Autodesk Softimage to be discontinued

[Xycaleth]

To the modelers out there, this news maybe of interest to you. Autodesk are discontinuing its Softimage modeling software after its next release in the month to come:

 

http://area.autodesk.com/softimagetransition

[minilogoguy18]

They wanted to kill it from day one. They bought the software, took what they needed from it and integrated it into their other softwares.

 

Wish they would just sell it to someone who will care about it since when Avid owned it Softimage was killing 3ds max and Maya in features.

[Futuza]

Release the source code before abandoning project evil company!

[minilogoguy18]

If it goes away completely I'll probably use it for a while then migrate to another software that is NOT owned by Autodesk. With Maya's terrible UI and 3ds Max's aweful animation tools there's no reason to use another product from Autodesk since ZBrush also beats the shit out of Mudbox. It was also nice back when Avid owned SI since you could buy 3 different versions and the Fundamentals was affordable for the hobbyist.

[Archangel35757]

Sad news...   Better download all your updates and archive them.

[minilogoguy18]

Hopefully the grow a brain and just sell the software. Autodesk is such a terrible company, if I switch software I'll either go to Houdini or Blender, won't use anything Autodesk.

 

3ds Max will probably be next since they're integrating everything into Maya since you have to remember that just like Softimage, 3ds Max was an acquisition as well from Discreet. Autodesk doesn't really make anything, they just play monopoly with software since they buy the development teams when buying out the software.

[DT.]

If Maya is all that's left, I'm going to quit modding.

 

 

Side note:

 

What's bad about 3ds Max's animation tools? I haven't had any problems doing what I want to do.

[minilogoguy18]

It just takes way more time to achieve the same result in Softimage in terms of building a good rig. At least they took the animation mixer and renamed it to motion mixer in max, don't know if it functions the same as SI.

 

Can't really say "well there's always character studio" since almost nobody in a professional sense uses a preset rig, way better to just learn to build your own and have way more freedom and control. Softimage has pretty good bipeds but I would never use them, the closest thing I've done to use theirs is I edited the script for one to build the feet for the AT-ST and that was it.

 

It's also retarded that 3ds max still can't make a IK chain with the proper resolution plane and up vectors without the user having to do it after drawing a bone chain that really isn't even a bone chain until you have to go and manually add the IK solver.

 

Both Max and Maya also suffer greatly in terms of UI, it's dumb to have everything as icons to where you have to hover your mouse over them and wait for the tool tip dialogue to show before you know what the tool is, I like plain text but I guess fancy icons are more visually appealing.

[DT.]

People use CAT rigs nowadays instead of CS biped, though I still use CS biped because I haven't come across a situation where using it is hindering the end result. CAT rigs are faster and easier to make than hand making everything, and you still get the level of customisation you want. CAT rigs are probably another feature brought over from XSI, but I dunno.

 

Making your own is good, but in Max shit tends to break easy which probably isn't the case in XSI.

 

 

Someone should upload Mod Tool to JKHub so it's still around.

[minilogoguy18]

You guessed right, CAT did come from Softimage.

 

Things can break in Softimage, it can happen in any program but preset rigs should NEVER break.

 

Before releasing my JA biped I tried my hardest to do anything I could to break it, it's totally unbreakable, I need to make the time to carry it over to the commercial versions of Softimage.

 

I just have no idea what they'll do about ICE, they can't ignore it, maybe it'll get integrated into Maya. If they drop it then Houdini will (it already was) become a huge competition for doing complex things with speed.

[minilogoguy18]

https://www.change.org/petitions/autodesk-save-softimage

[Circa]

https://www.change.org/petitions/autodesk-save-softimage

I hate that freaking site. You can't even sign the darn petitions because it refreshes every second.

 

[Archangel35757]

If I'm not mistaken CAT was written specifically as a 3ds Max plugin from the get go... by a guy named Phil Taylor (who worked at Softimage?).

[Archangel35757]

@@minilogoguy18 -- you have IK chains created automatically as you make a bone chain.

[Archangel35757]

I doubt they will drop 3ds Max... they will likely keep both it and Maya.

[eezstreet]

It would be a fool's move to keep Softimage, Max, and Maya, instead of unifying the software as one package. While I do think that it's a legitimately good idea what they're trying to do -- to unify their programs under one (combine everything together and make learning and so forth that much easier), they clearly haven't gotten the featureset from XSI down in their tools, as evidenced by this petition (at least I hope that's why people are petitioning, and not because "muh softwares!")

 

/sign, at any rate.

[minilogoguy18]

Everything is going into Maya and what eezstreet is saying is probably true, have a 1 program does it all, if any of them went away it would be 3ds max rather than Maya.

[DT.]

Even though Maya's UI sucks major balls, just like Blender's UI.

 

If they drop 3ds Max and for some reason I can no longer run it afterwards, then I will quit modding. The only thing that will get me to use Maya is IF they have a massive UI update for it.

[Archangel35757]

@@minilogoguy18 -- well I don't know about yours but my licenses say permanent/indefinite... so I can conitinue to use 3ds Max as my favorite software.

[DT.]

If Softimage & 3ds Max (if it gets discontinued as well) cease to work in the future, then we will need Xycaleth's FBX2GLM more than ever just so we can export from Maya.

 

I'm going to download the latest Maya and see if the UI is still painful to use.

[Archangel35757]

If Softimage & 3ds Max (if it gets discontinued as well) cease to work in the future, then we will need Xycaleth's FBX2GLM more than ever just so we can export from Maya.

 

I'm going to download the latest Maya and see if the UI is still painful to use.

What's with the paranoia??? You have a permanent, indefinite (I.e., never-expiring) license. If 3ds Max died tomorrow... your license would continue to work for as long as your computer does... same goes for Softimage. I would only suggest you download and archive all the latest updates for your version.

[eezstreet]

I think you're missing a pretty crucial element of what he's saying. He's saying that, should the licensing servers or whatever go down for Softimage and 3DS Max, you'd be forced to use Maya. And he doesn't like Maya.

[Archangel35757]

@@eezstreet, @@DT85 -- The license resides on your own PC, or your own license server if you set it up as a networked license server (which means it's node-locked to your PC acting as your server). Once you activate the license... it only depends on your computers-- you are NOT communicating with some Autodesk license server. And even if you uninstall the software it does not uninstall the license... so if you had to reinstall it you should be OK (definitely archive your activation code).

 

If Autodesk went away entirely-- as long as your current license is activated (...and is a permanent license), you can continue to run your software to infinity (or as long as your computer lives).

 

Folks that will have issues will be those running the Free, full-versioned student license from Autodesk Education Community which is only a 3-yr license. However a student can buy a Full-version, permanent license of Autodesk Creative suite that includes: Maya, 3ds Max, Softimage, Motionbuilder, Mudbox, etc. for just a few hundred dollars.

 

And as long as you activate the license (before Softimage goes away) then you can run it indefinitely.

[eezstreet]

False. Autodesk products (as well as Adobe products) connect to a server for license validation. Even if you don't have an internet connection, the products will still continue to work for a period of time. If you have a permanent license, they might work, but you'd have to contact Autodesk to be sure. The license files which are stored on your computer from these products actually contain stuff like a hostname and port for said servers. The activation code I believe is also sent across from your computer. When there's a key conflict, it triggers antipiracy measures.

 

Regardless, if I pay boatloads of money for a Softimage XSI permanent license, it's a bit frustrating when software which I specifically paid for is getting replaced with some other software which I specifically avoided, and now I need to re-learn everything. I honestly think that they should be refunding people at least a portion of their money, because that shit is expensive.

[Archangel35757]

@@eezstreet -- What was false about my statement? It connects to the Autodesk server for license activation-- ONCE. When it sends you back the activation code and you activate your license... you could cancel your internet and continue to run your software. Read #10:

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3970195

 

...and then read #9.

 

Edit: I do concur with your last paragraph.