Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

[Maurice Patel]

Hi everyone,

I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:

When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire was to provide our customers with an easy, no-cost path to transition to either 3ds Max or Maya. We have been monitoring all of your feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns. As we had previously announced, a program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a Softimage license until April 2016. Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016. We have heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to access your Softimage projects even after the retirement of Softimage. Our intention was not to create more burden on you with this difficult change.

As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to clarify what will happen if you do not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not. You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

maurice
Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

[Jordi Bares]

At least something reasonable.

thx

Jordi Bares
jordi...@gmail.com

> <winmail.dat>

[Ognjen Vukovic]

Any chance of you guys selling Softimage to someone else?

[Eric Turman]

Thanks Maurice...this is a significant change. 

A couple of things that are still not clear. 

1) When do we have to make the decision by.

2) if we find that it is just not working out, will we be able to perpetually use the version of Soft and Maya frozen at the end of that subscription?

--




-=T=-

[Jonah Friedman]

This is a clear improvement and much more fair. Thank you. 

[Jason S]

Would that also extend ability to scale (get new licences) ? (at the
very least for existing customers?)

[Jason S]

And is indeed encouraging to see that SOME consideration is at play..
thank you.

[Matt Morris]

Thanks Maurice, that goes some way to help the situation.

--
www.matinai.com

[Martin Chatterjee]

Maurice,

I am glad to hear that. At least in this respect this restores a tiny bit faith into believing that somebody at Autodesk is actually listening to us and is interested in our points of view. 

Although I am pretty sure that the main reason for this adjustment is probably not empathy but the realisation that a significant amount of relevant customers would have gone off subscription otherwise...  

But either way - thanks for this adjustment.

-M

--
       Martin Chatterjee
 
[ Freelance Technical Director ]
[   http://www.chatterjee.de   ]

[ https://vimeo.com/chatterjee ] 

[Alan Fregtman]

Hi Maurice,

This part: "the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement"

If I understand correctly, you must keep paying subscription to keep your indefinite Softimage privileges?

So if you stop paying subscription after April 2016, does Softimage stop working?

[Stephen Blair]

They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not.

[Jason S]

Oops sorry just saw that also applied to scaling.. thank you!

On 03/07/14 14:02, Jason S wrote:
>

[Emilio Hernandez]

Definitivley a change.

-------------------------------------------------------
Emilio Hernández   VFX & 3D animation.

[Maurice Patel]

HI Eric

These are good questions. I'll do my best to answer them

1) When do we have to make the decision by.

You essentially have two years. The Transition Plan was created to give you be until April 30th 2016 to make a decision so there is no rush to do anything now. As long as you are on Softimage Subscription you will remain eligible and you will be able to renew that subscription without migrating. The transition is an opt-in program.

2) if we find that it is just not working out, will we be able to perpetually use the version of Soft and Maya frozen at the end of that subscription?

This is the bit that gets a little bit complicated because exactly what happens will depend on the choices you make but the answer is essentially yes you will be able to
There are however a few different of scenarios:

1. You make the transition and let your subs expire before April 30th 2016.
In this case you will retain the right to use both Softimage 2015 and whatever version of Maya you were on at the time your contract expires in perpetuity.

2. You make the transition, remain on Subscription after April 30th 2016, but choose not to install any future versions of Maya after that date. In this case you would also be able to keep both your Maya and Softimage versions frozen in perpetuity if you wish to. It is only on installing software that you have to accept a new license agreement. Any licenses that you have purchased are yours in perpetuity and are only replaced on installing new software.

3. You make the transition, remain on Subscription after April 30th 2016, and install a new version of Maya after that date. In this case the new license will replace the transition bundle license and will be Maya only. Previously that meant losing access to Softimage. With the changes we have just made you will now be able to access Softimage via Subscription in the same way as you can access prior versions today.

[Maurice Patel]

Yes it would.
If you need to scale production you will have two options. You will be able to purchase a 3 month or 1 year rental of the transition bundle to increase your Softimage seats or you can purchase the bundle itself. If you purchase the bundle new you will have the same rights as if you obtained it by transitioning from a Softimage license. Please note these options are only available to customers who own Softimage already.

maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134

[Leoung O'Young]

Hi Maurice,

I found out I have one 2011 Essential license which I can upgrade, the
other 3 licenses are too old.
Beside upgrading just that license, can I expand that license to an
advance with render nodes and
do I have rent options after the end of March timeline?

Thanks,
Leoung

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Alan,

Sorry about the confusion - no, it does not stop working and you do not need to be on Subscription to continue to use Softimage
When you purchase a software license you purchase the right to use it in perpetuity, although of course we cannot guarantee it will work on future hardware configurations or OS versions. However if your machine should fail you will still be able to transfer the license to another one via support. Subscription in no way affects that entitlement. It just gives you access to additional services and product updates.

The comment you quote is about how you can continue to access Softimage if you are on Subscription. Until this change, those on subscription would have lost access. This was because after two years the transition bundle will be discontinued when we stop making Softimage builds and new licenses will be Maya or 3ds Max only and would replace the previous licenses. However we now have a means for Subscribers to continue to get the latest Max or Maya licenses while still getting access to Softimage via the Subs center.

maurice


Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Alan Fregtman
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 2:40 PM
To: XSI Mailing List
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hi Maurice,

This part: "the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement"

If I understand correctly, you must keep paying subscription to keep your indefinite Softimage privileges?

So if you stop paying subscription after April 2016, does Softimage stop working?

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 2:33 PM, Matt Morris <mat...@gmail.com<mailto:mat...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Thanks Maurice, that goes some way to help the situation.

On 7 March 2014 19:04, Jason S <jason...@gmail.com<mailto:jason...@gmail.com>> wrote:
And is indeed encouraging to see that SOME consideration is at play.. thank you.


On 03/07/14 14:02, Jason S wrote:

Would that also extend ability to scale (get new licences) ? (at the very least for existing customers?)



On 03/07/14 13:44, Maurice Patel wrote:
Hi everyone,

I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:

When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire was to provide our customers with an easy, no-cost path to transition to either 3ds Max or Maya. We have been monitoring all of your feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns. As we had previously announced, a program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a Softimage license until April 2016. Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016. We have heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to access your Softimage projects even after the retirement of Softimage. Our intention was not to create more burden on you with this difficult change.

As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to clarify what will happen if you do not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not. You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

maurice
Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134<tel:514%20954-7134>





--
www.matinai.com<http://www.matinai.com>

[Stephen Blair]

Hi Leoung

As of the 2011 release, there was just one “Softimage” product. No more Advanced or Essentials.

A network license of Softimage 2011 includes five Batch licenses.

A standalone licenses of Softimage 2011 does not include any Batch licenses.

[Byron Nash]

A question related to the Suites. Am I understanding it correctly that since we have a Maya Premium Suite now that includes Softimage, we will be upgraded to the Ultimate Suite at a later time? This would include a seat of Maya and Max, correct? When would that take place?

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Leoung O'Young <digi...@digimata.com> wrote:

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Leoung,
You should probably talk to a reseller about the details. AFAIK today we only offer one flavor of Sofimage and you would need to upgrade to that but it should give you everything

[Eric Turman]

Thank you Maurice, that was most helpful.

--




-=T=-

[Leoung O'Young]

Hi Maurice,

I did e-mail them but they taking their time getting back to me.
When you said everything, what does that mean, how many render licenses
of Mental Ray do one get?

Thanks,
Leoung

[Maurice Patel]

It might be a busy time for them with this announcement.
Softimage comes with 5 licenses like Maya

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Byron

Yes, your Premium Suite will be automatically migrated to the Ultimate Suite with the next release. I can't be more specific yet on dates because we are not quite ready. Yes, the Ultimate Suite contains both Maya and 3ds Max and will also contain Softimage for 2 years after which it will be available as a prior version through Subscription.

Maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Byron Nash
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 3:28 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

A question related to the Suites. Am I understanding it correctly that since we have a Maya Premium Suite now that includes Softimage, we will be upgraded to the Ultimate Suite at a later time? This would include a seat of Maya and Max, correct? When would that take place?

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Leoung O'Young <digi...@digimata.com<mailto:digi...@digimata.com>> wrote:
Hi Maurice,

I found out I have one 2011 Essential license which I can upgrade, the other 3 licenses are too old.
Beside upgrading just that license, can I expand that license to an advance with render nodes and
do I have rent options after the end of March timeline?

Thanks,
Leoung


On 07/03/2014 3:04 PM, Maurice Patel wrote:
Yes it would.
If you need to scale production you will have two options. You will be able to purchase a 3 month or 1 year rental of the transition bundle to increase your Softimage seats or you can purchase the bundle itself. If you purchase the bundle new you will have the same rights as if you obtained it by transitioning from a Softimage license. Please note these options are only available to customers who own Softimage already.
maurice

Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134<tel:514%20954-7134>

-----Original Message-----
From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com> [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com>] On Behalf Of Jason S
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 2:02 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan


Would that also extend ability to scale (get new licences) ? (at the very least for existing customers?)



On 03/07/14 13:44, Maurice Patel wrote:
Hi everyone,

I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:

When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire was to provide our customers with an easy, no-cost path to transition to either 3ds Max or Maya. We have been monitoring all of your feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns. As we had previously announced, a program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a Softimage license until April 2016. Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016. We have heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to access your Softimage projects even after the retirement of Softimage. Our intention was not to create more burden on you with this difficult change.

As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to clarify what will happen if you do not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not. You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

maurice
Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134<tel:514%20954-7134>

[Michael Clarke]

Maurice,

Thank you for listening to the feedback.

This makes my strategy so much simpler now. Having to choose between using Soft and being on maintenance made absolutely no sense to most of us, and in my case at least, meant that AD would probably be losing a maintenance customer over the policy. That was counterproductive from all sides. 

I greatly appreciate the fact that AD listened.

MC

<winmail.dat>

Michael Clarke Design

Blue C Studios

713-927-9835

[Jason S]

Thank you Maurice! :)

While I still have some suspicion as to the possibility of all this
having been like a tactic..

ie; Doing something super-drastic (all-out continuity arrest)
to then fall back to something less drastic to manufacture wider
acceptance of the less drastic (yet still quite drastic development
freeze) move.

.. nevertheless, I will continue to believe what feels to me as more
likely, being that real people (with consciousnesses) make-up the bulk
of the org which are also able to pull some stings.

Not suggesting that higher-ups are necessarily consciousness-less
(although that may considerably help boosting quarterly flowcharts)
.. but more likely just blindly follow "revenue accounting guidelines"
as you put it.

Thanks again!! :) :)
J

[Adam Sale]

This is a step in the right direction

[Sebastien Sterling]

Indeed, now if we could just open the SDK...

[Leendert A. Hartog]

Hi mr. Patel,
I assume, hopefully correctly, the positive changes you outline here
will find their way in writing to the official website soon as well.
Could you please confirm this and give an estimate when such "papers"
will be available? Thanks in advance!

--

Leendert A. Hartog – Softimage hobbyist
AKA Hirazi Blue – Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Jason S]

I'd have to completely agree with that (!)

Opening-up the SDK is entirely feasable and can be a very reasonable compromise to the development freeze,
.. and/or a far more realistic (and non resourse intensive) request than any one involving actually selling / releasing sources.

I think that single point should be pivotal.

[Emilio Hernandez]

Yes opening the SDK could be very profitable for Autodesk without spending a dime.  By allowing still further development by 3rd party devs, and still keeping SI as part of the subscriptions. We can have new tools and you will still recieve money from SI.

[Jordi Bares]

Looking at things from another angle I am concerned with the whole decision because I don't understand it, abandoning Softimage seems such a bad decision…

Can I ask you how many developers were working exclusively on the Softimage product? 6? 8? 12?

Is that a crazy cost? let's face it, Autodesk is a huge corporation and we are talking about saving peanuts...

Or am I dreaming here?

Selling it would be a great option, and surely if the market share was so small would not have any impact whatsoever on your company.

Jordi Bares
jordi...@gmail.com

> <winmail.dat>

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Mr Hartog,
Yes you are correct our websites have already been updated with the new information.
http://static.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/products/autodesk-softimage/docs/pdf/softimage_last_release_announcement_faq_update_mar7.pdf

maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134


-----Original Message-----
From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Leendert A. Hartog
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 4:58 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hi mr. Patel,
I assume, hopefully correctly, the positive changes you outline here will find their way in writing to the official website soon as well.
Could you please confirm this and give an estimate when such "papers"
will be available? Thanks in advance!

--

Leendert A. Hartog - Softimage hobbyist
AKA Hirazi Blue - Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Jason S]

Thanks Maurice for your efforts (and patience)

[Angus Davidson]

Hi Maurice

How doe this affect the ARC licences if at all ?

Kind regards

Angus

---

From: Maurice Patel [mauric...@autodesk.com]
Sent: 07 March 2014 08:44 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hi everyone,

I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:

When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire was to provide our customers with an easy, no-cost path to transition  to either 3ds Max or Maya.  We have been monitoring all of your feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns.  As we had previously announced, a program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a Softimage license until April 2016.  Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016.   We have heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to access your Softimage projects even after the retirement of Softimage.  Our intention was not to create more burden on you with this difficult change. 

As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to clarify what will happen if you do not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not. You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

maurice

Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134

 

This communication is intended for the addressee only. It is confidential. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately and destroy the original message. You may not copy or disseminate this communication without the permission of the University. Only authorised signatories are competent to enter into agreements on behalf of the University and recipients are thus advised that the content of this message may not be legally binding on the University and may contain the personal views and opinions of the author, which are not necessarily the views and opinions of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All agreements between the University and outsiders are subject to South African Law unless the University agrees in writing to the contrary.

[Leendert A. Hartog]

Hi, mr. Patel,

 

Thanks for the update, but it raises another question:

(If this is a stupid question: sorry, I’m having a hard time processing all this ATM.)

 

Two quotes…

 

From the OP:

“Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016.”

 

From the FAQ

“If you need to use Softimage after February 1, 2016 you will be able to access it through the Subscription center in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today.”

 

In the FAQ one element from your OP seems unclear. You clearly speak of accessing “Softimage indefinitely”, while the FAQ states the usage “in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today.”.

As I understand prior version rights aren’t indefinite.  I believe older versions cease to be available after three years even under this program.  While I assume/hope the condition you’ve laid out in your OP to be correct, but if so the FAQ could use some clarification in this respect.

 

Greetz

Leendert

--
Leendert A. Hartog – Softimage hobbyist AKA Hirazi Blue – Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Ben Rogall]

Yes, I have exactly the same question (I posted it on si-community yesterday). The question is regarding what happens if one transitions and continues a subscription to Maya after Feb 2016. If you need to continue accessing your old version of Softimage, are you required to continue your subscription to Maya in order to maintain the Softimage access the same way subscription is currently required to continue to access previous versions. This will have influence over whether I begin a Maya subscription.

Thank you,
Ben Rogall

On 3/8/2014 2:58 AM, Leendert A. Hartog wrote:

Hi, mr. Patel,

 

Thanks for the update, but it raises another question:

(If this is a stupid question: sorry, I’m having a hard time processing all this ATM.)

 

Two quotes…

 

From the OP:

“Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to acces/s Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop upport on Softimage in April 2016.

3

+7204

[John Richard Sanchez]

Hi Maurice

Thanks for the new info. My situation is this.

9. I did not renew my Subscription. Can I transition to Maya or 3ds Max?

If you have purchased a new license or upgraded your Softimage within the last 365 days you can late-

attach Subscription by paying the Late Renewal fee. Once you are current and on Subscription you will have access to the transition offerings previously described in

question 5

I am own the Maya/ Soft Creation suite. I would like to get ultimate just to keep my options open. My question is what does this mean? "you can late-attach Subscription by paying the Late Renewal fee" My sub expired in August.

John

--

www.johnrichardsanchez.com

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Leendert

The mechanism is the same. Your comment about three versions back applies to what is made available as new releases are issued. No new releases for Softimage will be available so the situation is not really identical and the three version back limitation does not apply. Also the three limit back is about access to licenses not about existing ones. For example if you are using Maya 2009 today (more than 3 versions back) you can still continue to use it although you would only access 2011, 2012, 2013 from the Subs center.

Maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Leendert A. Hartog
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 3:58 AM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hi, mr. Patel,



Thanks for the update, but it raises another question:

(If this is a stupid question: sorry, I'm having a hard time processing all this ATM.)

Two quotes...

>From the OP:

"Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016."



>From the FAQ

"If you need to use Softimage after February 1, 2016 you will be able to access it through the Subscription center in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today."



In the FAQ one element from your OP seems unclear. You clearly speak of accessing "Softimage indefinitely", while the FAQ states the usage "in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today.".

As I understand prior version rights aren't indefinite. I believe older versions cease to be available after three years even under this program. While I assume/hope the condition you've laid out in your OP to be correct, but if so the FAQ could use some clarification in this respect.



Greetz

Leendert

--

Leendert A. Hartog - Softimage hobbyist AKA Hirazi Blue - Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Ben
The answer is no, you do not need to be on subscription to continue to use Softimage. Your licenses are perpetual. You can continue to use them. The issue that the forums initially raised, and that we addressed, was about what happened if you were on Subscription. Originally after the two year period, if you were on subs, you would have been transitioned to a Maya-only license losing access to Softimage. We fixed that so that now if you are on subs you will still be able to access Softimage similar to the way you can access previous versions today. When a license is issued it is yours in perpetuity until you replace it with another one (say through an upgrade or subs download) and we now fixed that problem

maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Ben Rogall
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 9:38 AM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Yes, I have exactly the same question (I posted it on si-community yesterday). The question is regarding what happens if one transitions and continues a subscription to Maya after Feb 2016. If you need to continue accessing your old version of Softimage, are you required to continue your subscription to Maya in order to maintain the Softimage access the same way subscription is currently required to continue to access previous versions. This will have influence over whether I begin a Maya subscription.

Thank you,
Ben Rogall

On 3/8/2014 2:58 AM, Leendert A. Hartog wrote:

Hi, mr. Patel,



Thanks for the update, but it raises another question:

(If this is a stupid question: sorry, I'm having a hard time processing all this ATM.)

Two quotes...

>From the OP:

"Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to acces/s Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop upport on Softimage in April 2016.

3
+7204





>From the FAQ

"If you need to use Softimage after February 1, 2016 you will be able to access it through the Subscription center in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today."



In the FAQ one element from your OP seems unclear. You clearly speak of accessing "Softimage indefinitely", while the FAQ states the usage "in the same way that Subscription customers can access prior versions today.".

As I understand prior version rights aren't indefinite. I believe older versions cease to be available after three years even under this program. While I assume/hope the condition you've laid out in your OP to be correct, but if so the FAQ could use some clarification in this respect.



Greetz

Leendert

--

Leendert A. Hartog - Softimage hobbyist AKA Hirazi Blue - Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Maurice Patel]

Hi John
Yes - you can basically get back on subscription if your contract has expired within the year - either for Softimage or the Suite which would be the case if t expired in August. Even if this were not the case, you could still upgrade to ECS Premium 2014 to become eligible for the Ultimate Suite but it would be a bit more costly to do so.

maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of John Richard Sanchez
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 11:04 AM
To: XSI List to post
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hi Maurice
Thanks for the new info. My situation is this.

9. I did not renew my Subscription. Can I transition to Maya or 3ds Max?
If you have purchased a new license or upgraded your Softimage within the last 365 days you can late-
attach Subscription by paying the Late Renewal fee. Once you are current and on Subscription you will have access to the transition offerings previously described in
question 5
I am own the Maya/ Soft Creation suite. I would like to get ultimate just to keep my options open. My question is what does this mean? "you can late-attach Subscription by paying the Late Renewal fee" My sub expired in August.
John

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 7:21 PM, Maurice Patel <mauric...@autodesk.com<mailto:mauric...@autodesk.com>> wrote:
Hi Mr Hartog,
Yes you are correct our websites have already been updated with the new information.
http://static.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/products/autodesk-softimage/docs/pdf/softimage_last_release_announcement_faq_update_mar7.pdf

maurice

Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134<tel:514%20954-7134>

-----Original Message-----
From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com> [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com>] On Behalf Of Leendert A. Hartog
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 4:58 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan
Hi mr. Patel,
I assume, hopefully correctly, the positive changes you outline here will find their way in writing to the official website soon as well.
Could you please confirm this and give an estimate when such "papers"
will be available? Thanks in advance!

--

Leendert A. Hartog - Softimage hobbyist

AKA Hirazi Blue - Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com<http://si-community.com>




--
www.johnrichardsanchez.com<http://www.johnrichardsanchez.com>

[Sebastien Sterling]

Maurice ? is softimage being discontinued because of cost issues ?

or because it is impeding other AD products ?

it may seem redundant, but this question has not been answered.

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Sebastian,

I'll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially, given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes - and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues - that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division - which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk's annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say "focus" what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects - even if these might fail - while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

Regards

maurice


Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

[Andi Farhall]

Hi Maurice,

so Bifrost is a success you say, so can we expect it to be at least everything ICE is and more? Will people who transition to Maya end up not missing ICE because that's the number one issue for many of us.

Andi.
...........................................................................

http://www.hackneyeffects.com/

https://vimeo.com/user4174293

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andi-farhall/b/496/b21

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_hackney/
http://spylon.tumblr.com/

This email and any attachments to it may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hackney Effects Ltd.

If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must neither take any action based upon its contents, nor copy or show it to anyone.

Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error.

------------------------------------------------------------

---

From: mauric...@autodesk.com
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: RE: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 04:51:45 +0000

Hi Sebastian,

 

I’ll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially,  given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes – and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

 

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues – that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division – which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk’s annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say “focus” what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects – even if these might fail – while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Andi,
As many people pointed out I don't think anything else can be a complete replacement for ICE. Bifrost is not a port of ICE to Maya and that was not the goal nor did I mean to imply that it was. It is just an area of innovation for us in the sense that we are creating something from scratch. A lot of its design of course was influenced heavily by Naiad and by ICE.
Maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Andi Farhall
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 4:30 AM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: RE: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan


Hi Maurice,

so Bifrost is a success you say, so can we expect it to be at least everything ICE is and more? Will people who transition to Maya end up not missing ICE because that's the number one issue for many of us.

Andi.
...........................................................................
http://www.hackneyeffects.com/
https://vimeo.com/user4174293
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andi-farhall/b/496/b21


http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_hackney/
http://spylon.tumblr.com/

This email and any attachments to it may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hackney Effects Ltd.
If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must neither take any action based upon its contents, nor copy or show it to anyone.
Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error.
------------------------------------------------------------

________________________________
From: mauric...@autodesk.com
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: RE: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 04:51:45 +0000
Hi Sebastian,

I'll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially, given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes - and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues - that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division - which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk's annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say "focus" what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects - even if these might fail - while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

[Andre De Angelis]

Maurice,

Thanks for taking the time to write this.  We are all aware that there are things you are allowed to tell us and much that you are not and you cannot be blamed for that. 

I have always had the highest respect for you, but with all due respects, the explanation you have provided is far from  satisfactory.   Even if it is true that the decision to kill Softimage was only made last year, it does not explain why Softimage's presence on the AD web site has been practically non existent from the day AD acquired Softimage. The intention was made clear from the beginning.  

Having said that, Softimage has lasted longer than I anticipated.

Regards

--
Andre De Angelis

[Emilio Hernandez]

Maurice I understand what you have just said.

But really how much attention was Softimage taking off from your resources to move on other projects?

Why kill it when it was gaining momentum?

Why not keep the small dev team in Asia or maybe reduce it for just delivering SP to fix bugs and open the SDK until you really have a better solution?

You already saw, and I include myself how was the reaction for this abrupt decision.   We already stated that some will stay with Softimage, some will find another solution out of Autodesk even if they have to deal with 2 or 3 apps, and the less will migrate to Maya or already were using Softimage and Maya.

You can still charge the subscriptions maybe at a lower rate as there will be no further development, and people will continue to use your software being happy unitl we feel that there is trully a better option for what we do and the way we do it.

My first 3d software was 3d studio and I loved it.  Suddenly I watched a Softimage 3D presentation and I fell in love with it.   So I switched from 3D Studio to Softimage because I was convinced that Softimage was a better solution.

If I believed that Maya was a better solution for the work I do, I would have switched from Softimage to Maya already.

So I will say.  Keep the small dev team of Softimage fixing bugs and deliver SP, open the SDK and I am sure that when you finally achieved your goals of making something better.  Most people will change to the new option because they are convinced.  Not because you want to drag us in Maya or MAX while you come out with something better.

My 2 cents.

Cheers.

-------------------------------------------------------
Emilio Hernández   VFX & 3D animation.

[Maurice Patel]

There are many reasons for that. Only the top revenue generating products ever get slots on the front page of the website. Most of Autodesk's hundreds of products are not featured that way either and most of them generate more revenue than Softimage. I think many hoped that we would promote Softimage as an alternative to Maya or 3ds Max but that was never our goal. For the past few years we were heavily focused on promoting Suites in our campaigns although we have made the decision to focus more on the Maya and 3ds Max brands this year. Ultimately Marketing programs generally focus on where they believe they can get its best return-on-investment and that has been in selling upgrades and Suites. The bulk of our customers being on Maya and 3ds Max, our campaigns have tended to focus there. At the time of the acquisition a statement was made about the fact that one of the key drivers was to acquire a talented R&D team as much as it was the software. The exact quote being:

"Softimage has been developing state-of-the-art 3D technology for more than 20 years, and its products are recognized as best-of-breed in the entertainment industry," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. "Upon the completion of this acquisition we will be adding Softimage technology and products to our portfolio, and welcoming one of the most talented teams in the industry to Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Both will help us accelerate the work of our Games Technology Group, as we build the next-generation of real-time, interactive 3D authoring tools for games, film and television."

Although I cannot speak exactly as to what Marc's intentions were there was hope that we would be building new next-gen technologies as much as we would be maintaining existing ones. But like I said the plans evolved and changed because they always do.

Maurice

Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 3:51 PM, Maurice Patel <mauric...@autodesk.com<mailto:mauric...@autodesk.com>> wrote:
Hi Sebastian,

I'll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially, given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes - and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues - that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division - which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk's annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say "focus" what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects - even if these might fail - while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

Regards

maurice


Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com> [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com>] On Behalf Of Sebastien Sterling

Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 9:55 PM

To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com<mailto:soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>

[Leendert A. Hartog]

Hi Maurice,
That makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up!

Greetz
LeendertMaurice Patel schreef op 9-3-2014 1:30:

> Hi Leendert
>
> The mechanism is the same. Your comment about three versions back applies to what is made available as new releases are issued. No new releases for Softimage will be available so the situation is not really identical and the three version back limitation does not apply. Also the three limit back is about access to licenses not about existing ones. For example if you are using Maya 2009 today (more than 3 versions back) you can still continue to use it although you would only access 2011, 2012, 2013 from the Subs center.
>
> Maurice
>
> Maurice Patel
> Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

-- Leendert A. Hartog – Softimage hobbyist AKA Hirazi Blue –

[Oliver Weingarten]

Hey Maurice,

just to make it clear. AD does not offer a complete replecement for ICE for now and in the near future. Do you think it was a smart move to kill off a software that had a unique selling point like ICE if you are not able to offer a similar technology...? Not to mention all the workflow issues, UI logic, reliability and stuff like that..oh..I forgot, you are working on it right now..and yes, you will focus on that "in the future"...sure...You don´t need to answer...its a rhetorical question one...

cheers,
oli

[Toonafish]

Hi Maurice,

It seems to me nobody wants to do maintenance on what's worth while at
AD, innovation is where the short term success is, so that's where the
focus should be. I know this is a rhetorical question, but what do you
think the lifespan of the fruits the innovations at AD will be with a
business model like that ?

-Ronald

--
Ronald van Vemden
-----------------------------------------------
3D Graphics & Animation
Cyberfish Laboratories | www.cyberfish.nl
Toonafish | www.toonafish.nl
tel. +31(0)20 5289291
fax +31(0)20 5289292
email: ron...@toonafish.nl

[Mirko Jankovic]

From start it was clear that AD will never promote Softimage, not as replacement to 3ds max and Maya but not even as option. 

From AD side isn't it same if you customer using Softimage or Max or Maya, when all incomes are going back to AD anyway? So story about promoting one over another is crap. 

And after 4 years Softimage started to gain momentum despite being buried in AD marketing.. again it is not even mater of front page but complete AD reseller network towards Softimage, plugins are getting better and honestly surpassing anything that AD development did providing new tech 

that is used in production and not used for fancy bullet point new features list for marketing. 

Big shops are putting Sofitmage into focus as well, no need to go over all great work done recently as well. 

And then AD kills it. So really it doesn't make any sense at all to kill product that started to gain momentum even without proper marketing.. imagine if it was pushed like just a fragment of % that is used for Max and Maya, unless it was plan for day one and date for EOL set in documents long ago.

So really I don;t think that there is ANYONE at all that believe "we just decided to do that" story and "it is for better of customers and industry"

Yea truly progress for Softimage users going from far superior workflow to inferior one.. thanks...

On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 11:29 AM, Toonafish <ron...@toonafish.nl> wrote:

Hi Maurice,

It seems to me nobody wants to do maintenance on what's worth while at AD, innovation is where the short term success is, so that's where the focus should be. I know this is a rhetorical question, but what do you think the lifespan of the fruits the innovations at AD will be with a business model like that ?

-Ronald

On 3/9/2014 5:51, Maurice Patel wrote:

Hi Sebastian,

I'll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially,  given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes - and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues - that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division - which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk's annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say "focus" what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects - even if these might fail - while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

Regards

maurice


Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134

From: softimage-bounces@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimage-bounces@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Sebastien Sterling
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 9:55 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Maurice ? is softimage being discontinued because of cost issues ?
or because it is impeding other AD products ?
it may seem redundant, but this question has not been answered.

[Maurício PC]

"Softimage has been developing state-of-the-art 3D technology for more than 20 years, and its products are recognized as best-of-breed in the entertainment industry," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. "Upon the completion of this acquisition we will be adding Softimage technology and products to our portfolio, and welcoming one of the most talented teams in the industry to Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Both will help us accelerate the work of our Games Technology Group, as we build the next-generation of real-time, interactive 3D authoring tools for games, film and television."

And what do you do? You let this highly talented team to continue to develop innovation and state-of-the-art 3D technology by allowing them to continue working in Softimage?

No ... you just shift everybody to work on another project that up until now hasn't delivered on single line of innovation. If that is not stupid, I don't know what it is.

--

gonebadfx.com

- your source for bad fx

[Eugen Sares]

Maurice,

if you would kindly offer 2 minutes of your precious time, I'd like to react to your statement, too:

 

Of course it makes perfect sense to invest in research for future technology and innovations - we should expect that from a big company like yours. Softimage wouldn't exist without it.

 

But you just killed the application in your portfolio that was best suited for small studios/freelancers (or anybody who wants to keep his sanity wielding complex 3d for that matter) - the reasons why Softimage is just this have now been elaborated by many (see also the online petition's comments). Put very briefly, it's a) a very ergonomic software, and b) more is possible for less people.

 

 

Now it is still unclear after reading your post why maintaining Softimage was conflicting your r&d endeavours in any way.

 

Although my own job experience with Maya is little (used 3ds max, got more and more disappointed, didn't like Maya, switched to XSI shortly before the acquisition), but from what I came to know, and what I continuously hear from those who use both XSI and Maya - it is NOT and 'artist-friendly' tool - far from it, despite some progress.

 

That's redundant information, I know, and I'm aware of course that you are already working on it.

It's just that I don't have the feeling up until now that you are really, with FULL dedication and enthusiasm, are trying to make Maya a more ergonomic, logic, and modern software.

 

Just picture what an ideal 3d application would look like these days, after all we have seen and learned - being able to work on (more and more) complex scenes with confidence and consistency, with an open and modular approach, and maybe even with some ease and joy.

 

Maya is far from that ideal. Very far. It gives me this feeling like working on a fragile glass scuplture with all the wrong tools.

 

 

If I (for my tiny part) are to be convinced that Maya is a good choice for a freelancer, I would need to see a really dedicated initiative from your side that you are willing to try to bring Maya MUCH closer to that ideal.

 

Step up and show to us that you understand it's many issues (even feel a little ashamed, considering of how many manyears of crapfixing you burdened on your users) now that you hold all the XSI knowledge, and how you are going to fix them. Workflow, consistency, user interface. Reduce the clutter. Remove redundancies. Simplify the UI to be much less distracting and intimidating. A good UI is the art of simplifying complexity, so our limited brains can still take it in. Introduce all the good stuff you now inherited from the death of aunt Softimage.

 

There is so much more pending work than for you adding even more features, clever and important as they may be (Bifröst).

 

I don't know where the limits of the Maya architecture are. Codebase is 20 years old, give or take. After all, it's advantage (and reason for survival) was it's openness.

Maybe you even don't yourself, and I suspect that you will have to dig really deep - so deep you might scratch the very bottom frequently.

 

Obviously you are confident that all the problems can be solved, and this is the better investment than taking Softimage and giving it the (much needed) 'core' updates.

(otherwise, I would suspect you of willingly force your users into bad compromises because of questionable business strategies. You don't want that stigma.)

 

So, what's the plan with Maya? Ah, right, you cannot tell - you're a stock corporation.

 

I also believe that the Softimage EOL might have come too early. You are putting yourself under pressure that way, because as you hear, practically everybody having to use Maya now takes it as a downgrade, and where's the promised land?

 

 

But maybe I'm all wrong and you know exactly what you are doing, and Maya is becoming the shining star in the next 2 years (I might even want to use it, then).

If everything goes according to plan. It often doesn't, like you just said.

 

Thanks for the attention!

Best regards,

Eugen

 

 

 

------ Originalnachricht ------

Von: "Maurice Patel" <mauric...@autodesk.com>

An: "soft...@listproc.autodesk.com" <soft...@listproc.autodesk.com>

Gesendet: 09.03.2014 05:51:45

Betreff: RE: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

 

Hi Sebastian,

 

I’ll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially,  given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes – and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

 

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues – that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division – which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk’s annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say “focus” what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects – even if these might fail – while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

 

Regards

 

maurice

 

 

Maurice Patel

Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134

 

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimage-bounces@listproc..autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Sebastien Sterling
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2014 9:55 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

 

Maurice ? is softimage being discontinued because of cost issues ?

or because it is impeding other AD products ?

it may seem redundant, but this question has not been answered.

 

 

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[Andi Farhall]

so anyone who has made ice a core part of their toolset is essentially stuffed then?

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From: mauric...@autodesk.com
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: RE: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 08:38:48 +0000

Hi Sebastian,

 

I’ll try to answer your question as best I can. I have been reading the threads and trying to figure out how best to answer questions like the one you posed, or even if it was worth it. Especially,  given the fact that there is no real reason for anyone here to trust anything I say. I would feel the same if I were standing in your shoes – and I have in the past. Before I answer your question officially for Autodesk I would like to share my own personal experience of situations like these. Once, rather Ironically, when I was working for Softimage in 2000, their leadership team asked me to communicate the decision to stop development on Media Illusion (another acquisition) to our customers, many of whom I had personally trained. These things do not get any easier with time.

 

The decision to make Softimage 2015 the last release was not made because of cost-issues – that is to say it was not done to reduce the operating expenses of the M&E division – which is why there was no reduction in work force. The decision was made so that we could focus our efforts on fewer projects enabling us to better execute on them and free resources to research new areas of innovation. Luc-Eric explained this in a bit more detail earlier. The decision was made at the end of last year after many months of deliberation and it was not something that was undertaken lightly (Autodesk’s annual strategic planning cycle, when decisions like these are typically made, kicks off in earnest in September). There were many factors that led to that decision and although hindsight is great these factors are not always predictable. Several of the plans we had previously made did not work out as expected and so evolved significantly over time. Anyone who has ever had to manage a business or project will probably be familiar with the fact that plans can change quite rapidly (and in unexpected directions) as new events occur and you react to them. To quote someone a whole lot smarter than I: “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” We were optimistic that some of the R&D methodologies and innovations we were experimenting with would prove more fruitful than they did (e.g. projects like skyline). Does that mean we should not have attempted them? Personally, I think we need to try and do new things even if we know that 99% of attempts at innovation will end in failure - after all they sometimes end in success (e.g. Bifrost). Ultimately when we say “focus” what we mean is better balancing our finite resources so that we can still invest in new research projects – even if these might fail – while continuing to evolve and improve existing customer workflows. To enable us to continue the former we had to focus on Maya and 3ds Max for the latter.

[Sebastien Sterling]

Thank you for your response Maurice.

All this eloquently put, and being the case; if Softimage is not a threat to Maya or Max's growth, and was not being developed at a loss, why not open the SDK to the user base. let the users continue development, it costs nothing to AD to do so, Blender isn't exactly damaging Autodesk in any way, and SI would still be under AD's purview.

This would go a long way to soothing the community and quelling this PR nightmare. you could even still monetize it if you want.

[Raffaele Fragapane]

Depends for what. While I wouldn't go quite as far as stuffed completely, there's a large amount of people ICE was truly enabling for that will have to invest enormous amounts of effort to get anywhere close to the same potential.

Fabric for those unafraid of text and Houdini for those with a focus on effects are great tools. The middle ground of clever artists with little text inclination or time to learn Houdini will need to stick hard to XSI while it works and either work overtime to reskill, or sacrifice small animals to dark gods hoping Fabric 2 or Bifrost will be viable in time.

[Stephan Hempel]

Since there still seems some chance for improvement of the current
situation I have yet another suggestion although I am sure that we
can't turn the wheel back.

It was stated that quite some schools use Softimage for teaching 3D
for obvious reasons. There shouldn't be a reason why they are stopping
this instantly. With no other software you can gain so much basic
understanding of 3D in a short amount of time so hazzlefree like with
Si. Learning 3D can be such a daunting experience. Boy, if I had made
my final film with Softimage instead of Maya... No student needs the
newest version of a 3D software. Even we professionals very rarely use
its full potential. And when you have learned the basics you can
easily transfer them to other packages.

At the same time it is clear Autodesk can't offer a viable alternative
to Si at this point in time. To be honest I don't think there will be
an alternative on the horizon without a major rewrite of Maya and we
all know how long this can take (How long took Moondust?)

Imho, a good compromise for all would be if Autodesk stopped active
development besides of bug fixing and opening up the SDK for third
party development and let Si remain in its product portfolio. To be
honest I find it an absolute ridiculous idea to stop selling a product
within 2 weeks time. A product which doesn't cost any more money and
has still the potential to earn some shouldn't be put from the market.
What if in the future a company decides it needs Softimage for a
certain task?

Related to this with FabricEngine some promising developments are
coming which mean that the host application doesn't necessary needs to
be active developed and can nonetheless live on for quite some time
by third party development. I see FabricEngine in a form of "geriatric
care" for retired Softimage. That would also give everybody more
breath for transitioning to possibly upcoming alternatives. So don't
put it this abruptly from the market. It simply doesn't make any
sense.

Second thought to this. As a solo entrepreneur never having seen a
large studio from the inside I have only a notion of how complex large
studio piplines for film or games can be. But I find two years for
transitioning especially for large studios a ridicioulus short amount
of time. Most likely you are cought in production right now, in
preproduction for the next show and planning a sequal for a Softimage
produced film afterwards. And then you should rebuild your whole
pipeline right in the middle within 24 months?
Especially in the sensitive state the VFX industry is right in the
moment? (I've just watched "Life after Pi", quite depressing)
So 5 to 10 years would be a much more reasonable amount of time for
transitioning especially for the large studios. This would also help
that 3rd party development doesn't cease so rapidly.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,
Stephan.


MP> Hi everyone,

MP> I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:

MP> When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire
MP> was to provide our customers with
MP> an easy, no-cost path to transition to either 3ds Max or Maya.
MP> We have been monitoring all of your
MP> feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made
MP> adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns.
MP> As we had previously announced, a
MP> program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of
MP> migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a
MP> Softimage license until April 2016.
MP> Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely
MP> with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on
MP> Softimage in April 2016. We have
MP> heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to
MP> access your Softimage projects even
MP> after the retirement of Softimage. Our intention was not to
MP> create more burden on you with this
MP> difficult change.

MP> As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to
MP> clarify what will happen if you do
MP> not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are
MP> yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working
MP> whether you are on Subscription or not.
MP> You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

MP> maurice
MP> Maurice Patel
MP> Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134

[Mirko Jankovic]

Question is actually is does any of these concerns comes anywhere near people taht can make any decision at all even by long shot,

or they are all filtered and fire walled by poor souls that in front of AD have to receive negative feedback from Softimage guys?

It is simply possible that all these complains simply gets filtered, anything that has anything to do with same Softimage options is pushed to spam, end of story, and those that ask about Maya transition they are ok.

And just one more thing to add and really nothing else is left to say. To a lot of people Softimage is really ONLY solution and tool they can use in daily work to be productive and competitive.

Transferring to anything else, either AD horses max and maya or others on the market houdini max.... will render them efficient enough to fight for place on market which is hard even as it is. 

So beside working every day you need to learn new thing too.. Do you really think that people now have time for that? O to simply just stop working for a month or more to learnt new tool and then start working gain. And remember people have to eat every day, pay bills...

So whoever thought of brilliant idea: oh they ca just move to another tool" have NO IDEA how this work is done and what it means to find any time per day or week for learning beside trying to work for living.

But how they could know, their bank accounts are filled that they can stop working and earning now and would be set for couple generations... 

Us, "normal" working people actually depend on daily and monthly income.

[Ben Rogall]

Thanks for the clarification Maurice. I just wanted to make absolutely
sure what my options were. This makes a huge difference as to whether
the Maya offer is a deal I can use or not.
Ben Rogall

[Leoung O'Young]

Hi Maurice,

Thanks for answering my questions, I have another question.
I just got a quote for buying and upgrading XSI.
For the remaining 2 years that is left in the live of XSI, how many
people will be left to do technical support for XSI?
The quote also included subscription support cost, I thought 1 first
year of subscription/support is free with the offer?

Right now I am weighing my options, I will be comparing the cost to
Houdini and Cinema4D

Thanks,
Leoung

On 07/03/2014 3:31 PM, Maurice Patel wrote:
> Hi Leoung,
> You should probably talk to a reseller about the details. AFAIK today we only offer one flavor of Sofimage and you would need to upgrade to that but it should give you everything

> maurice
>
> Maurice Patel
> Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Leoung O'Young
> Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 3:18 PM
> To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
> Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan
>

> Hi Maurice,
>
> I found out I have one 2011 Essential license which I can upgrade, the other 3 licenses are too old.
> Beside upgrading just that license, can I expand that license to an advance with render nodes and do I have rent options after the end of March timeline?
>
> Thanks,
> Leoung
>
> On 07/03/2014 3:04 PM, Maurice Patel wrote:
>> Yes it would.
>> If you need to scale production you will have two options. You will be able to purchase a 3 month or 1 year rental of the transition bundle to increase your Softimage seats or you can purchase the bundle itself. If you purchase the bundle new you will have the same rights as if you obtained it by transitioning from a Softimage license. Please note these options are only available to customers who own Softimage already.

>> maurice
>>
>> Maurice Patel
>> Autodesk : Tél: 514 954-7134
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com
>> [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Jason S
>> Sent: Friday, March 07, 2014 2:02 PM
>> To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
>> Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan
>>
>>

>> Would that also extend ability to scale (get new licences) ? (at the
>> very least for existing customers?)
>>
>>
>>
>> On 03/07/14 13:44, Maurice Patel wrote:
>>> Hi everyone,

>>>
>>> I have an update to the Softimage Transition Plan to share with you:
>>>

>>> When we created the initial Softimage transition plan our desire was to provide our customers with an easy, no-cost path to transition to either 3ds Max or Maya. We have been monitoring all of your feedback on the forums, including many direct conversations with our customers, and have made adjustments to the transition offering to address your concerns. As we had previously announced, a program is available to all Softimage customers on Subscription providing you with the option of migrating to 3ds Max or Maya via a bundle that will include a Softimage license until April 2016. Based on your feedback we will be adding the ability to continue to access Softimage indefinitely with your Subscription entitlement even after we stop support on Softimage in April 2016. We have heard you and we want to make sure you can continue to be able to access your Softimage projects even after the retirement of Softimage. Our intention was not to create more burden on you with this difficult change.
>>>
>>> As many of you have also asked about this, we would also like to clarify what will happen if you do not want to transition: your licenses will not stop working. Any licenses you have purchased are yours. They are perpetual licenses and will continue working whether you are on Subscription or not. You will continue to be able to contact support if you need to move a license to a new machine.

[Leendert A. Hartog]

Hello,
I have one more question: does the transition period require my to stay
on the highest tier of subscription to benefit from both Softimage 2015
and Maya 2015 or can I just as easily downgrade to the lower tier of
subscription Maya has (but Softimage never had) on offer.
Thanks in advance for your reply...

Greetz
Leendert

--

Leendert A. Hartog – Softimage hobbyist
AKA Hirazi Blue – Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com

[Maurice Patel]

Hi Leendert
The bundle is essentially Maya or 3ds Max and has the same subscription options as those products

Maurice


Maurice Patel
Autodesk : Tél:  514 954-7134

-----Original Message-----
From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Leendert A. Hartog
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 5:10 PM
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Update to the Softtimage Transition Plan

Hello,
I have one more question: does the transition period require my to stay on the highest tier of subscription to benefit from both Softimage 2015 and Maya 2015 or can I just as easily downgrade to the lower tier of subscription Maya has (but Softimage never had) on offer.
Thanks in advance for your reply...

Greetz
Leendert

--

Leendert A. Hartog - Softimage hobbyist
AKA Hirazi Blue - Administrator @, NOT the owner of si-community.com