Just notice this book updated to 2014. Very basic but can help new students and others transitioning to Softimage.
Autodesk Softimage 2014: A Tutorial-Approach<http://www.amazon.com/Autodesk-Softimage-2014-Tutorial-Approach/dp/1936646560> I wish they would update the Production Serie CDs. Learned a lot from those CDs On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 9:52 AM, Angus Davidson <[email protected]>wrote: > If I can just chime in from an education point of view. > > Firstly I will say they have been getting better, but in the 6 years we > have used Softimage the overall learning resources have been abysmal > compared with the likes of Maya and 3Dmax. Both from a visibility and just > easily availability. Yes there have been some awesome third party ones done > and many have been shown on this list they haven't always been easy to find > (sometimes you have to wade through a lot of crap unless you know of the > exact artist). > > Its a complaint we have had from students pretty much every year. Most > students end up purchasing a digital tutors sub because they now have some > really good Softimage stuff. Its not always about whether something is > available, but whether its in a place that your person just starting out > can find it. > > Softimage even used to ship with a free digital tutors CD in. > Unfortunately those have become fairly dated (although still in very active > use by our students as fundamentals remain the same. There have been very > many discussions over the last few years (quite heavily before 2014 was > released) about how a lot of folks don't feel they are getting value from > their subscriptions. Something as simple as the DT intro courses bundled > with it would be a massive gamechanger as far as education is concerned. > > I dont think anyone is suggesting dumbing down the software is a > solution but I do think Andy has a big point in that if we are to gain more > folks using Softimage there needs to be more ways to get people past the > initial hump. > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Andy Moorer [[email protected]] > *Sent:* 22 July 2013 03:25 AM > > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: I can't believe there is no tutorial for Softimage on > Autodesk webiste > > Whoa, hold on. I'm not suggesting Softimage try to become C4D... I'm > just pointing out that they have done a great job of gaining new users by > eliminating the fear of the learning curve and by putting effort into > smoothing the barriers for new untechnical artists. > > But not hobbyists, artists, ones who are professionals, perhaps not > technical directors but lets face it we as TDs are creating these people's > visions, and many people who start out clueless with any tool of any kind > of complexity end up doing amazing and sophisticated work in a few short > years. > > I agree with you that in many ways C4D is a dead end when those people > get to a point where their ideas outstrip its capabilities as a production > tool. Heck, the discovery by small studios and creatives that C4d can't cut > it past a certain point is where my most recent paychecks as a hired gun > have originated. > > So why not pave the way for those same talented people to get into > Softimage, not by diverting the development of the software itself but by > putting significant effort into demonstrating via educational resources > like tutorials how easy it is to do very impressive graphics work with > minimal training, using Softimage? > > You don't have to dumb down the software to appeal to nontechnical > people, you just have to recognize that many of these people are not > natural self-trainers and give them guidance to get rolling. Those > "nontechnical" people aren't dumb, and might just find themselves going > further than they could have ever foreseen. > > Sent from my iPad > > On Jul 21, 2013, at 5:27 PM, Raffaele Fragapane < > [email protected]> wrote: > > In all honesty, if Soft was to go down the route C4D went in the last > four years I'd move away from it in a hurry. > This isn't some kind of mis-placed elitism, it's more that the appeal to > the MCD of the app becomes more apparent each version, and while it's very > fast and practical at doing many small things, it's growing sclerotically > dysfunctional at the bigger picture and it's developed an extremely narrow > sighted user-base. > > There's also a big Apple factor to its success in that field unrelated to > the situation you outline that shouldn't be left out of the picture. > > C4D is more likely to still be a product in three years, for sure, but > it's lost all chances to become a platform. > > ZBrush I don't believe should feature in the comparison and context at > all, it's a singular, field defining blip in history that has little to > nothing in common with the availability of education or its target, and it > results from a singular and very left field vision to begin with. > > I can't say I have seen such complex work done in C4D by all these > amazing artists either. I've seen a lot of small bits recombined any and > every way, sure, but most of it is painfully obvious as a form of thinking > particles kit bashing. Compared to the original FX work done in Soft, Maya > or Houdini for commercials and titles (IE: G-Star Raw work by Glassworks) > it's way below par. > > They've seriously pigeonholed themselves, but they have done so in a very > profitable niche they have now almost cornered. More After Effects than 3D > DCC. > > > On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 4:42 AM, Andy Moorer <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I think Cinema4D is a great example of the effectiveness of >> spoon-feeding newbies on basic techniques that give them results. C4D has >> very capable artists flocking to it, these are people who are intimidated >> by DCCs and yet who have a lot to offer... Designers and other creatives, >> Zbrush artists and so on. >> >> They have a perception that C4D is easy to use (despite every 3d DCC >> requiring effort to learn) and that perception is enough to get them to go >> the next step, viewing easy to find tutorials, in which immediately useful >> stuff is shown with emphasis on how easy it is. >> >> The result - a fast growing userbase of artists, and those >> art-oriented-people drive a great many jobs. >> >> I see designers who do very complex work in C4D who are -still- afraid >> to try other tools, because what they see are mid to high level workflows >> straight off the bat. >> >> Which is more likely to still be a product in 3-5 years, C4D or >> Softimage? Is this "cater to the newbies" strategy one worth adopting? It >> seems very effective... >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >> This communication is intended for the addressee only. It is >> confidential. 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