Is Adobe's next target the Blender userbase? After Effects adds 3D raytracing.

General Forums Blender and CG Discussions
#1

http://success.adobe.com/en/na/programs/events/1203_16108_nab.html

Most of the stuff here is just features dealing with photo editing and the like , but there is one section that seems to suggest the start of Adobe moving into the world of 3D as well.

Apparently you will notice a video showing After Effects getting 3D extrusion abilities as well as raytracing, now this would suggest to me that they are tinkering with the idea of After Effects also becoming a 3D app. resulting in them possibly moving to target Blender users the same way their development of Photoshop tempered the ability for the GIMP to attract users.

Now it may seem like it will be a long time till they become a serious threat to companies like Autodesk and Maxon (if they can even add a full 3D suite to their already comprehensive 2D editors.), but it does seem like they’re looking at the idea of creating a 3D solution.

Now whether their will be a time where threads comparing Blender and After Effects become an Apples to Apples comparison would be mere speculation as of now, but it seems like the possibility of Adobe actually going the route of creating a 2D/3D hybrid app. (or at least a suite of apps.) to rule them all is becoming more of a possibility.

#2

Even if they manage to make after effects a 3d app, I don’t think it would affect Blender or any other 3d app. Hit Film has a lot of 3d capabilities and its way cheaper than AE. Doesn’t Nuke have a lot of 3d capabilities?

#3

They have been able to do extrusions for a while. It can do limited 3D with planes – but you will never be able to model and animate a complex shape like a car or a character.

#4

I think we’re all missing the true issue at hand here; what kind of job title is ‘Worldwide Video Evangelist’?! (RE: the guy in the extrusion video mentioned.)

#5

I don’t know, Adobe has had the inclination to work on their 3d support in Photoshop for awhile - they have something for embedding 3d OBJ in the pdf, and I saw a cool video of them using a 3d obj in Photoshop soon with the ability to move the lighting around and have the materials respond in the window view. I doubt it can go very far since they would have to absorb another soft like Lightwave to get the interactive render like we have in Cycles… but if they do, what harm is there? Raises the bar for the community as well as offers another tool in the tool kit.

#6

Adobe Bridge, the file browser that comes with Creative suite, does a turnaround preview for any obj file in a directory I browse to.

#7

That would be so cool if they could add .blend support too :wink:

#8

I think Blender is targeting After Effects more than the reverse. After Effects, Photoshop, Flash, and even Illustrator all have some limited 3D functionality and have for awhile.

I’m not sure why Adobe hasn’t ever fully entered the 3D market. Looking at their software suites, it’s always seemed like there should be a 3D solutions somewhere in there. Especially considering some of the esoteric applications they do have.

#9

after effects is a compositing software. every 3D tool that they will add will be for compositing.

#10

I think AE is simply failing about being a reference app for compositing and now is trying to remedy

#11

After Effects does not fail at compositing, it excels at compositing.

The problem with After Effects is the camera. They have not addressed the usability of the camera in After Effects. Navigating with the camera is such a pain. You can not even see what is around the camera, only through it. Anything that falls outside the viewport becomes unviewable.

I’m not sure why Adobe hasn’t ever fully entered the 3D market.
The major problem with After Effects is it’s original architecture. Created in 1993 as a student project (egg), it is essentially a single threaded app that they have cloned for each processor. This causes memory problems with large composition sizes. While it may fly through 1280x720 footage, it stumbles through 1920x1080. I am kind of diappointed that there is not a big flag on Adobes site saying that they have improved render time by leveraging GPU acceleration. That is what would make me want to upgrade.

Raytracing, while nice, is not that big of a deal. As we know, it will just mean longer render times.

#12

I did not say it fails at comp, it fails at being the reference app for it. It’s different. I know AE is powerful…

#13

Adobe programmers continue to amaze me, i wouldnt put anything past them.
3D integration is the next logical step for both Photoshop and other Adobe software.
Yes, i know photoshop already has crude 3D implementation, but i see more robust features like
voxel sculpting or dynamic tessellation, this would be perfect for photoshop and quick design concepts.

right now meshmixer or sculptris and photoshop work together but if you could combine the two,
plus with a basic sub-d modeling set.

Zbrush, has done this as a 2d and 3d package…
Adobe is boss and could capture the whole market, no need for multiple apps.

#14

Monopolies are never good.

#15

imagine if Adobe licensed some of 3d-coat’s functionality from
them and integrated it into Photoshop.(basically Photoshop combined with 3d-Coat)

would be pretty cool. :stuck_out_tongue:
yes, 3d-coat already has great Photoshop support and can pass all layer information etc… (this would make it easier)
but, the purpose of the combining the two are for several reasons.

  1. compatibility(obviously if its in one it its going to work, and bugs are easily found by developers)
  2. seamless integration workflow, no need to jump between programs changing settings etc
    (increased productivity and knowledge of the interface)
  3. reduced price, the “licensed” version would be a little cheaper than the “full blown” 3d-Coat package
    it wouldn’t have as much functionality, but would still have alot…
    probably the things not included would be auto-retopo
    (that could be purchased and integrated into Photoshop for extra $)

Still the integrated photoshop+3d-Coat and autopo plugin
should be Cheaper than Buying Photoshop and 3d-Coat separate
(another way to get people to get this version)

im surprised that Autodesk hasn’t made a deal with Adobe by
now with mudbox and a basic sub-d modeler.
or if Adobe could get Blender modeler into photoshop(and obviously there would have to be some kind of compensation back to the BF)

#16

I’d like to see adobe come out with a 3D software. Adobe is pretty high on the list of quality products, so they might as well expand a little bit and create a 3D suite like AutoDesk. They already have Audio, Video, 2 Graphics apps, Animation, Post production/FX, and web designing softwares, so it would be wise to broaden their library a bit.

Ooh, i know this may be slightly off topic, but does anyone know where i can find an old copy of Alias/Wavefront Power Animator? I doubt it would even install on a 64bit system anyways (or anything thats not from SGI) but it would be kinda cool to play around on it and see what the industry standard in the 90s was like (probably slow as all hell)