Thank you for posting this - my sentiments exactly Alastair - very well put.
Softimage is the very reason why we can handle complex stuff with a very small crew. With Maya on the horizon we will be less effective and have to hire more freelance TD's to get the same things done => less money earned. Morten Bartholdy VFX Supervisor Gimmickvfx.com Den 10. marts 2014 kl. 11:20 skrev Alastair Hearsum <[email protected]>: > Dan Y and other folks, I hope this comes across as firm but reasonable. I > will post it on other appropriate sites. Any ideas on that front? > > An open letter to Autodesk. > > Dear Autodesk > > My name is Alastair Hearsum. I’m a founding partner, director and head of > 3d at Glassworks. If you haven’t heard of us, we are a small to midsized > company which has been creating VFX and animation for TV commercials for > markets around the world, for the past 20 years. We have branches in > London, Amsterdam and Barcelona. We create innovative and multi award > winning work and we use Softimage. > > Your announcement that you are retiring Softimage has left us saddened, > disappointed and not a little angry. The anger for two reasons; that you > have shot the racehorse of the 3d software world in the head in its prime > but also that you didn’t consult with us about this assassination or > discuss any of your plans for the future with us. We have no idea what the > future from you holds. We are big and longstanding users of other Autodesk > products as well as Softimage. The puzzling thing is, technologically > speaking, there was no writing on the wall as there was with Henry and > Flame, for example, or these days with Flame and Nuke. > > We have been punching above our weight, in London, for the past 20 years > competing well with the much larger organisations of MPC, Framestore and > The Mill. One of the reasons we have been able to do that, apart from the > deep talent of our crew is, I believe, because of the software that we > chose. I’m nearly 150 years old now but I still sit at the computer making > pictures for TV commercials to the same arduous schedule that I always > have. So I know what I’m talking about. For a period a few years back we > had a 50/50 split of Maya and Softimage. We chose to go 100% Softimage. Its > better for the work that we do and the sector we are in. Its no coincidence > that all the finalists in the recent British Animation Awards (tv > commercials) did their work in Softimage. Similarly, both silver and gold > award winners in the 3d animation category at this year’s British > Television Advertising Craft awards were Softimage companies. > > You may well go on to list major work that’s been done in Maya. Sure there > has, and great work too. But Maya is used as a shell in the major film > effect companies. It is heavily customised and unrecognisable as the > product you ship. We have our proprietary software and tailored workflow as > well, but Softimage remains pretty much untouched. It is lean, efficient, > and the ICE environment is innovative and empowering. > > So you’ve done it. What’s next? Like I said we have had vague information > about what the future holds. We hear rumours about bi-frost and that’s > about it. From what I understand from various sources there are no plans to > replicate the efficient workflow and full ice functionality that made us so > productive. You have offered free transitionary licenses of Maya with the > threat of having to discontinue using Softimage in 2 years time. > > > The final thought is not just about what software is best for our future > but also about what sort of software supply company we want to get into bed > with. The attributes that come top of my list: listening to customers, > acting on their recommendations, speedy development, innovation. Now does > that sound like you? > > Alastair Hearsum > Glassworks. > > > > -- > Alastair Hearsum > Head of 3d > > > [GLASSWORKS] > 33/34 Great Pulteney Street > London > W1F 9NP > +44 (0)20 7434 1182 > glassworks.co.uk <http://www.glassworks.co.uk/> > > > Glassworks Terms and Conditions of Sale can be found at glassworks.co.uk > > (Company registered in England with number 04759979. Registered office 25 > Harley Street, London, W1G 9BR. VAT registration number: 867290000) > > Please consider the environment before you print this email. > > DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and attachments are strictly privileged, private > and confidential and are intended solely for the stated recipient(s). Any > views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not > necessarily represent those of the Company. If you are not the intended > recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that > any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is > strictly prohibited. If this transmission is received in error please > kindly return it to the sender and delete this message from your system.
