This sounds like a very accurate account. And so Softimage was OEL'ed because it didn't run on Mac OS and Maya did, so it didn't fit into Autodesks plans for a Game platform...?
Maurice, if I read this correctly Skyline was primarily targeting the game industry, and was never intended to be a new gen platform for those who use Maya and Softimage now!? This would then mean that trying to build on Maya and adding Bifröst is a fall back plan in attempt to offer at least something new and advanced to the Movie VFX userbase. I think it becomes more and more clear that Autodesk doesn't care at all about the TVC market as it is too small compared to Movie VFX and Games, so they have focused their development plans on the DCC's that have the largest userbase rather than the best technical content. You could have had a Houdini competitor!! I have lost all trust in Autodesk at this point, but you can still turn a big PR disaster into something good if you bite the bullet and do a U-turn here: 1. Best solution: Get Softimage back in development and sales, put ICE development on afterburner and market it huge. Personally I don't believe in this one happening, but it would be ideal for us and for Autodesk. 2. Keep selling Softimage licenses and focus development on bugfixing and opening up the SDK so 3rd party developers can do the advanced development for Softimage. This one would not be so expensive, but would keep Autodesk in the game with a technologically advanced DCC when Max and Maya eventually fail due to old age. 3. Just keep selling Softimage and fix critical bugs along the way. The least attractive solution to the users, but a lot better than killing it totally. My 2 cents, and keeping fingers crossed. Morten Bartholdy Den 18. marts 2014 kl. 17:28 skrev Dan Pejril <[email protected]>: > Hi Maurice, > > I truly appreciate you coming here and setting the record straight > finally. However it is spun, Softimage was purchased in mind to gut its > code and to reassign the intellectual backbone to other packages. > Granted there was supposed to be a Next-Gen App that would replace them > all. But at the end of the day, Softimage has been ignored by AD over > the years and now killed. In addition, there is no Softimage, no > Next-Gen App, no current replacement for Softimage now, nor in the near > future. There is only a software package most of us have initially left > to go to Softimage in the first place. > > What truly boggles my mind is how disastrous AD's public relations are. > For the size AD is, I would think they would have a better way of > relating with the public. I can't help but to feel that information > regarding Softimage has been misrepresented and I now find it hard to > believe AD has any credibility left. I hope AD can get its act together > and figure how to relate to the community and somehow patch the ill will > created. Until then, I will be looking for solutions outside the AD > umbrella. > > Thank you for the straight talk. So long, and thanks for all the fish. > > > On 3/18/2014 11:21 AM, Maurice Patel wrote: > > Hi Perry, > > At that time, although Softimage was not an area we were planning on investing more in, there was no plan to discontinue it. That decision was only made at the end of last year. Last year was a watershed one for the industry for many different reasons resulting in many significant changes to our strategy. At the time this statement was made we did not even have any plans for MayaLT. Unfortunately things can change very fast. > > maurice > > > > Maurice Patel > > Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134 > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Perry Harovas > > Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 11:12 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: Autodesk webinar > > > > Maurice, I know things change, but this statement from Marc was only a year and a half ago: > > > > "Autodesk plans to continue to develop all of products mentioned [in this story]. These are all solutions that serve many different customer needs across multiple industries and in many different types of workflows. > > We are not discontinuing development on any of the products you mentioned but we will increase focus in specific areas where individual products are strong." > > > > > >
