Autodesk Signs Agreement with Avid Technology to Acquire Softimage

#1001

softimage has made point releases free in the past. again, will this change under autodesk? i can’t say… lets hope it doesn’t, for everyone’s sake

#1002

Ken Pimentel (at the AREA) posted on his blog;

We welcome all the new XSI users just like we did all the Maya users who were in a similar sense concerned about the acquisition. I think all of our new customers have been treated with a great deal of respect for their passion and choices. There was no attempt to switch Maya users to 3ds Max. I think that once we close the transaction and set up the XSI blogs and really welcome you to the AREA you’ll start feeling a little less disenfranchised. But, it will take time just like it did with Maya users. Maybe everything won’t be exactly as before, but some things are likely to be better. You’ll just have to stick around to find out.

http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/blogs_ken/blog_detail/autodesk_acquires_softimage_choose_your_passion/

( Made me wonder where on the AREA they might put the XSI forum.  Here's my, 'I've got no clue,' guess.  *I mean no offense, -honest curiosity only* :) )  

[img]http://jp.joshpurple.com/XSI-fit.jpg[/img]

( I am curious to see how much use/attention the XSI users will give to the AREA's XSI.  And all of my [b]BEST[/b] wishes, kindest regards to all of the XSI users.  It's an [b]outstanding[/b] app!  Sincerely! )
#1003

It should be on the right-hand side of the page, floating away from the others, because it doesn’t belong there.

Ha har :wink:

#1004

The problem with the Area is the lack moderation and professional discussions.
I would rather keep at XSIbase or pump the CGtalk forums once for all.
Just for the start http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/18377/
some crazy person is already asking for that freaking viewcube in XSI, so that’s the kinda of thing which makes me afraid of the direction XSI could go, once in the hands of a mass market dominator like Autodesk…

The Community site was going really well, with interesting content, mature conversations and lots of people helping each other.
I’m not sure how XSI and the file sharing sections would fit in the Area either.

#1005

chances are they will place xsi right after maya. wow, i am still floored that they now have three apps geared to dcc. i remember going to the make your mark event avid put on last year october in manhattan. it was lots of fun seeing the demos of what softimage could do. who would have known that a year later it would be under AD wings. lets see what AD does with xsi.

#1006

…some crazy person is already asking for that freaking viewcube in XSI…

That is truly a, “What the heck is that guy smoking?” thread.

#1007

I am not one to post in the forums unless there is really a need for one. I see alot of negative points and not much for. As a project manager I am really looking forward to this.

Here is my take.

At any given time we get projects that require alot of temporary designers, animators and what not. With this acquisition I am hoping that there will be less angst and more productivity from the team. Hopefully it will blur the line between softwares.

Cost savings. We dont have to upgrade three different softwares with their truckload of seats.

I hear alot of complains about the lack of compatitive or lack of ingenuity for future upgrades. I dont seriously think it will be a problem because

a) the tools we have out of the box are really solid as it is. Max with a few addon can challenge even the highly versatile XSI. Which indirectly means

b) Autodesk will only shoot themself in the foot if they come out with less than practical upgrades, since that will tick off and dissuade end-users.

#1008

…some crazy person is already asking for that freaking viewcube in XSI…

i think i saw that too, here is what he said

yes it would be great and then put viewcube in it and then merge it with maya finally of course there is no point keeping very much same application when u have a powerfull application like maya under the hud sorry guys …

in the end AD will do what they think is right for xsi and its user base. we will have to wait and see where it goes. hopefully there will be better integration between the three apps.

#1009

Avid continues selling and concentrating into core Video Audio Software.

http://www.avid.com/company/releases/2008/081027_pctv_pinnacle.html

Tewksbury, Mass. – October 27, 2008 – Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Pinnacle PCTV product line and related assets to Hauppauge Digital, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAUP). The deal is expected to close before the end of 2008; financial terms were not disclosed.

“Millions of media enthusiasts worldwide use our award-winning line of Pinnacle consumer products to create and share digital content,” said Gary Greenfield, CEO and chairman of Avid Technology. “As we transform Avid’s business, our strategy in this sector is to increase our focus on software applications that not only meet consumer demand – but also complement our broader portfolio of video and audio solutions. PCTV is a compelling standalone hardware product and a better fit for Hauppauge, a recognized leader in the TV-viewing hardware market.”

(…)

#1010

I just wanted to reiterate what LukeP said above. This is a common misconception of the GPL. A lot of companies make tons of proprietary modifications of GPL source code for their own internal needs and never release the modifications outside the company - Google being a good example. This is perfectly acceptable under the GPL, and is no different than a company writing internal modifications of Maya or whatever other commercial proprietary app.

The only difference kicks in if that company decides to publicly distribute that modified software, like if they start selling it or giving it away. Selling GPL software is also perfectly acceptable (another common misconception about this license), but the GPL specifies that when the software is publicly distributed, the modified code must be made available, which I think is a fair balance under the goals of the GPL.

#1011

I don’t want to turn this into yet another OSS debate, but the argument about GPL legal interpretation, especially what constitutes distribution, is something that I always see defended by the interpretation of GPL advocates.
While I know the theory, I contributed in the past to OSS projects (although I prefer freeBSD 4 clauses, but that’s just me), this argument always seems to dwell in theory grounds, and forgets that court can deliberate differently, and that some studios legal departments will not tail on the interpretation of GPL lawyers, but provide their own that considers reciprocality too close to virality for comfort.

The debate on whether allowing an employee to bring the source home on their privately owned equipment constitutes distribution or not, contrarily to what’s stated here, is for many people still open.

Do I agree? Nope, not one bit.
Does it affect how a large number of influential jurists and lawyers behave in those regards, and consequently some studios and software providers? Yes.
And while we can debate the merits of GPL or other reciprocating schemes all day, this doesn’t necessarily mean that courts and legal offices around will take that to heart like a constitutional amendment. The consequence is that not every large studio will feel comfortable building a whole pipe on a framework that’s heavily GPLed. Denying that is denying a lot of people’s first hand experience.

#1012

But then you also get sizeable companies denying entirely that they have at all violated the GPL until legal action is threatened at which point they suddenly get very clued up (Busybox being an example in which legal action has actually been taken). Unless I’m talking to a specialist in Copyright legal issues I don’t count any years of experience for much at all as, quite apart from anything else, I’ve seen entire corporate legal departments spout the utmost garbage on these issues.

EDIT: For clarification, I have actually seen legal people from successful companies say they don’t want any GPL software in the company because they actually believe they’d have to open-source everything, completely failing to understand distribution in terms of embedded Linux, that sort of thing.

#1013

just to add to the Area thing…
( i don’t even start to comment about the “great updates” post for Max 2009 etc )…

“The Area” as a community is just a thin shadow of the old Max Board. You may believe in ADESK for financial and business power, you might even NOT believe that ADESK’s will go and rip the largest amount of money out of every customer with the smallest development effort, you might not believe that for them a full version increase is justified with no new features besides GUI changes, followed by all the fileformat and plugin incompatibilities EACH and EVERY year with nearly no progress… ( like we had in Max for the last 2-3 cycles)…

But one is for sure:
ADESK has in no way a sense for community building, spirit for users (like Softimage sureley had…) and pro-communityboard operation. Again - the Area is nothing compared to the old Max community - and they destroyed a VERY professional and life-kicking community with an eyeblink. For ADESK every operation, every decision, about eg. feature implementation, every ADESK-inside info they give you or on the other hand refuse to give - with one word - every action they perform is a marketing and business move…

There will be NO spirit, no playing and easy toying arround any longer under the ADESK flag…the days of open information policy are gone for XSI…

And everyone will see this - we already under the ADESK banner for longer know this already, the softimage boys will miss their freewheeling times for sure…

#1014

just found this great example for ADESK’s-“Spirit” regarding customers…
this again would be just a single example if it would’nt be the way ADESK treads it’s customers…
The part about Max tut’s useless etc… is rubbish… but the description of his experiences
at the ADESK booth says alot…

The post appeared on Ken Pimentals Blog today ( ADESK’s Poduct Manager for Max )

Posted by TSW on 28 Oct, 2008 at 09:13 AM

  • Granted, 3DS and Autocad are fine packages, this is unsettling to me. I feel pressured to learn and use software without freedom to choose which “family” I want to support.
  • I am a student. At Siggraph, I was visiting different companies in search of a 3D program I can use as an upgrade from Blender. I even finally picked 3DS Design. The problem is: Every company I visited (C4D, LW, XSI) was friendly, helpful, and happy to take the time to answer all the questions they could. At Autodesk, I had great difficulty finding anyone to talk to at all. First, I waited in line to talk to one representative, while he ignored us. At one point he was flirting with some girl who walked by.
  • Someone stepped up, past the line, and asked him why, as a customer, he should pick Autodesk over other companies. The response had NOTHING to do with quality of products or service. The rep loudly bragged about the size and wealth of the company. He said one can rest assured Autodesk will be in business tomorrow. He pointed to Softimage and suggested that one cannot be secure of their endurance!
  • He left and nobody else was hanging around anymore to help. I left and came back later. The person I talked to, who was standing under the 3DS sign, admitted to knowing nothing about the package, recommended I speak to someone else. He then noticed the man was gone for the day.
  • A half hour before closing, I finally met someone who knew about 3DS Design. He was nice, helpful, and took the time to show me some new features. It was enough to sell the product as I already was thinking it was the one.
  • Too much effort, too little appreciation from the company. They know we’ll buy it.
  • Incidentally, I’m already looking for a package that better suits my needs. 3DS is frustrating at best to learn. The tutorials are useless, and the manual reads like a dictionary when I need an encyclopedia.
  • I was seriously considering XSI. I want a company that will be here tomorrow.
  • Yet I will probably learn 3DS and Autocad despite the grief, so I can stay employable. I’m pulling out my hair here.
#1015

And so, innovation was finally halted. How sad.

#1016

many legal departments don’t like it very much, to the point that I’ve worked for one that had blender in several launchpads but not in the RnD one

Because they are ignorants on FOSS matters?

And the moment you base your propietary fluid simulation on some of that codebase and compile against it, boom, it’s under full GPL

Then don’t compile on that codebase and look for interoperability instead. This is the way used by other propietary and open source projects external to Blender but that depend on it.

#1017

did any one see the video clip on youtube about autodesk buying softimage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR7UWImpG54

#1018

There’s a video clip?

Spacefrog, thanks for posting all of that.

#1019

Yea, that video is totally awesome! :smiley:

#1020

Seriously, this is an issue. But I think its down to the dev team being stretched almost to breaking point. MR always has bugs! Softimage were fighting SO HARD for new customers. Such pressure probably wasn’t physically, mentally or financially sustainable, not at the GIVEAWAY price they were offering.

I think under AD we will definitely see price rises and less new stuff in each release. Perhaps we will only get unlimited MR rendernodes as the major “new feature” next version. But maybe slower, tighter and more pricey is more realistic, financially and humanly.

SI fought tooth and nail to make it possible for XSI to have a place in a pipeline that wasn’t centralised around XSI. I hope all that effort won’t go to waste. If it just gets injected into Max and Maya then it will have been. They don’t deserve it.