XSI artists looking jump ship to Blender

General Forums Blender and CG Discussions
21

Hodo Joe you are correct. Drag select is king in real production. that is what I ment by selection methods. Sud-object seletion are good as is in Blender. Come on just add drag select and all blender work will double in astetics.

I will post my New Blender work.
And Put up my past XSI work for those interested.Maybe some tutorials.Even some Max ones too.

mysite:
www.microsoftimage.com

Belnder needs quads bad to really help Ton eg. Like I will model stuff for his projects if I could get A proper kife / cut tool like XSI / MAYA / MAX that does not show the connecting edges for the vertex on the edge . But I don’t even get invovled for fear spending too much time trying to keep the mesh proper and not on just banging datails out.

I also need a proper link to any dev videos.

I don’t know C but I do code in Irrlicht C++. (blender game engine is awsome with this relase)

I think that Autodesk is gonna intergate game engine in to XSI to cut off Blenders user base and support becuase the blender game engine now mature.GLSL.

Come on guys on the dev theme … proper Cut Polygon Tool…

I will take a look a C and the Blender code. Something might click in my head and I might just make it my self. :o

22

Hodo Joe you are correct. Drag select is king in real production. that is what I ment by selection methods. Sud-object seletion are good as is in Blender. Come on just add drag select and all blender work will double in astetics.

I will post my New Blender work.
And Put up my past XSI work for those interested.Maybe some tutorials.Even some Max ones too.

mysite:
www.microsoftimage.com

Belnder needs quads bad to really help Ton eg. Like I will model stuff for his projects if I could get A proper kife / cut tool like XSI / MAYA / MAX that does not show the connecting edges for the vertex on the edge . But I don’t even get invovled for fear spending too much time trying to keep the mesh proper and not on just banging datails out.

I also need a proper link to any dev videos.

I don’t know C but I do code in Irrlicht C++. (blender game engine is awsome with this relase)

I think that Autodesk is gonna intergate game engine in to XSI to cut off Blenders user base and support becuase the blender game engine now mature.GLSL.

Come on guys on the dev theme … proper Cut Polygon Tool…

I will take a look a C and the Blender code. Something might click in my head and I might just make it my self. :o

23

i think he means ngons. a more modern mesh data structure would make it easier to implement more powerful loop selection modes than blender currently has. look at modo for example.

24

I await the surprise, though I do wonder what it is, whether it’s a new Blender feature that could really help workflow.

25

We should be hearing more of that in this community. Developing software is no picnic. It costs thousands of dollars in manhours. We benefit from using this awesome 3d app, whether it be commercial endeavors, potential growth, and/or personal satisfaction, thus it should be easy for us to give something in return, whatever we could afford.

If it would hasten the development of version 2.5, why not?:yes:

26

@xsinick if you really need ngons. you can use Wings3d for modeling then Blender for everything else. I think it’s a nice combo while we are waiting for 2.5.

27

Blender does have drag select, press B. :wink:

I just meant that I’d like it to be bound to a mouse key, it’s faster and easier.

28

@xsinick if you really need ngons. you can use Wings3d for modeling then Blender for everything else. I think it’s a nice combo while we are waiting for 2.5.
Indeed, good advice. (not that you couldn’t model perfectly with Blender everything! I certainly could! ) Is what I do since years, and truly in love with the workflow . And certainly am not the only one…!
I have produced all character of a shareware game, and its animations (not released, can’t disclose) , with the needs for the genre, have produced like this a mascot for a company and its rigging, and use it often in my work as a general corporate designer and guy for anything graphic in my actual job. Sometimes using only Wings, but quite often importing in Blender. Rarely to continue modelling, but some bits are sometimes helpful.
From there, I have treated and exported game levels for engine tools prototypes… or made tests for game animations, for game formats exporters and engine loaders. All going from wings to blender, to whatever.
Anyway, as I said as Oin today somewhere else, it does not harm you to know several tools handling…

Also, Wings while having way less human power behind, has now some dedicated persons, working on evolve it,(probably mainly two) and the amount of features is sth am even finding hard to test all, lol (which is amazingly great) . But keep in mind its a modeler. It only do that (really well, for me) , while Blender is a general aim 3d package.

PD: I use obj or LWO for the import… Indeed I do love the weight of creases that you can do inside Blender, once imported… Not frequently needed, the way I model, but…very handy, as all Blender is.

29

I will take a look a C and the Blender code. Something might click in my head and I might just make it my self.

If you want to tackle it good for you. Just note you may have to port it to the new events system when 2.5 is complete. For now you can submit patches to the patch tracker and post in the developer mailing list to get someone to review it.

30

Lasso-select (Object/Edit modes):
Ctrl-LMB drag

Paint-select (Edit mode):
B-key (twice), then LMB drag to “paint” the desired selection

Shift-G (Object mode):
Select objects based on relationships and similarity

Shift-G (Edit mode):
– In Vertex selection mode: (select vertices based on similar Normals, Face Users, Shared Vertex Groups)
– In Edge selection mode: (select edges based on similar Length, Direction, Face Users, Face Angle, Crease, Seam, Sharp)
– In Face selection mode: (select faces based on Material, Image, Area, Perimeter, Normal, Co-Planar)

Numpad Plus/Minus (Edit mode):
Increases and decreases selection area

Pretty good selection features :slight_smile:

31

Don’t forget B for box select and L for linked select. :slight_smile:

32

Just a general questions is autodesk really that bad with their 3d programs that people would jump ship just because the brought softimage or is this baseless panic?

The only program of theirs that I have extensive experience are their engineering programs Inventor and Autocad, Autocad in particular. And the are pretty good. Considering how much Microsoft sold xsi to Avid for and how much autodesk paid for it looks like softimage was in serious trouble.

33

Just a general questions is autodesk really that bad with their 3d programs that people would jump ship just because the brought softimage or is this baseless panic?
It’s not so much about the programs but the overall policy behind them. I’m not the person to quote on, but I’ve heard a lot about:

-unfair prices (3000$ in US translates to 3000€ in Europe)
-yearly subscriptions for something (not sure in what way)
-new releases with not many new features, not fixing bugs and expecting a full price
-you only buy a license to use the software and you can’t re-sell it, though some dude is fighting this in court with some success http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/09/15/lawyerless_autocad_selling_ebayer_sues_autodesk/
-no proper contact between users and developers

well, since I’m at it, I can also say that the programs are (from my own experience):
-buggy
-unstable
-can corrupt your files (the files literally become unusable, lost)
-take ages to load (time counted in minutes rather than seconds as with Blender)
-are basicly bloatware
-files from newer version don’t open in older version of the software.

We Blender users are rather spoiled when it comes to software functionality and quality.

34

tyrant monkey,
that is a very good question and may i say, quite “brave” of you to ask. To find an answer here is probably next to impossible … reminds me of a Buddhist saying: Those who talk don’t know and those who know don’t talk". (i’ve translated that from german to english which is probably not how it is known in English but I think you get the point).
My thought is that Autodesk has a firm grip on the market and the muscle to buy the stuff they can’t/won’t develop. It is a free world out there so users of x brand of software have the right to “jump shipt” as they see fit for all kinds of reasons.
If someone got “burned” by Autodesk in the past (license issues come to mind) then there would be a reason to jump ship but such a move should be not made over night.
Much of what has been posted here was made by people unqualified to state what they did and some posts are quite laughable … depending how one looks at the situation.

My gut feeling is that for years to come XSI will be a stand alone app just like Maya and to the users of each app it would be hard to notice a difference.
The serious schools out there teach what they do and if i had a million dollars of disposable income, I’d give it to the blender foundation to develop professional documentation. Which that in place and the face lift that is supposed to come, blender would/should be tempting to just about any CGI artist out there.

Will see what the future holds. But in the mean time, there is no reason to jump ship as it is not smart to leave a strong application for a weak one. Think about it, if one invested money and time to become good at XSI, where could one turn for a replacement? There are not that many choices left if any.
I am sad that XSI was in need of being rescued but in the times we live in now, nothing is certain. In a few months, the whole picture could change beyond regognition. Who knows when Adobe wakes up and starts signing the kind of papers that Autodesk signs?

35

Just a general questions is autodesk really that bad with their 3d programs that people would jump ship just because the brought softimage or is this baseless panic?
heck, no!
There’s a lot of hate against Max. Not very rational, imo, specially when the tool is unknown by most of the people which criticize.

I have made 6 games for mobiles isnide acompany, working aside with other capable dude, both using max 6 and 7. We did LOADS of works in close to no time (a lot more games, 2d ones, being done at same time, and all this happened in a year! There were no more artists in the company!)

Also worked for an FPS,(and a pre-rendered game, long ago, max3, and already was quite productive) we used everything based on Max, some slight use of Maya for levels. Made tons of plugins and c++ stuff for specific engine needs, and semaless conection with Max. The tons of free scripts and free plugins, the SDK, and great c++ coders made it all very round. But what is more, Blizzard based most of its great developments in Max! And most of my country companies, that at least two, are good players … Like that, half of the game companies of the world, used Max. Known quite well (as any package!) Is supe powerful. Imho they made design errors in the past, but very few of the people saying wrong things bout it, know with production environment experience, the latest versions…

I mean: if Autodesk WISH so, XSI will keep in the nice flow it was. Reading the news, the developers doing the wonders of it, have been transferred, so, unless they do some evil at resources management and general decissions, there should not be anything to fear, (and the other alternative, if were bankrupcy, would have been the worst for xsi users) …For $ reasons, I doubt it’s on the interest of Autodesk to harm the good curve of XSI… it’s…sells that they get. They may even give a power in marketting it does not have.

Of course, if they already decided to kill it, yep, they will, but doing to fast would be highly unpopular, and companies avoid that. That is, in long term, maybe a slight better push in Max or Maya may kill it, but imo, I’d expect in long time… (one never know, those politics and chairs and stuff are way to complex, tho market study imo rule practically everything… )

36

-unfair prices (3000$ in US translates to 3000€ in Europe)
True. but done by many software companies. And hardware ones! Some of the most loved. I felt the pain when ready the other day to go for my cintiq…and saw the european price…

-new releases with not many new features, not fixing bugs and expecting a full price
Not true for all versions. I indeed salivated with many features of the latest Maxes.

-you only buy a license to use the software and you can’t re-sell it,
I think it is so in most of the softwares I have purchased.

-no proper contact between users and developers
A lot happens in the underground, and was so historically, with specially game companies…Max heard a lot for people in games…Which now move montains of dollars (less injured by the crisis, even, for a social massive effect)

well, since I’m at it, I can also say that the programs are (from my own experience):
-buggy
-unstable
-can corrupt your files (the files literally become unusable, lost)
true. Tho…I myself learnt to guess FAST where the bugs are (hey, arent there ANY bug in Blender? come one…and is untrue all bugs get unfixed. Several do, others don’t. Is a huge application, but is condicitioned for certain kind of code. SOemthing like this in other ways, happen to any package. Also Blender.)

I could work in my everyday and not a single hang. Never lost an scene. If you know what to do , and how, and what to avoid. Like with any tool. And used to work 10 hours a day, during years. (till Max 7, a bit of 8 )

-take ages to load (time counted in minutes rather than seconds as with Blender)
True. Also depends on machine, and as well, I tend to leave it open all work session.

-are basicly bloatware
I disagree. It simply was a neck saver in every game project for every need of any kind. But I guess this is a matter of opinions/experiences…

-files from newer version don’t open in older version of the software.
true. And true in many packages.

Dunno. Much of that is true, like in many other tools, which have additional disadvantages and lots of lacks compared to what max can do… In my hands at least was quite productive, paid me greately in all means. I was cumplimented close to every day for my work.

Sorry, nothing personal, but I can’t agree on this general point most people do about it around here. And as you see I also have long experience with it…

37

This is very ambitious and ambiguous. Would you mind articulating your own words little further?

38

No, the best price for 3ds Max in Italy is 3900 € + VAT

39

I dont understand you.
I have bad engish, so sorry.

I try again: Blender has the best selection method of the 3d programs.
And best gui.

Max: horrible
Maya: horrible
XSI: good
Blender: superior

40

I think having to press a button to select more than one thing and not be able to just do it like in almost every other 3D app is not the best selection method in the world. That could just be me though.