a suggestion for whatever it's worth. When marketing suites and bundles. You might consider looking at Softimage as more of a 'generalist' out-of-the-box solution for smaller studios and commercial houses who might only have 10-20 artists and no development team. Maya out-of-the-box isn't *really* a generalists solution, Don't get me wrong.. it can be, and often IS done by some amazing artists. But anyone who's proficient in both, will be hard-pressed to explain how Maya out-of-the-box is more production ready than Softimage out-of-the-box. To promote Softimage as a generalist out-of-the-box solution from day 1 for smaller studios, I think would sit much better with the user community at large. I still think the Area of Excellence is only excellent if you have an RnD team, in-house developers, or a host of 3rd party plug-ins or scripts to get you a truly user-friendly experience. Bundles of Film, Games, and Commercial
Re: In case you missed it..
The mentioned (eventual) move to the cloud leads me to believe this max/maya suite push is intended to, among other things, transition Softimage users over to those packages, which is pretty distasteful considering Autodesk representatives have repeated the reversed case would be offensive to the users and outright wrong! Count me into the group looking desperately for something non-Autodesk with a specific clause it will never be sold to them. On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 2:52 PM, Rob Chapman tekano@gmail.com wrote: never mind Bellsey, you couldn't appreciate the irony of Mr Mayalicious being the Softimage PM either. Its pretty damn obvious that AD sees Softimage as something for its Maya Max users and not something for the Softimage users. On 12 September 2012 13:39, Graham Bell graham.b...@autodesk.com wrote: No, I never said that and I don’t see what I said even remotely suggested that. It’s the context, as Maurice put it – “The specific purpose of the campaign is to encourage 3ds max and Maya users to buy Suites” From: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Rob Chapman Sent: 12 September 2012 13:17 To: softimage@listproc.autodesk.com Subject: Re: In case you missed it.. so basically, the existing Softimage user base can jsut sod off! On 12 September 2012 13:08, Graham Bell graham.b...@autodesk.commailto: graham.b...@autodesk.com wrote: I think what Maurice was saying was that, we wanted to know what Max Maya people thought or perceived the value was of having Mobu, Mudbox and Softimage in their studio/pipeline, in the context of buying and using Suites. The company (to the best of my knowledge) is an independent research company, which means the data is fair and unbiased. Now the thing is, Softimage isn’t just a particles package, we know it’s a full 3D app, it can match Maya and Max on an equal footing, you know it, I know, we know it. But to a fully established Maya/Max studio, strange as it might seem, they perhaps don’t know that, or maybe not full story. Some people have already mentioned about some people’s perception of Softimage(XSI) and wondering if it was still going. And again as people have mentioned, it’s about the perception and showing its worth. They need to see the value, and from the data/survey Maurice mentions (whether you like it or not) seems to suggest that those Maya/Max users thought particles was benefit of having Softimage. Stepping back for a moment, suppose we spin this around, as someone mentioned about the Softimage Suite. Suppose we commissioned the same survey but instead canvassed Softimage users on the benefit of having Mobu, Mudbox, but more importantly Maya and/or Max in their studio/pipeline. What would the perceived value be, I wonder? I’m not saying I completely agree with our marketing strategy or the survey, but on balance I can see the reasoning and a method to the madness. From my view, all I know is that, I need to do all I can to show Softimage in the light it deserves. G From: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.commailto: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.commailto: softimage-boun...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Rob Chapman Sent: 12 September 2012 10:29 To: softimage@listproc.autodesk.commailto: softimage@listproc.autodesk.com Subject: Re: In case you missed it.. wait, Maurice, you hired a company that used Max Maya animators to evaluate Softimage for its benefits to them? then based your entire strategy on this? what about benefits to the existing Softimage user basel! this is the problem we have you fool don't you see it?! pardon the french, calling the head of AD marketing for M E a fool is considerably politer than the choice of words I would like to use. even more incensed now. On 12 September 2012 09:41, Stefan Andersson sander...@gmail.commailto: sander...@gmail.commailto:sander...@gmail.commailto: sander...@gmail.com wrote: My first 3D application was 3d studio r4, couldn't get anywhere. Then I learned Amapi and Electric Image and came a bit further :) However Maya isn't that bad. Gotten used to it over the years and I'm quite bilingual these days. People who started with Prism deserve a price though. regards stefan andersson On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Andreas Bystrom andreas.byst...@gmail.commailto:andreas.byst...@gmail.commailto: andreas.byst...@gmail.commailto:andreas.byst...@gmail.com wrote: My regret is only that I don't jump onto the Maya wagon back then, but stayed in Softimage|3D. I should have switched and learned MEL. Not I, having to learn something as filthy as maya as my first app most likely would have caused me to give up and try something else.. in fact I started out in both max and maya but never got anywhere til I tried softimage... long live the good old days! On
Re: In case you missed it..
In fact, if you check, this is exactly how we do market it: ( www.autodesk.com/softimagehttp://www.autodesk.com/softimage ). As an extension to Autodesk® Maya® http://www.autodesk.com/maya or Autodesk® 3ds Max® http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax software pipelines, while Maya is 3D animation software that delivers a comprehensive creative feature set with tools for animation, modeling, simulation, rendering, matchmoving, and compositing on a highly extensible production platform, and 3dsMax provides a comprehensive, integrated 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing solution for game developers, visual effects artists, and motion graphics artists along with other creative professionals working in the media design industry. Maya is even a compositing package here, something that is only half true (and I'm being generous), while Softimage indeed does have an integrated compositor and its not even mentioned on the Features page. So again, which one of these 3 is being sold short? On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 7:16 PM, Maurice Patel maurice.pa...@autodesk.comwrote: Just to be clear. I run Product Marketing so what you see is in mainly a direct result of my efforts – no mysterious “Autodesk” bogey man. I am ex-softimage/avid and even though I was primarily focused on compositing and DS when I was there, I know full well what the product is capable of and we do make every effort we can market Softimage as a full-fledged application. In fact, if you check, this is exactly how we do market it: ( www.autodesk.com/softimagehttp://www.autodesk.com/softimage ). Autodesk® Softimage® 2013 3D character animation http://www.autodesk.com/3danimation and visual effects software delivers powerful new creative toolsets, a new high-fidelity interactive environment, and extended customizability. These new features help artists and technical directors working in visual effects http://www.autodesk.com/visualeffectssoftware, post production http://www.autodesk.com/postproductionsoftware, and 3D game development http://usa.autodesk.com/media-entertainment/games/ get more from the product. From the new CrowdFX simulation feature, to enhanced modeling, animation, physics, and selection tools, Softimage 2013 helps you create compelling content faster. 3D Character Rigging http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307345 Dynamic Simulation http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307927 ICE Softimage GigaCore http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18306951 Pipeline Integration http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307164 Rendering Imaging http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307868 Character Facial Animation http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307811 Modeling Texturing http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307958 What started this thread (and what most people seem to be hung up on) is a very specific campaign with a very specific purpose. You need to understand that purpose because otherwise the discussion has no meaning. For example, if we run an upgrade program promoting the new features in a release that does NOT mean that those features are all that the product does. It just means that for the intended audience (product owners that you want to upgrade) that is the most relevant message. Of course it makes no sense to a newcomer interested in the overall capabilities of the product. I am going to stand by my original position that if the intent of the campaign is to get Maya and 3ds max users to upgrade to a Suite and start using Softimage and MotionBuilder and Mudbox than the most effective way to do that is to tell them what those products ADD to what they already have. The intent of the campaign is NOT to promote the overall capabilities of Softimage to a new user. Now we can also argue till we are blue in the face as to which campaign we should focus on, but that campaign was specifically chosen because (1) the strategy across all Autodesk industries is to promote Suites and we need to align to that strategy and (2) we have a business to run and our largest business opportunity for Suites is of course 3ds max and Maya users. I am no Don Quixote, and have no interest in fighting pointless battles. I still believe we are embarked on the right strategies to (1) promote our portfolio and (2) grow our business in the context of both market demographics and Autodesk strategy. So let us put this one to rest. The campaign does what it is meant to do and speculating about alternative campaigns, while academically interesting, is irrelevant to the goal of selling Suites. In terms of general awareness – we have limited budgets and so we do what we can with what we have got. Our primary awareness vehicle for all products is the product/trial page on Autodesk.com – this is where the bulk of our
Re: In case you missed it..
and its not even mentioned on the Features page. Correction, it is. If you dig deep enough. On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 7:32 PM, Kiril Aronofski flyone...@gmail.comwrote: In fact, if you check, this is exactly how we do market it: ( www.autodesk.com/softimagehttp://www.autodesk.com/softimage ). As an extension to Autodesk® Maya® http://www.autodesk.com/maya or Autodesk® 3ds Max® http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax software pipelines, while Maya is 3D animation software that delivers a comprehensive creative feature set with tools for animation, modeling, simulation, rendering, matchmoving, and compositing on a highly extensible production platform, and 3dsMax provides a comprehensive, integrated 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing solution for game developers, visual effects artists, and motion graphics artists along with other creative professionals working in the media design industry. Maya is even a compositing package here, something that is only half true (and I'm being generous), while Softimage indeed does have an integrated compositor and its not even mentioned on the Features page. So again, which one of these 3 is being sold short? On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 7:16 PM, Maurice Patel maurice.pa...@autodesk.com wrote: Just to be clear. I run Product Marketing so what you see is in mainly a direct result of my efforts – no mysterious “Autodesk” bogey man. I am ex-softimage/avid and even though I was primarily focused on compositing and DS when I was there, I know full well what the product is capable of and we do make every effort we can market Softimage as a full-fledged application. In fact, if you check, this is exactly how we do market it: ( www.autodesk.com/softimagehttp://www.autodesk.com/softimage ). Autodesk® Softimage® 2013 3D character animation http://www.autodesk.com/3danimation and visual effects software delivers powerful new creative toolsets, a new high-fidelity interactive environment, and extended customizability. These new features help artists and technical directors working in visual effects http://www.autodesk.com/visualeffectssoftware, post production http://www.autodesk.com/postproductionsoftware, and 3D game development http://usa.autodesk.com/media-entertainment/games/ get more from the product. From the new CrowdFX simulation feature, to enhanced modeling, animation, physics, and selection tools, Softimage 2013 helps you create compelling content faster. 3D Character Rigging http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307345 Dynamic Simulation http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307927 ICE Softimage GigaCore http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18306951 Pipeline Integration http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307164 Rendering Imaging http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307868 Character Facial Animation http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307811 Modeling Texturing http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112id=18307958 What started this thread (and what most people seem to be hung up on) is a very specific campaign with a very specific purpose. You need to understand that purpose because otherwise the discussion has no meaning. For example, if we run an upgrade program promoting the new features in a release that does NOT mean that those features are all that the product does. It just means that for the intended audience (product owners that you want to upgrade) that is the most relevant message. Of course it makes no sense to a newcomer interested in the overall capabilities of the product. I am going to stand by my original position that if the intent of the campaign is to get Maya and 3ds max users to upgrade to a Suite and start using Softimage and MotionBuilder and Mudbox than the most effective way to do that is to tell them what those products ADD to what they already have. The intent of the campaign is NOT to promote the overall capabilities of Softimage to a new user. Now we can also argue till we are blue in the face as to which campaign we should focus on, but that campaign was specifically chosen because (1) the strategy across all Autodesk industries is to promote Suites and we need to align to that strategy and (2) we have a business to run and our largest business opportunity for Suites is of course 3ds max and Maya users. I am no Don Quixote, and have no interest in fighting pointless battles. I still believe we are embarked on the right strategies to (1) promote our portfolio and (2) grow our business in the context of both market demographics and Autodesk strategy. So let us put this one to rest. The campaign does what it is meant to do and speculating about alternative campaigns, while academically interesting, is irrelevant to the goal of selling Suites. In terms of general awareness – we
Re: In case you missed it..
Hello Mr. Patel, Let me get this straight. Maya and 3dsMax professionals - presumably long time users - have been hired to evaluate in which areas these other applications add value to their main packages? Aside from the unlikely scenario of Autodesk themselves not knowing their own texture painting/sculpting application would excel in exactly this particular area, virtual production software would have great animation/rigging capabilities, and ICE would be more appreciative than what is natively found in max/maya... you have also used their completely unbiased perspective on what qualifies for the area of excellence and made a chart with this data for a marketing campaign? The same campaign that has been going on for several years and clearly represents companies official stance. I wouldn't say Softimage is being kept alive. At best, a particle plugin has been put on life support. Discouraging. On Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 1:07 AM, Maurice Patel maurice.pa...@autodesk.comwrote: Rolling up my sleeves :) If you don't know me, I (still) head Product/Industry Marketing for ME and have posted a couple of times on the forum about our strategy. First. I'd like to respond to the link to the campaign item that started this thread http://yfrog.com/h0t6exxtj: Although I can't say I am particularly fond of that diagram myself (it's rather ugly), it actually came out of a study commissioned from a third party research company that hired 3ds Max and Maya animators to evaluate what (if any) value Softimage, MotionBuilder and Mudbox offered to Maya and 3ds Max users as a means of determining the value of Suites - so we used it in the Suites Campaign. The specific purpose of the campaign is to encourage 3ds max and Maya users to buy Suites; so yes it focuses only on the areas of these applications that offer significant value above and beyond what Maya and 3ds max can already do. It is not meant to be an exhaustive description of those applications capabilities. I know Autodesk Marketing is often hard to fathom - heck it is for us too, but if we want Softimage to survive we (the marketing team) need to work with the system not against it. We are not going run a campaign to switch Maya or 3ds max users to Softimage - that would kill our business and create a massive customer outcry for no real gain. Any expectation that we would do that is unrealistic. So, if we are not going to do that, then we need to find a better way to get people to adopt Softimage and, while not perfect, Suites has been our best bet yet. Given that, take a pause and ask objectively where is Autodesk's real opportunity here? Is it to run a campaign encouraging Softimage users to add Maya (or 3ds max) to their toolset? Or vice versa? Which would (1) be the better business decision and (2) get Softimage in the hands of more users? You will probably reach the same conclusion we did. In terms of overall exposure, I am not going to deny that Softimage is less visible than when it was part of Avid. Then Softimage was run as its own entity and there was 100% focus on one(ish) product (ish because there was actually a few more than one). That is not the case now. Autodesk runs its business pretty much as one centralized operation for the sale of efficiency and scale and so ME competes with hundreds of other Autodesk products for mind share when it comes to marketing investment and visibility - and ME is not the largest part of Autodesk's business. This dictates exactly how much coverage ME gets and how many and what products we can feature on things like the home page. Oddly enough though, the bulk of our web traffic actually goes directly to the product pages so it can be argued that this specific point is moot anyway. But yes, visibility is reduced and suffers as a function of a given product's ranking in the Autodesk product stack. Believe me, I have similar discussions with Flame users who also believe we have abandoned marketing Flame. Deep down most of this is related to our centralized marketing processes discussed above and not to any individual. This is not going to change nor is it clear that any alternative could be successful and/or profitable. Or at least not in the sense one might expect. In the long run Suites and Cloud Services are changing the way Autodesk views products but not in the traditional sense. My team's constant challenge is therefore to figure out how to increase visibility within the systems we have - be it through more aggressive social media strategies (why we launched the Softimage Facebook page) or other methods. While the good old days have nostalgic value (and yes we remember when Discreet Logic had its own website, as did Alias and Softimage, with their own dedicated Marketing resources), we have long realized we can never go back to those days. The battles have moved on to new battlefields - but it does continue! Maurice Maurice Patel Autodesk : Tél: 514
Re: In case you missed it..
This discussion has been led repeatedly over the past several years and, frankly, nothing indicates it will ever change. The outlook of Softimage has even deteriorated quite a lot... I am one of the students who made the leap of faith a few years ago and jumped into Softimage on account of being very impressed with its animation capabilities and general enthusiasm surrounding ICE. While the learning has been nothing but a pleasantry, I am sad to say, I can only see it as a huge mistake now. Prior to this, I have, rather unwisely, not contacted studios in my area - or tried in any other way - to find out which software they require the knowledge of. Now, getting closer to graduation, I have kept an eye out for the past few months and the situation is depressingly bleak. Job offerings that involve XSI in any way come so rarely, I have already started retraining myself for Maya (which I have some previous experience with). Don't mean to come off as some kind of a whiner, but I'll make a point that saying AD is trying to get Softimage needed exposure by getting more studios on the suites is naive and fundamentally wrong because this is actually the ONLY way they are exposing it. While Max and Maya are getting into peoples hands left and right, Softimage is limited to an odd mention on the side and even than just to let you know you can fly some particles around in ICE. I cannot possibly see how demoting a full-fledged package to a simple helper tool can encourage any one individual, let alone a studio, to base their long term plans on it. ... I thought about what Serguei Kalentchouk said and I would trust someone from DreamWorks to know what he's talking about. My question is, is XSI now worse than Maya was 6, 8, 10 years ago when these studios started building their pipelines? I have no illusions soft will not be radically changing a decade old institution, but does it mean that can't stand on the same footing when offered fresh and off the shelf? Kiril On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 1:25 AM, Simon Reeves si...@simonreeves.com wrote: Pete's point about about having more licences knocking around because of the suite has already come to light in the small studio I'm working at... They Had a good offer to upgrade to the suites, useful to have a licence of maya and xsi for the odd thing ...and I think they're tired of max, some not so great experience with maya, and me in the corner yapping on about soft. They're used to vray so that's a bonus, interested in Arnold, and whatever ICE may be. That AD image is mostly funny because of how max hangs on in the middle, never mind where soft is.. And maybe it's good it has a separate role, not being one of the two apps that do the same job (according to the image) On 10 Sep 2012, at 23:55, Steven Caron car...@gmail.com wrote: indeed, API wise i will always admit Maya's is more open and in that way better. i have no delusions about my choice being anything more than 'personal preference'. s On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 3:35 PM, Serguei Kalentchouk serguei.kalentch...@gmail.com wrote: I know we all like XSI on this list but I always feel in these discussions that the the perceived benefit of XSI over Maya is greatly exaggerated due to personal preference.
Re: In case you missed it..
How many schools are training students using Houdini as the main application? Is it relevant? I have not argued more schools should teach Softimage. I have argued its perceived value, encouraged by Autodesk, is lower than it should be (keep in mind I'm not putting it in comparative relation to any other application). Besides, Houdini is top of its niche and Sidefx didn't buy Softimage so it can quietly coexist under Houdini. RE: learning more than one This is a nice argument but, ideally, you'd prefer the software you put time into pay off in the end, right? Not fear for your chances because you're not nearly as prolific in a different one... Anyway, it was wrong of me to bring personal worries into discussion... It is worth saying this cycle of studios avoiding soft because of a smaller talent pool, and the pool getting even smaller as a result, is going to have an effect eventually. If it didn't already. Kiril On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 2:36 AM, Bradley Gabe witha...@gmail.com wrote: How many schools are training students using Houdini as the main application? On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 7:25 PM, Kiril Aronofski flyone...@gmail.comwrote: This discussion has been led repeatedly over the past several years and, frankly, nothing indicates it will ever change. The outlook of Softimage has even deteriorated quite a lot...
Re: Windows 8 - anyone?
RE: desktops are doomed Don't forget all this mobile devices are consumerist in nature - someone will somehow still have to create the content for them to consume. Desktop sales are in decline as most people realize they can survive with a tablet and a phone. In my opinion Microsoft is trying to leverage both worlds by making this hybrid system where a desktop is a professional environment you can enter if you wish so, but metro is the frontend - something most users will be spending their time in. For the record, I do not think they are even close to making it all work right now. They have invaded power-user's/enterprise's space heavily and sacrificed it in an effort to appeal to the market they desperately need a foot in. Than again, PC's have been skipping every other version of windows forever now so how is this anything new? And Gene, I agree he shouldn't be talking down to onyone based on what OS they are using... but Apple's dominance is in mobile world (in other words, iOS) and that's where their value comes from. Microsoft still owns the largest chunk of desktop market so, technically, he is offending only a small percentage of just about everyone. -Kiril On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 7:26 PM, Nicolas Burtnyk nico...@redshift3d.comwrote: As you know there is no link between the valuation on the gambling market that is the stock market, and the actual results of a company. Microsoft has sold more than 650 million licenses of Windows 7 in three years, but the stock is cheap because it doesn't attract gamblers. Actually Apple and Microsoft have almost identical PE ratios so their stock price vs. actual company performance (earnings) is almost identical. On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 10:18 AM, Luc-Eric Rousseau luceri...@gmail.comwrote: On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 12:56 PM, Gene Crucean emailgeneonthel...@gmail.com wrote: They're mac users after all. You know you are talking down to just about everybody these days right? Apple was just reported as the worlds most valuable company. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/story/2012-08-20/apple-most-valuable-company/57161260/1 (check the dates on that too. MS hasn't been at that valuation since 1999!!!) As you know there is no link between the valuation on the gambling market that is the stock market, and the actual results of a company. Microsoft has sold more than 650 million licenses of Windows 7 in three years, but the stock is cheap because it doesn't attract gamblers. But if we want to play that game, adjusted for inflation MS was at $853.7 billion in 1999. that number doesn't compare to apple's $623.5 billion valuation today, it went much higher. And meaninglessly so, because that's just a measure how much traders think other traders will buy the stock for. http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/11/28/maximizing-shareholder-value-the-dumbest-idea-in-the-world/
Re: What's the best video introduction to ICE?
This might not be what youre looking for, because, to a TD you'd want to show something more in depth, but the best demo has to be **Mark's Amazing ICE video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do1kzR6gVYk On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 11:04 PM, Steven Caron car...@gmail.com wrote: i suggest all of paul's videos... https://vimeo.com/40589904 some of the most creative usages of ice out there. there are a lot of them, varying lengths, varying subject matter, easily digestible s On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 1:59 PM, Paul Griswold pgrisw...@fusiondigitalproductions.com wrote: CMIVFX has some pretty nice videos. Thiago's ICE for a production pipeline is very good. -Paul On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 4:41 PM, Luc-Eric Rousseau luceri...@gmail.comwrote: Say you wanted to explain to someone (let's say someone who has already has a TD background ) what ICE is by sending him a link. Which online video is the best? I'd like something that eventually covers some of the fundamentals that make ICE interesting, like contexts.. There is a Bradley Gabe Masterclass on The Area (http://area.autodesk.com/masterclasses/class09_softimage), I think it might be a little too long, even though there is a great stuff in there
Re: Intro to the new team (was RE: Softimage development)
There are too many variables at play with giant, multi-person projects like software or, for the sake of example, movies: George Lucas made the Star Wars movies. He then went on to make Howard the Duck. Conversely, while Lucas directed A New Hope, Irvin Kirshner directed Empire. So, basically, what you're saying is, you need a great team around you in order to make a great product. Or else, you make Howard the Duck. Subsequently, you go on to make 3 more episodes proving once and for all you are really just a bad director who had a bit of luck the first time around. Essentially, you are better off letting people who know what they are doing, do the job you arent capable of doing yourself... Ah, there! You can fill in the blanks if you like. I'll give you a hint; mayans had no idea how to direct a movie. ;) On a more serious note (although, I'm not sure how significant my opinion is here), I'd have to agree with Rob on this whole uncertainty afair with Softimage. As a student, I chose to invest my time in learning Softimage despite a huge presure all around not to do so and instead spend time in front of Maya. I saw the quality and was assured by the fact that upon acquisition Autodesk did not dismantle the product or the team behind it. This last couple of weeks have taken a huge toll on that certainty and made me very uncomfortable about my decision. I wonder how many newcomers are here to feel the same. This company have done everything in its power to discourage people who do not comply to the maya philosophy. It's not the end of the world, but the signs are not looking good. On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 8:42 PM, Bradley Gabe witha...@gmail.com wrote: There are too many variables at play with giant, multi-person projects like software or, for the sake of example, movies: George Lucas made the Star Wars movies. He then went on to make Howard the Duck. Conversely, while Lucas directed A New Hope, Irvin Kirshner directed Empire. There are many more options than a b from your list. We should deal with the ones we have control over. Do the best you can with what you have, and hope for the best while hedging your bets. :-) Cheers! On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 2:13 PM, Rob Chapman tekano@gmail.com wrote: So, lets try and reach some logical clarity then, for I am still somewhat confused and in a dilemma over this brash move with the development of my application of choice. Is Autodesk implying here that as an existing Softimage customer I should:- a) Stick with Softimage even though the entire original development team has been moved to Maya or left and replaced b) Move to Maya, as it is the lead application of choice in M E division and all the best developers are attracted here through AD internal strategies ? Congratulations on your newborn by the way Sidharth!
Re: Intro to the new team (was RE: Softimage development)
we've got a Maya meeting tomorrow! Hope no sacrifice will be involved. On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 7:24 AM, guillaume laforge guillaume.laforge...@gmail.com wrote: Time to go to bed Luc-Eric, we've got a Maya meeting tomorrow! Guillaume Laforge Sorry, could not resist ;) Sent from my phone On 2012-04-19, at 21:53, Luc-Eric Rousseau luceri...@gmail.com wrote: On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:39 PM, Kiril Aronofski flyone...@gmail.com wrote: Am I wrong in thinking that those who moved over to maya FX project are people largely responsible for ICE work in Softimage? Seeing how most of the new guys come with a strong game software engineering background, We've trained new people in ICE, they've been co-developing the ICE features with us for two releases now. ICE development will continue. Chun Pong did not list the full staff on the product
