Here is an easy way out for the marketing peeps... they killed Softimage....to bring back XSI. Sigh... going to keep up the fight.
Here is what I think happened... they cant invest a lot into Soft.. they have to pick one spend the big bucks on... they thought not giving Soft all the love it deserved was worse than killing it.. surely they were not losing money with the new small dev team? But someone thought it would be better to just man up and axe it now as it was not getting enough focus. While strangely the new team was actually making a lot of beta members happy...even going the extra mile right at the end to get us decent release... My thought is keep that team alive... I was happy with 2015 .. I know it cant be ADs top dog...just give it a boost in the areas the 3rd party people cant.... add Open Subd's, Ptex and expand the SDK... I am not asking AD to make it number one for RnD... but for god sake keep it alive. Let Soft steal some math here and there from your other products.... not letting apps cross pollinate is silly. It would show for once....AD listened..... that would go a long way to boost your consumers confidence. ...which is at a all time low. On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 2:38 PM, Mario Reitbauer <[email protected]>wrote: > Sry Emilio it wasn't my intention to hurt any feelings. > I won't post anything like that anymore but gonna be helpful instead. > > So if we want to keep softimage there need to be reasons presented to the > managers they on the other hand can present to the shareholders. > > It needs to have an impact on the shareholders, otherwise AD management > won't care. What could those reasons be ? > 1) that many users won't migrate to maya > --> cancel your subscription immediatly and stay with the actual version > you got and tell them why you do it. > 2) deliver them a list of studios and people who will not migrate to maya > 3) i don't know what else shareholders and management could care about. > > In the end it's though to find anything which could impress the management > that much that they would continue to develop SI. > > > 2014-03-08 21:15 GMT+01:00 Emilio Hernandez <[email protected]>: > > Well Mario, without any disrespect to your decision. >> >> Move on. We are holding here and we will. >> >> You have already made up your mind. So many of we. And it is really >> getting to start annoying that each time we are trying to put something. A >> guy with "Move on" pop in. >> >> I think that by at this time and specially with Autodesk's yesterday >> announcment that we can use Softimage perpetually. Many have alraeady made >> up their minds. >> >> So move on man! But please stop jumping in and say it is "useless". >> >> Cheers and I wish you the best in your decisions. >> >> ------------------------------------------------------- >> Emilio Hernández VFX & 3D animation. >> >> >> 2014-03-08 14:09 GMT-06:00 Mario Reitbauer <[email protected]>: >> >> Mirko you are actually right. I guess it hits me harder then a lot of >>> others beeing a TD (and Animator). >>> >>> But I know allready that I need to do the transtion within the next >>> years and that I need to start yesterday. >>> Just want to share my sight of view that its time to move on, even if >>> they keep SI up. >>> Nontheless, the longer SI is out there the easier it makes us the >>> transition I guess. >>> >>> >>> 2014-03-08 21:01 GMT+01:00 Mirko Jankovic <[email protected]>: >>> >>> Mario, I guess that most affected are specialized guys like you, like >>>> my friend Alessio.. TDs and similar with skills that are pretty focused to >>>> Softimage alone. >>>> Let's face it, to learn to animate, light, render... in Maya coming >>>> from Softimage, doesn't take much. Rigging is a bit different set of shoes. >>>> Also small shops, generalist pretty much anyone that is kinda self >>>> sustained is still not that affected as client doesn't ask what tool is >>>> used but just interested in final result. >>>> Also most of "small" guys are not even using like half of SI's power so >>>> even couple years without upgrades, unless some big bugs are there, is not >>>> a problem. >>>> But bigger shops will move from SI, with that also shortage of jobs for >>>> Softimage specialists. >>>> Once 3rd party developers start developing that is beginning of the >>>> real end. >>>> Truth is 3rd party guys put Softimage on steroids and developed for SI >>>> more than AD did and would do in the next 5 years at least. >>>> So it is easier to understand pessimism coming from couple of your >>>> posts. >>>> >>>> But there is still a lot of time even for you and similar cases to >>>> adapt, if needed well learn new tools and toys. >>>> There are a lot of shops that will still stay with Softimage for years >>>> to come so it is not like you will right away be left on dry, right?? >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 8:54 PM, Mario Reitbauer < >>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I would love to do that but as mentioned in another post. >>>>> >>>>> Now as we have seen what happend to SI (and might happen again if they >>>>> keep it up) which company is going to stick to SI ? >>>>> I mean were are we guys gonna find jobs with SI ? >>>>> >>>>> Don't you think the harm is allready done ? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> 2014-03-08 20:30 GMT+01:00 Eric Turman <[email protected]>: >>>>> >>>>> Nicely put Greg, >>>>>> >>>>>> I have to add that I'm very weary of the "its just a tool" excuse. >>>>>> Sticks and rocks put together are tools too but they can not achieve the >>>>>> same quality in the brief period that a laser CNC machine can...and they >>>>>> are both "just tools." Softimage is an amazing a force multiplier that >>>>>> allows much smaller teams to accomplish tasks well beyond much larger >>>>>> teams >>>>>> using other tools. It is a very myopic move for Autodesk to stifle >>>>>> innovation. >>>>>> >>>>>> -=Eric Turman >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 12:20 PM, Greg Punchatz >>>>>> <[email protected]>wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Keep up the noise people!! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Change has already happened.... keep up the pressure folks. Write to >>>>>>> your congressman..Ermm, I mean this guy... >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Please PLEASE... don't name call... but for god's sake let him know >>>>>>> why this is a BIG MISTAKE for his company and yours! It's worse for them >>>>>>> than it is for us, for them to kill soft..it simply makes no short or >>>>>>> long >>>>>>> term sense. They are doing nothing but alienating users, not just on the >>>>>>> Softimage side---as I have not met a single Maya or Max user that >>>>>>> actually >>>>>>> likes the company called Autodesk. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Let him know that there is a market for Soft..and the ONLY reason >>>>>>> they are not making a killing on it is that they won't invest and market >>>>>>> it...that's it...otherwise it would have been gaining and growing the >>>>>>> user-base like mad. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It also gives AD a safety net... Maya is busting at the seams... >>>>>>> they are now having to make programs that run outside of Maya to do >>>>>>> a tenth of what ICE does...Biofrost... Bio-hazard is more like it from >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> word on the street. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> If it falls apart, and AD falls on its face, as it has many times >>>>>>> with attempted "rewrite" (Toxic any one?..remember that was supposed to >>>>>>> turn into the 3d app too..lol, how quickly people forget ADs blunders. >>>>>>> How >>>>>>> many millions were wasted on that dev...vs what it costs to buy and >>>>>>> maintain soft???). Soft is the only recently rewritten core...major >>>>>>> overhaul was done for ice.. major) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What Autodesk needs is a Walt Disney, a John Lassiter or dare I say >>>>>>> a Willy Wonka? It needs a visionary leader that has been in the >>>>>>> trenches of >>>>>>> all aspects of 3d and compositing. Who understands the needs of the big >>>>>>> and >>>>>>> small shops alike... >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One who knows the future is not in a code base which is more than 24 >>>>>>> years old. One that understands that if the customer is happy, the stock >>>>>>> holders will be happy. The person should not be driven by board >>>>>>> meetings, >>>>>>> but rather exciting the entire 3d user base instead of alienating them. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One who understands that what makes a great development team is >>>>>>> great and transparent interaction with its beta testers.. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One who is not afraid to let one product outshine the rest on its >>>>>>> own merits...(like the Whiskey Tree elysium demo that was axed at >>>>>>> siggraph >>>>>>> last year since it outshone the Disney technology AD licensed.) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One that understands there should be a production team at AD using >>>>>>> their products to produce short films, so they have a freaking clue what >>>>>>> the real world needs...this is how both softimage and alias used to do >>>>>>> it...before they were bought by companies that simply don't understand >>>>>>> how >>>>>>> creativity works... >>>>>>> >>>>>>> One that the user aspires to be like......because that person "makes >>>>>>> the cool stuff" >>>>>>> >>>>>>> AD you are making creative software...AD needs to foster a creative >>>>>>> culture...period. IF AD thinks you have, I can assure you that you have >>>>>>> not... your results speak for themselves. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Don't kill Soft, prop it up and keep it viable...and MARKET IT! >>>>>>> It can already do so much your other two 3d apps can't... >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Do the same with the rest... keep them alive..until AD delivers a >>>>>>> new modern app that we will all be happy to move to. >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -=T=- >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >
