I'm starting to realize there isn't some new Autodesk software that's
going to fill this spot, and Maya isn't going to do it even after a few
years of releases.
I'm so angry with Autodesk for this absurd move.
Where do I sign up for the resistance?
Dave G
On 3/18/2014 12:34 PM, Paul Griswold wrote:
Thanks Maurice,
So the information I have today is - most of my work is done with
Softimage and there is 0% chance it will be continued.
Autodesk has a 99% failure rate internally with creating innovative
products. (your words)
Autodesk wants me to move to Maya, an old, outdated package that
cannot do what I need now, requires significant work (scripts,
plugins, etc.) to make usable, is not conducive to small shops or
freelancers, and there is no promise that it will ever be able to do
what Softimage can do right now. Making that move not only moves me
back to the junior level, but reduces my pay, lowers the quality of my
work, and significantly hampers my ability to compete.
Bifrost is being developed at a company with a 99% failure rate with
creating innovative products. Bifrost is not an ICE replacement and
may never be one.
And, apparently in this industry you should not have all your eggs in
one basket. Unfortunately Autodesk bought the goose laying the golden
eggs and wrung it's neck. Now there's no more eggs. I also find it
ironic that someone from ADSK just said we shouldn't have all our eggs
in one basket, yet they want everyone to buy suites and are trying to
emulate the Adobe model.... Or was that just something you say
because there's really no answer for what Autodesk has done?
Yes, I think I can make a decision based on that information.
-Paul
On Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 1:47 PM, Maurice Patel
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Hi Paul, Adam
We do understand that people build their livelihoods on our
software. This is something we take seriously, although (with good
reason) you might find it hard to believe right now. Every year
we spend significant resources maintaining legacy code so that the
new features we add to our products don't radically disrupt
customers workflows. We really do try not to take unnecessary
risks with our software. And we have an incredibly long track
record of developing software for the long term - one can just
look at AutoCAD and 3ds Max. Even acquisitions like Flame and Maya
have continued to be extensively developed at Autodesk as have
other product acquisitions.
We have stated and are committed both to developing our core
products and to innovating. Our decision to focus on 3ds max and
Maya was so we could continue to do both adequately (not one or
the other). We are a high tech company so it wouldn't be realistic
to expect us not to try to innovate even if the risks are high.
That does not mean that is all we do.
I am not denying that Softimage customers are now facing some
challenging decisions. But several have said on the forum, and I
would personally agree with them, that in this industry - as in
any high-tech industry - it can be risky to have all your eggs in
one basket, even if that means looking outside of Autodesk (and
there are some very interesting solutions out there). Giants fall
(look at SGI). We are not immune to that either. Personally, I do
not think that will happen, but no one at Autodesk will ever make
any explicit guarantees about the future. All I can say is make
your software decisions based on what you see today - anything
else would be, to a certain extent, vaporware and speculation,
especially the farther out you look.
maurice
Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134 <tel:514%20954-7134>
From: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto:[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>] On Behalf Of
Paul Griswold
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 12:15 PM
To: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Autodesk webinar
In Softimage we have a production-proven, solid tool. ICE works
TODAY, not 2 years from today, not in a dream of a product called
Bifrost, but right NOW.
Are you telling everyone here who has based their ENTIRE business
around Softimage, we should trust Autodesk to have a fully
functioning tool ready that will do EVERYTHING Softimage can do
TODAY by the time Softimage hits the end? We should believe that
after you've just admitted that Skyline was a failure?
These aren't a bunch of ideas or concepts here, these are our
businesses! We feed our families, we pay our bills, we survive
based on Softimage and now we have to hope that somehow Bifrost is
not in the 99% failure, but 1% innovation?
Do you seriously want us to bet our future on that? Would you go
home and tell your significant other that rather than focusing on
a tool that works for you, makes money for you right now, you're
betting everything on a promise from Autodesk??
Who on earth does business like that?? Is Autodesk going to pay
our mortgages or feed our families when Bifrost falls apart?
Because unless that's the plan, I can't think of a single sane
person who would go along with this Maya-only plan.
This is absolutely a terrible way to do business and everyone at
Autodesk knows it. They've just dug in their heels to avoid
looking like they've made a colossal mistake.
-Paul
On Tue, Mar 18, 2014 at 12:08 PM, Adam Sale <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]><mailto:[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>> wrote:
Maurice, in all of this talk the one glaring omission is this. You
guys are always trying to innovate. You have said success is often
99 percent failure to one percent success. Well, in the event
bifrost falls by the wayside like skyline did, all of a sudden
autodesk will have zero node based solutions to do the type of ice
work we expect of a dcc product. How is that a wise move as a
company? Its like throwing out the baby with the bath water and
seems incredibly short sighted. So as we move to bifrost to begin
our transition away from ICE, we may be in this same mess a couple
years down the road if it doesnt pan out. Imagine the fallout
then.. people will go absolutely nuclear on AD.
Adam
